Honduran Christian Leader In Hiding
By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST Ministries
ANS (1/20/07) — Carlos Hernandez, president of the Association for a More Just Society in Honduras, is in hiding following a death threat immediately after the killing of well-known lawyer Dionisio Díaz García who was often called the lawyer for the poor.
Hernandez of the Association for a More Just Society received the death threat immediately after his associate, attorney Dionisio Diaz Garcia, was shot to death on his way to court on Monday, December 4th, Steve Geurink of Worldwide Christian Schools told Mission Network News.
Dionisio Díaz García was shot to death in his pickup truck while driving to court by two masked gunmen on a motorcycle. The gunmen shot Díaz in the head and chest from close range. This murder was the first time in years that a human rights advocate has been murdered in Tegucigalpa.
According to Mission Network News, both men have ties to the ministry of Worldwide Christian Schools (WCS) in Honduras.
Hernandez was meeting with church and community leaders, families, teachers and school boards in the capital city of Tegucigalpa about a Christian school improvement process, Geurink said. His success may have caused corrupt elements in the local government to feel threatened.
Steve Geurink said of Hernandez, Obviously this disrupts his normal work. Carlos has been extremely important to our work and ministry. He has a guard with him 24/7, and they are taking these threats very seriously. Geurink believes Hernandez faces a death threat due to his effectiveness in amplifying their schools evangelistic work.
Carlos was meeting with the church leaders, community leaders, families, teachers and school boards, and he was presenting to them effective ministry options for Christian schools thats basically a school improvement process, he explained. He was bringing all these different parties together and was having amazing results.
WCS is encouraging placing pressure on the Honduran government to address the corruption that led to Garcias death and Hernandez need to hide.
The organization is raising funds to cover the cost of protecting Hernandez and his family, Geurink said.
For more information, go to: www.wwcs.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5968&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1602
