From the Aguan Valley: La Lucha Sigue

May 9, 2016, meeting with campesino
organizations in Tocoa, Colon

Article and photos by Vicki Cervantes
Video: Massacre en El Tumbador courtesy of Alto Al Riesgo, written and directed by Laura Bermúdez. 

On May 24, 2016 at around 6:30 in the morning, Jinson Aldin Alfaro Almendares, a young member of the campesino group Empresa Campesina Gregorio Chávez was shot in the back without warning by private paramilitary guards working for COFRUCO, a large land holder in the Aguan, as he worked in his fields. The COFRUCO plantation as well as the land Jinson was working are next to the Paso Aguan plantation controlled by the Faccusee family's corporation Dinant. The Paso Aguan plantation and the nearby community of Panama have been the scene of many attacks on local campesinos including the murder in 2012 of Gregorio Chavez, which has never been investigated and remains in impunity.   Jinson survived, but this incident is one of many, recent attacks against campesinos and their organizations. The day before the shooting, the home of the coordinator of the campesino umbrella organization the Regional Agrarian Platform for the Aguan Valley, Jaime Cabrera was surrounded for a time by armed men wearing ski masks while Jaime was inside the house. Police refused to take action against the guards who shot Jinson. (Information on the attack as reported by the Plataforma Agraria del Aguan via Karla Zelaya). 

In Guadalupe Carney on May 9, premier of documentary
of 2010 El Tumbador massacre of 5 campesinos

Just two weeks ago, I participated in an International Human Rights Observer Mission organized by COFADEH (May 6-12) that met with campesino organizations in the Aguan, including the Movimiento Revindicador Campesino Gregorio Chavez, Movimiento Unificado Campesinos del Aguan (MUCA) Movimiento Authentico Revindicador Campesino del Aguan (MARCA)  and the Permanent Human Rights Observatory of the Aguan (OPDHA).

That same day we also participated in an event to commemorate and launch a new struggle to demand justice for the November 2010 massacre of 5 campesinos from the MCA by guards working for DINANT.  COFADEH has been working with the survivors of the massacre and the families of the murdered campesinos and is getting ready to take the case to the international justice system. The event held in the community of Guadalupe Carney included a photo exhibition of the survivors and victims and the premier showing of a new documentary about the El Tumbador.

May 9, Meeting with survivors and victims
of 2010 massacre at El Tumbador 

The meeting with campesino organizations, social movement organizations such as the Coordinator of Peoples' Organizations of the Aguan (COPA), and community organizations from the towns in the region who are defending the environment from mining and mega-tourism projects took place in the town of Tocoa. Participants in the meeting gave moving testimony about the violence, including murders, against campesinos, and different trickery and pressure being used to facilitate campesino lands passing into the hands of the large landowners and agro-businesses. Testimony also denounced what is seen as a new phase in the violence in the Aguan in which large scale violent attacks have been replaced with a more selective violence, infiltration of communities, threats and intimidations to terrorize and disorganize all opposition to land grabbing, mining and dispossession of the poor residents of the Aguan.

MUCA leaders speaking

MUCA leaders talked about the establishment of outright death squads, one group calls itself "head collectors of Colon"; on September 1, 2015 after police attacked a local protest with live ammunition and tear gas, a Coronel was reported to have said that he wanted the heads of two campesino leaders which he named by their names. Around the same time a 'hit list' came to light with more names of leaders and activists. Environmentalists, members of organizations opposed to the coup and current government also spoke of threats they are receiving. Employees of the National Agrarian Institute spoke of being threatened personally and having their jobs threatened because they support campesinos or because they belong to LIBRE (the left opposition party). Another woman who works for the municipality but is opposed to mining concessions that will affect her community. She was told at work that her job was at risk and that furthermore that bad things happen to people working against mining.

