Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Women of COPINH Camped Outside Honduran Attorney General's Office

Since this morning, Tuesday April 5th, hundreds of the indigenous Lenca women of COPINH have been protesting at the Honduran Attorney General's Office, hanging banners from it, painting its windows and doors in red paint symbolizing the blood spilled to stop the construction of the Agua Zarca dam along the Gualcarque River, and demanding justice for Berta Cáceres. Below is an update from the Network of Women Defending Human Rights (Red de Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos) as well as several pictures and videos:

Alert: Members of COPINH attacked, violent displacement feared. 
Tegucigalpa, Honduras - April 5th, 2016 - The People's Social Movement Platform of Honduras (PMSPH) alerts that, during the sit-in in front of the Attorney General's office by Lenca women from the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) members of that organization are being attacked. At 11:20am members of COPINH were hanging a banner with Berta Cáceres's picture when two soldiers and a police officer approached them aggressively and detained Gaspar Sanchez, who was then held for 3 minutes inside the Attorney General's office. During the time that Gaspar Sanchez was detained he was beaten with punches and kicks all over his body. Sanchez was freed due to the pressure from COPINH members outside the offices. During the aggression Selvin Milla, another COPINH member, was also injured with a cut to his foot. Minutes later approximately 120 riot police and soldiers arrived at the offices, along with a police tank, for which reason there is fear of a violent displacement of the people who are on site. This sit-in began at 5:30am, with over 100 Lenca women mobilizing to Tegucigalpa to demand justice for the assassination of Berta Cáceres. Women of different generations, pregnant women and minors are involved. The women of COPINH state that they will maintain the sit-in as planned.





Alert// Members of COPINH attacked, violent displacement feared. 
Tegucigalpa, Honduras - April 5th, 2016 - The People's Social Movement Platform of Honduras (PMSPH) alerts that, during the sit-in in front of the Attorney General's office by Lenca women from the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) members of that organization are being attacked. At 11:20am members of COPINH were hanging a banner with Berta Cáceres's picture when two soldiers and a police officer approached them aggressively and detained Gaspar Sanchez, who was then held for 3 minutes inside the Attorney General's office. During the time that Gaspar Sanchez was detained he was beaten with punches and kicks all over his body. Sanchez was freed due to the pressure from COPINH members outside the offices. During the aggression Selvin Milla, another COPINH member, was also injured with a cut to his foot. Minutes later approximately 120 riot police and soldiers arrived at the offices, along with a police tank, for which reason there is fear of a violent displacement of the people who are on site. This sit-in began at 5:30am, with over 100 Lenca women mobilizing to Tegucigalpa to demand justice for the assassination of Berta Cáceres. Women of different generations, pregnant women and minors are involved. The women of COPINH state that they will maintain the sit-in as planned.
Posted by Red Nacional de Defensoras de Derechos Humanos en Honduras on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
| More

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts with Thumbnails