Jul 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Diocese of San Pedro de Sula has joined with family members of the victims of a May 2004 prison fire in a lawsuit against the State of Honduras and in a complaint filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR).
In a statement, Bishop Angel Garachana Perez of San Pedro de Sula noted that more than a year has passed since the fire that took the lives of over 100 prisoners, and authorities still have not uncovered the facts surrounding the tragedy.
The bishop said he was not looking for a confrontation with the State, but “so many deaths and so much suffering cannot be in vain” In his statement, he called on authorities to reform the prison system to ensure, among other things, strict respect for human life.
“The State has the obligation to protect life in addition to the rehabilitation of those deprived of liberty, and therefore it is urgent and necessary that changes take place in the prison system,” Bishop Garachana said.