Members of the human rights observatory (OPDHA) also gave testimony about recent attempts on their lives. Irma Lemus and Rigoberto Duran were run down by a car that was obviously waiting for them as they rode by on Rigoberto's motorcycle. Both suffered serious injuries. There were previous incidents in which cars with darkened windows and without license plates followed them and attempted to intimidate or run them off the road. Campesino activists and members of COPA and other social movements emphasized that Juan Orlando Hernandez's government is firming up a dictatorship that is "asphyxiating" the campesinos and that there is a strong alliance between National Party politicians, big businessmen, judges and police against the campesinos in the Aguan.

Murder of campesino leader in the Aguan November 11, 2014

english follows the spanish original -

COFADEH  and COPINH Dennounce the Assassination of a member of MUCA, 
Juan Miralda also known as Juan Galindo. 

Juan Lopez Miralda  - foto por G. Trucchi

COFADEH repudia asesinato cometido contra miembro de MUCA

Written by Administrador

Wednesday, 12 November 2014 19:12 -

COMUNICADO

El Comité de Familiares de Detenidos – Desaparecidos en Honduras, COFADEH, repudia el asesinato cometido anoche contra el señor Juan Ángel López Miralda en la comunidad de Rigores, municipio de Trujillo, departamento de Colón. 

En efecto, como ha sido referido por organizaciones de la zona, Juan Ángel había ofrecido testimonio sobre amenazas, persecución y atentados ante este Comité en fecha 20 de noviembre de 2013.

In effect, as has been noted by organizations in the region, Juan Ángel had provided testimony about threats, persecution and attempts against him to this Committee on November 20, 2013. 

En aquella ocasión la víctima testificó pertenecer al Movimiento Unificado Campesino de la margen izquierda del Río Aguán, donde era presidente de la cooperativa Cristo Rey, del asentamiento campesino Marañones. Entre otros hechos testificó que el 16 de abril de 2013 sobrevivió a un atentado perpetrado

por hombres armados con sus rostros encapuchados.

Un ataque similar se repitió el 16 de octubre de 2013, siete días después que el coronel German Alfaro, de la Fuerza Xatruch, y agentes policiales de Yanga Nueva al mando del oficial Antúnez, visitaron la casa de su padre el 9 de octubre con actitud desafiante e inquisidora.

En ese contexto de hostilidades López Miralda decidió abandonar el país después de las elecciones de noviembre de 2013, reingresando por razones familiares en julio de 2014, sin notificar dicha decisión.

Hoy con vehemencia repudiamos su asesinato y exigimos a las autoridades gubernamentales una investigación seria del hecho y que dé a conocer con prontitud los resultados.

De los hechos y de los hechores, ni olvido ni perdón

COFADEH

1 / 1

The Committee of the Families of the Disappeared - Detainees of Honduras (COFADEH) repudiates the assassination last night against Mr. Juan Ángel López Miralda in the community of Rigores, municipality of Trujillo, Department of Colon.  

In effect, as has been noted by organizations in the region, Juan Ángel had provided testimony about threats, persecution and attempts against him to this Committee on November 20, 2013. 

At that time the victim testified that he belongs to the Unified Campesino Movement of the Aguan (MUCA) of the left bank of the Aguan River where he was president of cooperative, Cristo Rey, in the campesino settlement of Marañones. Among other facts he testified that on April 16, 2013 he survived an attack perpetrated by armed men wearing hoods over their faces. 

A similar attack was repeated on October 16, 2013, seven days after Colonel German Alfaro of the Xatruch Forces and police from Yanga Nueva under the command of an official named Antúnez, visited the house of his father on October 9 with a hostile and inquisitor attitude. 

Under  these hostile conditions López Miralda decided to abandon the country after the November 2013 elections, returned for family reasons in July of 2014 without giving notification  of this decision. 

Today we vehemently repudiate his assassination and we demand a serious investigation of this event by the government authorities  and that they quickly make the results known. 

The actions and the perpetrators, we will not forget nor forgive

COFADEH
_____________________________________________________
english follows spanish November 12, 2014

COPINH: !Asesinan a Juan Galindo, luchador por la tierra en el Aguan!

