PBI-Honduras welcomes acquittal of Henry Bonilla, opposes criminalization of the national strike
PBI-Honduras has posted: “We attended the trial of Henry Bonilla, accused of the burning of the US embassy, at a demonstration in 2019. He was acquitted and exonerated of all responsibility. We celebrate the work of the @defencofadeh for #HumanRights and against the criminalization of the national strike.”
Defensoresenlinea.com further explains:
“Sentencing Court acquits the young university student Henry Arturo Bonilla Acevedo, unjustly accused by the Public Ministry of arson for events that occurred at the American Embassy in May 2019.
This Monday, February 5, in the Second Chamber of the Sentencing Court of the Supreme Court of Justice, the oral and public trial ended in the case that follows the young man, for the crime of arson, to the detriment of the embassy of the United States of America, where due to lack of evidence and reasonable doubts, the court acquitted the young man of the crimes for which the Public Prosecutor’s Office wanted him to be tried, which they could not prove in the process.
The trial began on January 22, continued on January 26 and concluded on February 5 with the presentation of the conclusions by the defense and by the prosecution, the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In their ruling, the judges declared a sentence of acquittal for the young man.
In 2019, Bonilla Acevedo was one of the many Hondurans who joined the mobilizations of the Platform in Defense of Health and Education, which between April and May of that year carried out more than 70 public actions, to demand that the government of Juan Orlando Hernández not privatize these two rights.
Henry Bonilla Acevedo was arrested in August 2021 and charged by the Attorney General’s Office with the crimes of arson to the detriment of the Embassy of the United States of America.
He was deprived of his liberty for four months and 10 days in the “Marco Aurelio Soto” National Penitentiary, regaining his liberty in December, under the care of Cofadeh, who is providing legal representation.
The previous year he underwent the amnesty process that was approved in February 2022 by the government of Xiomara Castro, but it was denied, ordering the Supreme Court of Justice that the process continue with the oral and public trial, which ended this day, leaving the young man free.”
The full article is at Tribunal de Sentencias absuelve a Henry Arturo Bonilla Acevedo (Riccy Ponce, 5 febrero, 2024).
Our previous article on this is at PBI-Honduras observes trial of student activist accused of arson at US Embassy during national strike protests (January 28, 2024)
