VIOLENT EVICTION IN PAJUILES

VIOLENTEVICTION IN PAJUILES – 5 DETAINED INCLUDING A PREGNANT WOMAN
[Información en español]
On Tuesday, August 15^th, 2017, Honduran police used tanks, tear-gas and violence to displace thenon-violent “Camp Dignity” encampment of community members in the Pajuilescommunity in the municipality of Tela, Honduras who for months have beenprotesting the intrusion of the HIDROCEP corporation owned by Jaison Hawit intothe Cordillera Nombre de Dios mountains to dam up the Mezapa River. 

Communitymembers from the Movimiento Amplio por la Dignidad y la Justicia (Movement for Dignity and Justice) were beaten and gassed and five were arrested, including awoman who is six months pregnant. Those detained are Albertina López Melgar(who is six months pregnant), Wendy Yanery García, Kevin Javier Linares, JuanBautista Santos and a minor whose name we have been unable to confirm.

La Voz de los de Abajo was able to reach Albertina in prisonwho has the following to say:

“Whatthey are doing here in our country is repressing us just for defending ourright to water. The police don’t help us but when the corporation calls themthey come and repress us and detain people. We have 13 people alreadycriminalized and now five more of us arrested this morning. We want to call outto the international community and let you know that we are indignant as aHonduran people facing the repressive system we live under. The people arebeing harshly repressed with tear gas and tanks. We hold the authoritiesresponsible and the people who finance them and who finance these projects. Weare ending up without water and that is all we have for future generations. Theyneed to think twice, they are doing damage, both social and ecological damage.We pay taxes just like them, but the police are only there to defend them.Right now they are trying to get two machines through our encampment to the damsite by any means they can and I am very worried there will be a loss of lifebecause they are using everything they have to repress us.”

UPDATE: All five were released at 1:30am, but face charges of "carrying out an illegal meeting" amongst others and must check in weekly to the police station pending trial. 

Spanish speakers canmake calls to:

Julián Pacheco, Minister of Security – 011-504-9456-3699
Commander Adán Antonio Reyes Ochoa – 011-504-9440-0220
Tela police station – 011- 504-2448-2086/2089

English speakersplease call:

• U.S. State Department – Bureau of Western HemisphericAffairs – 202-647-5402 – Let them know about this unfolding human rights crisisand ask they call their counterparts in the Honduran government.
• Your congressperson – Let them know about the situation inPajuiles and ask they support the Berta Cáceres Law for Human Rights inHonduras to cut off military and police aid that is being used for assassinationsand other human rights violations like the violent operation underway right now.http://witnessforpeace.org/bertacaceresact/

In Defense of Father Ismael "Melo" Moreno & of the Honduran Students

Statement of the Honduras Solidarity Networks In Defense of Padre Melo and the Honduran Students
En Español and in English 

Padre Melo
photo from Ignaciansolidarity.net

La Voz de los de Abajo is sharing the HSN Statement in Spanish and English at the link above. 
Students in Honduras' universities and high schools have been fighting the privatization of education and the authoritarian anti-democratic administration of the National Autonomous University of Honduras as well as the rule by the coup government's Ministry of Education in the public schools. When our delegation was in Honduras in March, we talked to students at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and learned about their movement.  Just as it does in the face of all the movements in resistance,  the government answers the students with violence and even assassination, reneging on agreements and refusing to dialogue. When human rights groups, political opposition members and members of the peoples' movements defend the students, they are threatened. La Voz de los de Abajo is a member of the Honduras Solidarity Network in North America and is working with other organizations in the US to cut off US aid to the repressive Honduran government and we also hold the Honduran government responsible for the safety of Padre Melo, Berta Caceres' family, Berta Oliva of COFADEH, Miriam Miranda of Ofraneh, Doris Gutierrez of PINU, the student leaders and the many many others at risk. 

University Student Protest
foto Honduras Tierra Libre