EL COPINH lamenta el cobarde asesinato del compañero Juan Galindo, hecho criminal cometido anoche, martes 11 de noviembre, a eso de la media noche, en la comunidad de Rigores, en el Valle del Aguan. El compañero Juan Galindo se destacó como dirigente campesino, participando de procesos de lucha por la tierra en beneficio del campesinado de la zona. Había recibido contantes amenazas a muerte y  su caso estaba siendo observado y acompañado  por varias organizaciones de derechos humanos que buscaban su protección.

El COPINH, se solidariza con la familia del compañero Galindo, con su comunidad y exige al Estado de Honduras, a las autoridades correspondientes el esclarecimiento inmediato y efectivo y que proceda a la aplicación de justicia con los responsables intelectuales y materiales.

El COPINH exige al Gobierno de Juan Orlando Hernández  que le ponga fin a la criminalización, represión, persecución y asesinato de dirigentes sociales, políticos y populares, situación que se mantiene en total impunidad como el de la compañera  dirigente campesina Margarita Murillo y muchos mas.

Dado en Intibucá, Honduras  a los 12 días de noviembre del 2014.

Coordinación General COPINH

¡Compañero Juan Galindo Presente, hoy, mañana y siempre!

¡Con la fuerza ancestral de Iselaca, Lempira, Mota y Etempica se levantan nuestras voces llenas de vida, justicia, dignidad, libertad y paz!

COPINH

English - COPIN denounces assassination of campesino leader in Rigores, Aguan Valley. 

COPINH laments the cowardly assassination of compañero Juan Galindo, a criminal act committed last night, Tuesday November 11 around midnight in the community of RIgores in the Aguan Valley. Compañero Juan Galindo stood out as a campesino leader, participating in the process of struggle for the land to benefit the campesinos in the region. He had received constant death threats and his case was being observed and accompanied by various human rights organizations that sought his protection.

COPIN is in solidarity with the family of compañero Galindo and his community and demands that the Government of Honduras and the responsible authorities investigate immediately and effectively and apply justice to the intellectual and material authors (of the crime). 

COPINH demands that the Government of Juan Orlando Hernández ends the criminalization, repression, persecution and assasination of social , political and popular leaders - a situation that is maintained in total impunity, for example the case of the campesina leader Margarita Murillo and many more. 

Declared in Intibucá, Honduras on the 12th of November 2014. 

Perjury, Prejudice and Influence = Injustice

February 5th Chabelo’s Trial 

Campesinos of the Aguan - Seminario FIDES 2012

I arrived back in Chicago yesterday; this report is based on information from notes and reports by Dunia Perez of ERICSJ and Greg McCain, a human rights observer in the Aguan as well as a phone interview with Chabelo’s family today. Today the defense and prosecution  present their closing arguments- a verdict may come as early as tomorrow -- V. Cervantes

Yesterday (February 5) the landowner who started violence in the land dispute with the campesinos of Guadalupe Carney, Police Subcommander Henry Vicente Osorto testified. According to those present in the courtroom the prosecution created major theatrical effect -- previously they complained that he was not answering the orders to appear---  while everyone (except the judges) was in the courtroom for a supposed 8:30 am start, nothing happened until 9:30 am. The judges entered at that time and the prosecution introduced Osorto as the next witness. The defense team was not notified that Osorto was going to show up. 

Most shocking was Osorto’s testimony - he blatantly contradicted his testimony and statements made for the 2010 trial. He was not present at the confrontation but has testified that he had phone conversations with family members who were there including Carlos Manrique Osorto the man that Chabelo is accused of killing. The 2010 testimony by Henry Osorto was only that Carlos Manrique said there were campesinos surrounding the house , noise, etc. without mentioning any names at all.  But in Wednesday’s testimony he claimed that he asked Carlos Manrique if he recognized anyone and was told that “Jose Isabel Morales” was the one who shot him and furthermore Henry claims now that Chabelo took the phone from Carlos Manrique while talking to Henry and told Henry “ see what we have done to your family, you think you are so big”.  The defense team moved to declare the testimony invalid but despite the clear the contradictions. The judges ruled against the defense.  

