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January 30, 2019

Honduras: Rights Groups Slam Guilty Verdict for Opposition Critic María Luisa Borjas
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In Honduras, a judge found opposition lawmaker and prominent police
critic María Luisa Borjas guilty of defamation Tuesday. Camilo Atala,
president of Ficohsa Bank, sued Borjas after she publicly read his name
from a list of suspected masterminds in the 2016 assassination of
renowned indigenous environmental leader Berta Cáceres. Borjas was
formerly a high-ranking official in the Honduran police force. Human
rights groups have condemned the case and the "chilling effect" of such
lawsuits. The Honduran Committee for Freedom of Expression said
Tuesday's verdict poses "a grave threat to democracy."


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