Honduras, La Esperanza, Intibuca, May 16, 2012
Approximately 2 hours ago today, Wednesday May 16, 2012 we are informed that another campesino has been assassinated in Lower Aguan. The name of murdered campesino is Juan Jose Peralta, approximately 60 years old, the names of another two campesinos who were wounded are unknown; they were transferred to the hospital in Tocoa, Colon.
The violent act occurred around 9 am in the sector of Taujica close to the La Confianza cooperative when the campesinos were in a vehicle carrying a load of firewood they were attacked by suspected security guards.
URGENT Alert – May 16, 2012 – COPINH
The Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) alerts the public that in these morning hours of May 16, a convoy of army and police units are arriving at the community of Lavanderos in the ancestral Tolupan territory. This community has maintained a history struggle for the defense of its territory and forest that ancestrally belong to this people. In recent days the loggers have pressured the community in order to put into action management plans approved by the State of Honduras without community consent and out of compliance with Agreement 169 of the Indigenous Peoples signed by the State. Yesterday tensions grew and today, as is recently usually the case in indigenous territories where they struggle to protect natural resources, the armed forceds and police have arrived in the zone for which we fear for the safety of the people.
COPINH also reaffirms the complaint that the compañeros of the community of La Cuchila, Ceguaca, Santa Barbara who have maintained a land recuperation, are being persecuted by the police and legal system because of this struggle and yesterday various were arrested.
Our organization, defender of the indigenous peoples of the country denounces the fact that it has attempted to communicate by all means with the responsible parties for the defense of human rights of the indigenous peoples in the government of Honduras and few entities have responded to our call in that other priorities not about the lives of the indigenous peoples seem to be occupying their attention.
We hold the State, the Armed Forces, the police and the loggers in the zone of Montañana de la Flor responsible for any possible aggression against the Tolupan community of Lavanderos and we condemn the persecution unleashed against the compañeros of COPINH in Ceguaca, some prisoners and others with arrest orders.
We demand immediate freedom for the compañeros held prisoner and and an end to their persecution.
We demand that the special prosecutors fulfill their official obligations in favor of the indigenous communities in the area and that the State respond to the interests of its peoples and not to those of the big land owners and loggers,exploiters of mother nature.
Army Out of the Indigenous Zones
We maintain the struggles, the land belongs to those who work it.
