Honduras: interview with Rafael Alegría, MP and leader of Via Campesina
Real World Radio
The MP and peasant leader made reference to the violence against organizations with the complicity of the State and reaffirmed the call to solidarity and international denunciation – Organizations create Popular Honduran Articulation Berta Cáceres
(Honduras, March 17, 2016) After the assassination on March 3rd of Honduran Lenca leader Berta Caceres, the restriction of Gustavo Castro´s movements in Honduras (of Otros Mundos – Friends of the Earth Mexico), and upon the arrival to Honduras of an International Mission made up of several European and Latin American MPs to verify the humanitarian situation in Honduras, on Wednesday we learned about the murder of another COPINH member, Nelson Noé García, as well as the attack against the member of Via Campesina Honduras, Cristian Mauricio Alegría Turcios.
In an interview with Real World Radio on Wednesday, the leader of Via Campesina, Rafael Alegría, referred to the attack against his nephew, Cristian Mauricio Alegría Turcios, of Via Campesina Honduras, as a “plan to repress” the organization.
Alegría made reference to an “open repression policy” by the State and economic groups against popular organizations.
He defined the murder of Berta Caceres as “despicable” and strongly denounced the attempts to disconnect the reasons behind her murder with the struggle of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH).
Rafael, who was interviewed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and who, just like Berta, received several death threats, said that the President of the United Peasant Movement of Aguan (MUCA) was detained by police forces on Tuesday. Since 2009, over 100 peasants of the movement have been murdered for defending their lands.
The leader also said that the offices of Via Campesina have been attacked six times, most recently on January 26. “The situation is sad and regrettable, and we denounce it at national and international level as a plan to attack, intimidate Via Campesina and its leaders”, said Alegría.
He also announced that this organization, both at national and international level, will start a series of strong mobilizations over the situation of defenselessness of “social defenders who struggle for land, the territory, natural resources and dignity” of Honduras.
Just like in June 2009 with the Coup d´ Etat, after the murder of Berta and the other social activists, the Popular Honduran Articulation Berta Cáceres was established to organize mobilizations in the country, explained Rafael.
Click here to listen to the interview