Chabelo's mother shares family photos
with La Voz delegation - 2010

There were other inconsistencies between Wednesday’s testimony and 2010. In 2010 Osorto testified that in general the campesinos were peaceful neighbors but this time he made long statements about how the campesinos are terrorists; he verbally attacked the campesino organization MUCA (who are not at Guadalupe Carney) as having terrorist cells and accused Chabelo of having brought in others from outside to carry out a massacre. This “new testimony” comes straight out off the pages of the propaganda campaigns waged against MUCA, the MCA and other campesinos since the 2009 coup by the giant land owners in the Aguan such as Miguel Facusse and the Honduran military command in the Aguan (most recently, Coronel German Alfaro). It is worth remembering at this point that the conflict between Osorto and the Campesino Movement of the Aguan (MCA) arises from illegal sales/purchases by ex-military and police official s such as Osorto and later landowners like Miguel Facusse of the land that was part of a military base run by the U.S. for training and operations for the Honduran and Salvadoran military and the Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980's. The base was closed in 1985 and the land became Honduran government (public) ruled as eligible for land reform distribution to the poor and landless campesinos. 

During Wednesday's session Chabelo's defense lawyers also objected to the fact that this testimony by Henry Osorto as well as the changed testimony by the prosecution’s other witnesses and other “evidence” was a surprise to them as the prosecution had not informed them of this “new evidence” as required. 

Ceremony for campesinos murdered in the Aguan Valley
 since the coup - at least 120 to date.

As I write this, I remember a meeting with the organization “Lawyers in Resistance” in 2011 in San Pedro Sula in which a young lawyer told us that he and other lawyers formed that organization to figure out "how to practice law in a country in which there is no rule of law".

We can only hope that justice will prevail tomorrow when the verdict is expected. 

Honduras Delegation- Tocoa, Colon - September 15, 2012- Independence Day

According to the local activists, the annual Honduran Independence Parade in Tocoa, in the Aguan Valley of Honduras always takes hours to make its way down the main street to the Central Park even though it is not a big town. This year was no exception. It took nearly 3 hours for the several hundred  campesinos, teachers, and FNRP and LIBRE activists who entered the official parade with bright red flags and the banners of the FNRP, LIBRE, MUCA, COPA, COPEMH and more to get to the park and official podium. When they did though it was a big surprise for the officials and guests sitting at the decorated tables up on the stage because the resistance contingent quickly filled the park and leaders from the local FNRP and LIBRE moved to the stage and began giving speeches - turning the even into a resistance celebration. The stunned officials, including the mayor, listened as their policies, support for mining concessions, and the ongoing violence against campesinos were denounced from their own stage.

Last year the resistance's alternative independence day events were brutally attacked by the police leaving many people injured and detained at the police station. Because of that, after discussion with the Permanent Human Rights Observatory in Aguan,  our delegation decided to stay in Tocoa to accompany the march. This year the resistance contingent was able to negotiate with the police and there were no serious incidents. at one point a truck decorated with publicity for a local candidate from the National Party (The current president's party) forced its way into the parade in the middle of the resistance contingent and youth ripped off one of the candidate's posters and stomped on it.

The march had participants of all ages, including a contingent of young campesinos on motorcycles. Placards had slogans decrying the dependence of Honduras, supporting the campesino's struggle for land, and calling on people to vote for the LIBRE presidential candidate, Xiomara Castro Zelaya, in next years presidential race.

Retaliation Against the Campesino Movement!

Thirty-Six Campesinos and Campesinas Detained May 23rd in Different Parts of Honduras


