Justice At Last

October 29, 2014

The wheels of justice often move slowly in Honduras, especially when there are powerful people involved.

This was certainly true in the case of Santiago Martinez, an orphanage director charged with sexually abusing orphanage residents five years ago.

Since hearing about the case from a U.S-based organization that used to provide funding for the orphanage, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, formerly known as AJS) lawyers, investigators, and psychologists have been working faithfully to win justice and safety for the children who were abused.

But Santiago’s power in the community has put “roadblocks all along the way” according to ASJ attorney Cristian Rivera. He described their suspicions that Santiago bribed judges throughout the court proceedings, and threatened and paid off witnesses to testify in his favor (ASJ anti-corruption lawyers are investigating these charges).

What Santiago didn’t count on was the tenacity of ASJ staff who helped the Public Prosecutor assigned to the case gather evidence with countless visits to the town where the abuses took place, 45 minutes away from ASJ’ headquarters in Tegucigalpa. ASJ staff also played a key role in helping the victim and witnesses feel ready to testify through psychological support and legal advice.

In March 2014, the case finally went to trial. The 19-year-old victim who would be testifying in this trial was scared, but she told Cristian “I’m going to testify, even if no one believes me!”

The victim had no reason to worry. Her lucid testimony and the testimonies of other witnesses and experts made it clear to the judges that Santiago was guilty. He was sentenced guilty unanimously by the three-judge panel.

Cristian is thankful for the support that so many people provided in this case saying, “It was a difficult fight, but we, along with the authorities, the victims and witnesses, and our supporters around the world made this possible. Justice was finally done.”

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ASJ Supporting Students’ Learning in Honduras

By Elizabeth Hickel • April 29, 2025

Earlier this month, The Banner published a story written by Our Shared Ministr y by Karina Guevara and Elmer Salinas . The authors showcase the work that ASJ-Honduras is doing to help and support students in Honduras. Karina and Elmer tell the story of Genesis Garcia, an 8-year-old, whose family struggles to find consistent jobs. "Genesis Garcia Baquedano is 8 years old and lives with her older brother, Anderson, and their parents in Honduras. Her parents work hard to support their family. Genesis’s father is a painter who struggles to find consistent work, and her mother is a street vendor who spends long hours away from home." According to Karina and Elmer, although Genesis is a good student, she was struggling with reading, writing, and math. This is where the ASJ-Hondurans' program, Strong Communities , comes to be a blessing. "Through God’s grace, Genesis and her family were able to join the Strong Communities program facilitated by World Renew’s local partner, Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, because the Spanish translation is Asociación para una Sociedad más Justa). Through the program, Genesis attended academic support sessions, where she impressed her tutors with her perseverance and enthusiasm. Now, Genesis’s teachers praise the program for the significant progress Genesis has been making at school." We are blessed to be able to help kids like Genesis and her family to be able to achieve their dreams and goals. You can read the full story HERE and learn more about the ASJ-Honduras Strong communities program HERE