Saúl, a 35-year-old father of five, was murdered in his native Honduras less than three weeks after he was sent back home from Mexico in July 2016 after his asylum application was rejected.
A bus driver – one of the most dangerous professions in Honduras due to the control gangs assert over the industry – Saúl fled the country in November 2015 after he survived a shooting along with his two sons, who were severely injured. He said the police failed to follow up on his report or to offer him protection.
When Amnesty International spoke to Saúl in July, his final words were, “I feel like something is going to happen again, maybe to me.”
His wife and sons are now living in terror of what might happen to them.
I feel like something is going to happen again, maybe to me.
Saúl
‘Saúl’: Sent back to his death
Protect Central American refugees from brutal violence
El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala must ensure that deportees are protected from danger when they return to their home countries.
To the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador
We are calling you to:
- Protect your people from violence.
- Assume central responsibility for the protection of deportees using the resources required given the demand caused by the increase in numbers of deportees.
- Identify deportees-at-risk to provide them with specific protection given their particular needs
- Ensure protection programmes for deported migrants take into consideration the rights and specific protection issues relating to groups such as women, indigenous people, LGBTI people and unaccompanied children.
- Assess individual cases for re-admission asylum procedures.