Tegucigalpa, January 15 (RHC)--The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Honduras (OACNUDH) has repudiated the excessive use of force by security forces against thousands of people protesting peacefully against alleged electoral fraud in recent presidential elections.

The organization expressed its concern about the violence that has erupted in the country as a result of protests against the re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernández, and urged the security forces to abide in their work by the principles of necessity and proportionality.

In a statement to the press, the UN office expressed its concern for the widespread and indiscriminate use of tear gas that occurred on January 12, which has affected demonstrators who protested peacefully, as well as residents.

The protest took place in Tegucigalpa, promoted by the Alliance of Opposition against the Dictatorship led by the former presidential candidate of that coalition, Salvador Nasralla.

The opposition candidate maintains that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) committed a fraud in proclaiming his rival, Juan Orlando Hernández, as the winner of the elections.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged the Honduran Government to adopt good practices of dialogue between the security forces and the demonstrators, in order to avoid the use of violence to disperse crowds.