Latin America
We work alongside local organizations and human rights defenders to defend civic space and combat violence, repression, and discrimination in the region. Through strategic litigation and legal advocacy before the Inter-American Human Rights system and the United Nations, we work toward protecting human rights, seeking truth, justice, and redress for victims of human rights violations. From combating gender-based violence in Central America, historic racism against Dominicans of Haitian Descent, and systematic repression against critics in Venezuela and Guatemala to protecting freedom of the press in Colombia and Brazil, our mission is to create a region where justice, dignity, and equality prevail for all.
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Venezuelan Authorities Should Immediately Release Human Rights Defenders
RFK Human Rights joins the undersigned organizations in rejecting the detention and incarceration of three human rights defenders from the NGO Fundacion Redes (Fundaredes).
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Women Human Rights Defenders at Risk in Nicaragua
We've joined 300 human rights organizations in calling for prompt action to address the attacks and harassment of women human rights defenders and leaders in Nicaragua.
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VICE News: Honduran Government Responsible for Trans Woman’s Murder
Tags Share Trans activist Vicky Hernández was just 26 years old when she was killed by Honduran security forces in 2009. Her death, like countless other trans women who have been murdered in the region, was never properly investigated and while the state claimed an autopsy had been conducted, the family was never provided with…
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Honduras Ordered to Pay Reparations to Family of Trans Woman Killed by Police
Tags Share Twelve long years after trans activist Vicky Hernandez was killed by Honduran security forces, her family is finally getting a measure of justice. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that Honduras must acknowledge its responsibility for her 2009 murder and re-open an investigation into her case, begin tracking anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes,…
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We’re Setting a Precedent for Trans Rights
Tags Share Dear Friends, This is a monumental moment in RFK Human Rights’ history, and we wanted you to be among the first to know. After years of litigation on behalf of the family of Vicky Hernández, a trans activist who was murdered in Honduras in 2009, we’re proud to announce that the Inter-American Court…
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Honduras Responsible for Trans Woman’s Murder, Human Rights Court Rules
The ruling sets a legal precedent across Latin American, which has the highest concentration of trans murders in the world.
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Honduras Responsible for Trans Woman’s Murder, International Court Rules
Tags Share “RFK Human Rights and Red Lésbica Cattrachas won a landmark ruling before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on behalf of the family of Vicky Hernández. Vicky, a 26-year-old Honduran trans woman, was targeted and killed by state security forces in 2009 during the country’s coup d’etat. Her death set off a wave…
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Honduras Ordered to Track LGBTQ+ Hate Crimes
Tags Share “After Honduran trans activist Vicky Hernández was targeted and killed for her gender identity in 2009, the country experienced a wave of unprecedented violence against the LGBTQ+ community. More than 300 LGBTQ+ people have been killed in the country in the decade since and few, if any, of these cases have been properly…
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BBC: Court Says Honduras to Blame for Trans Woman’s Murder
Tags Share After RFK Human Rights and Cattachas brought Vicky Hernandez’s case before the Inter-American Court, it delivered a landmark ruling holding Honduras responsible for her murder. Read the full article here. Module type not found: newsArticles
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The Guardian: Honduran State Responsible for Trans Woman’s Murder
While transphobia in Latin America remains pervasive and deadly, RFK Human Rights’ Angelita Baeyens says the Court’s decision brings hope for change.
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