The Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the outline of the case of Mr. Miguel Angel Pavón Salazar of Honduras, as contained in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/170/13.c(ii)-R.1), and to the relevant resolution adopted at its 169th session (September 2001),

Recalling that, owing to the insistence of the National Congress, the investigation into Mr. Pavón Salazar's murder, which had come to a virtual standstill, was reopened in July 1996 and led to the identification of two suspects,

Recalling that one of them, Mr. Quiñones, was officially declared dead on 19 September 2000 although the investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance was said to be still under way; that, on 5 June 2000, the Prosecutor issued an international arrest warrant through Interpol for the second presumed perpetrator, Jaime Rosales, who reportedly lives in the United States of America, and, on 23 August 2000, requested the General Directorate of Population and Migration to provide data on his migration movements,

Recalling also that the Office of the National Commissioner for Human Rights is monitoring the proceedings; that a Special Human Rights Prosecutor, who undertook to speed up the proceedings, is dealing with the case; that, however, the interrogation of a witness requested by her on 9 March 2001 had still not been carried out as of 6 August 2001,

Considering that the Congress has failed to respond to the IPU’s communications for the last three years; noting that a new Parliament was elected in February 2002,

1. Recalls that States are under an obligation to make every effort to ensure that human rights violations do not go unpunished, irrespective of the time that has elapsed since they were committed;
2. Solemnly calls therefore upon the newly elected National Congress to take action in order to lend fresh impetus to the proceedings in this case, as the Congress successfully did in 1996, and so ensure that justice is finally done in this case;
3. Reiterates its desire to ascertain whether any action is currently being undertaken to establish conclusive evidence on Mr. Quiñones’s fate and to ensure the execution of the arrest warrant issued for Mr. Rosales; also desires to ascertain whether further evidence is being taken to establish the truth in this case and, if so, to be informed of the outcome;
4. Requests the Secretary General to bring this resolution to the attention of the National Congress, the Office of the National Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Human Rights Prosecutor and Interpol;
5. Requests the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session (September 2002).

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