Free Edwin & Raul Archives

After a 4 year activist campaign, malicious, politically motivated criminal charges against Edwin Espinal and Raul Alvarez were dropped. Hundreds of Hondurans face malicious charges - many jailed as political prisoners, for protesting the violently, fraudulently stolen 2017 elections - electoral theft endorsed by the U.S. and Canadian governments.

Since the jailing of Edwin and Raul, January 2018, it took 19 months of intense campaigning (led by Edwin’s partner Karen Spring, by Karen’s mother Janet, by Rights Action and others in the U.S. and Canada) to get them released from a max-security military prison where they were held. On Sept. 20, 2021, a Honduran court - under significant public scrutiny - ordered the dropping of all charges against them.

2018 February 1 - “Free Edwin Espinal, political prisoner in Honduras, and partner of Karen Spring, Canadian human rights expert and activist living in Honduras”, Open Letter to Canadian government officials by G. Russell

2018 February 4 - “Canadian government must ‘try harder’ to promote and defend human rights in Honduras and to free Edwin Espinal from illegal detention in a military jail”, open letter by G. Russell

2018 February 7 - “Free Edwin Espinal & Other Political Prisoners in Honduras; Update February 5, 2018”, Update by K. Spring

2018 February 21 - Rights Action Letter to Canadian government; Urgent Action - Day #32 Update from K. Spring

2018 March 4 - “Urgent Action! Honduran Political Prisoner Edwin Espinal is Refusing Food, Demanding to See a Doctor”, by K. Spring

2018 March 7 - Canadian government suggests they are not getting involved in “internal Honduran matters” - Nonsense!; Letter to Ambassador James Hill by G. Russell

2018 March 9 - Radio Canada International Article by L. Sevunts; Rights Action Letter to Ambassador to Honduras

2018 March 20 - “Serving Time in Honduras”, NACLA article by A. Pine

2018 March 22 - Public Letter to Canadian Minister of Global Affairs Chrystia Freeland, by G. Russell

2018 April 4 - “Echos of human rights abuses in Honduras resound in Simcoe County: Local family demanding release of Honduran political prisoners, including their own family member”, by E. Engel

2018 April 17 - Letter to Minister Chrystia Freeland, by J. Spring

2018 April 22 - “Springwater Township calls on Freeland to intervene in Honduras”, Simcoe County Honduras Rights Monitor

2018 May 9 - Denied Bail: Edwin Espinal, political prisoner in Honduran prison on trumped up charges, denied bail by judge in military-controlled “court-room”

2018 May 20 - Karen Spring writes to Edwin Espinal, 4 months political prisoner in Honduras

2018 May 22 - Canadian/U.S. delegation detained and interrogated for 4 hours, while travelling to Honduras to investigate situation of political prisoners jailed by U.S. and Canadian-backed regime

2018 May 23 - U.S./Canadian delegation denied entry to La Tolva, military prison, where political prisoner Edwin Espinal has been jailed for over 4 months; Simcoe County Honduras Rights Monitor delegation press release

2018 June 3 - Canadian/U.S delegation finally ALLOWED into La Tolva military prison where political prisoner Edwin Espinal has been illegally jailed for over 4 months; Two articles on the subject; Letter to Ambassador Hill

2018 June 20 - Letter by K. Skerrett (CUPE, Canadian Union of Public Employees) to the Canadian government

2019 July 24 - “Edwin Espinal has been a political prisoner for six months. Freedom now!”, Update from K. Spring

2018 July 25 - “Mounting Concerns Regarding Edwin Espinal in Honduras: Appeal to the Springwater Community… And Fold Across Canada and the U.S”, Letter from J. Spring

2018 August 10 - “Free Edwin Espinal Now”, Update from Simcoe County Honduras Rights Monitor

2018 August 29 - CTV Interview with Janet Spring; “Simcoe County group reminds Canadian leaders Saudia Arabia isn’t the only place with political prisoners”, article by E. Engel

2019 October 9 - Two inmates were killed in “La Tolva” military jail where Edwin Espinal has been illegally jailed since January 17, 2018; Update from J. Spring

2018 October 19 - “Marriage in the ‘La Tolva’ military jail in Honduras: Karen Spring and political prisoner Edwin Espinal”, Report by G. Russell

2018 November 5 - “Couple weds in a maximum-security prison to draw attention to repression in Honduras”, ABC News article by K. Forde

2018 November 5 - “Marriage in the ‘La Tolva’ military jail”, by K. Spring

2018 December 3 - “My Trip to Honduras: Advocating for Edwin Espinal Human Rights Defender”, by J. Spring

2018 December 29 - Film by J. Freeston; “Politics, Corruption, and Human Rights in Honduras: Where does the Canadian Government stand?” by J. Spring

2019 February 7 - “Supporting political prisoners: One year in the U.S.-style torture centres in Honduras”, by K. Spring

2019 February 20 - “A Tiny Step in the Right Direction: Honduran court confirms lack of due process in case of political prisoners Edwin Espinal and Raul Alvarez”, by K. Spring

2019 March 5 - “14 months in maxiumum-security Honduran military jail for Edwin Espinal, an Elmvale, Ontario family member”, Update from J. Spring

2019 April 11 - “Misleading statements by Chrystia Freeland (Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs) about political prisoner Edwin Espinal & the human rights situation in Honduras”, letter by K. Spring, J. Spring, & G. Russell

2019 April 20 - Day #444, 15 months of military jail for Edwin Espinal, political prisoner in Honduras, Rights Action Update

2019 April 24 - Letter to Canadian Prime Minister from Rights Action

2019 May 6 - “Karen Spring strip-searched while visiting husband Edwin Espinal, a political prisoner in Honduras”, Letter from Rights Action to PM Trudeau & Minister Freeland

2019 May 24 - Correspondence between Rights Action and Sébastien Sigouin, Director, Central America, Cuba & Dominican Republic

2019 June 5 - “Ashamed to be Canadian: Corruption, Fear, Humiliation, and Militarization in Honduras”, by J. Spring

2019 July 15 - Death threats against Honduran political prisoners illegally held in max-security military jail; Updates from K. Spring & J. Spring

2019 August 14 - Free! Political prisoners Edwin Espinal & Raul Alvarez freed from Honduran military prison; Commentary by G. Russell; Update from J. Spring

2019 August 16 - “The strange, distasteful case of Canada and Honduras”, The Star article by R. Salutin

2019 August 21 - “As son-in-law worried for his life in Honduras jail, a local family fought for justice”, by E. Engel

2019 December 2 - “Edwin Espinal, Political Prisoners, State-sponsored Drug Traffickers and Persecution in Honduras”, by K. Spring

2021 September 13 - Drop the charges against Edwin Espinal & Raul Alvarez; “Heading to Trial: Freedom for Edwin and Raul”, Honduras Now podcast by K. Spring

2021 September 15 - Drop the Charges; “Day One: Edwin and Raul’s Trial”, Aqui Abajo blog by K. Spring

2021 September 16 - “Trial begins for Honduran political prisoner with family in Simcoe County”, Collingwood Today article by E. Engel

2021 September 21 - Charges dropped! Edwin Espinal & Raul Alvarez, Honduran political prisoners, had all the malicious criminal charges against them dropped