     The landowning oligarchy and Honduran regime are going all out to retaliate against the campesino movement that shook the big landowners with massive land recuperations of agrarian reform land on April 17th of this year.
     Today, 17 members and leaders of the Unified Campesino Movement of Aguan (MUCA) were detained in the province of Yoro as they were returning to their settlements in the Aguan Valley of Colon. The campesinos were taken to the police station in Progreso where lawyers from the Jesuit organization ERIC were working to get them released as of this writing. In the Aguan region three farmers were arrested (in two different incidents), and in the province of La Paz another 16 campesinos, including 2 minors,  were detained as they were on their way to work their fields, three of the detainees are members of the indigenous organization COPINH and others are affiliated to the National Center of Rural Workers (CNTC). One farmer remains in custody this evening. The Permanent International Human Rights Observatory in Aguan also reports that several well known campesino leaders in Aguan, (Vitilino Alvarez, Juan Ramon Chinchilla, Adolfo Castañeda and Ramon Sanchez) have received new death threats from the private guards of oligarch Miguel Facusse claiming that they will lose their lives in the next hours. 
     In a phone interview, Jesus Ponce the General Secretary of the CNTC, strongly denounced the actions today and stated that there has been a war against campesinos for some time but now the big landowners and the government are retaliating for the campesino movement's recuperation of lands on April 17th.  (Note: see the earlier blog entry for April 17th for more details). 
     There are more than 100 arrest orders issued against campesinos across the country related to land recuperation. Ponce stated that besides the detentions today, there have been violent evictions, but the campesinos have returned to the lands again. In San Manuel, Cortes the campesinos just returned to the land this week after their second eviction. The San Manuel sugar cane fields are also claimed by oligarch Jaime Rosenthal who obtained the land even though it was agrarian reform land and should have gone to the campesinos originally. 
      Ponce explained that the government and big land owners are trying all kinds of threats and tricks. Some of Rosenthal's paid employees at the sugar processing operation at San Manuel are currently protesting in Tegucigalpa demanding that all the campesinos in the land recuperation should be arrested - trying to confuse public opinion and incite violence against the campesinos.  
     The campesino organizations at the national level are demanding that the 1993 Law of Modernization of Agriculture (a law which nearly destroyed agrarian reform in Honduras) be abrogated and they have proposed a new  agricultural reform law, but the Congress has gone on a month's recess after tabling the campesinos' proposal previously. He also condemned the blatant threats made by the most powerful agribusiness land owner in the country, Miguel Facusse who is threatening thousands of campesinos in Aguan with violent eviction if they can't immediately come up with the money to pay him for land that was to be titled to the campesinos of MUCA after they signed an agreement with the Lobo government. 
     Today's repression comes at the end of a month that has seen a further escalation of violence and murder of campesinos, journalists, resistance leaders and LGBT activists. There has also been an escalation of militarization fueled by the United States that led to the murder of at least 4 indigenous community members including two pregnant women and the wounding of numerous others when a joint operation of the United States DEA and Honduran military fired from a helicopter at a small boat coming down a river in the Miskitio. Honduran military spokesmen have said it was an error, but the U.S. State Department and DEA have not apologized nor explained what happened. 
      All of this is leading to ever more insistent calls for the United States to cut off aid, especially military and security aid to the Honduran regime. 

UPDATE - CAMPESINOS IN HONDURAS APRIL 17

April 17th,  8pm Central time - Eviction of one recuperation - Military threats to another

This afternoon armed private guard employed by the big landowner and businessman Jaime Rosenthal evicted 80 campesino families from the coop Allianza La Lima in La Lima, Yoro in northern Honduras. The land which consists of sugar cane fields was recuperated as part of the day of campesino action. Another of the new recuperations in San Manuel, Cortes appears to be under threat by the military --- troops have arrived in the area but have not moved in. This recuperation is one of the largest, 3200 hectares and 1500 campesino families - the land is also sugar cane fields and is claimed by sugar producer landowners.

At a press conference at noon today , campesino leaders announced that during the very early hours of April 17th, simultaneously 3,000 campesino families recuperated approximately 12 thousand hectares of land across the country- in Cortes, Yoro, Santa Barbara, Intibuca, El Paraiso, Choluteca, Comayagua and Francisco Morazan. The organizations the CNTC, ANACH, COMDIMCA, UCIH, MUCA, ADROH, MOCASAM and FENAJUC held the press conference with Via Campesina the FNRP and the CPTRT.
Rafael Allegria of Via Campesina emphasized that the recuperated lands under Honduran agrarian law are national lands that should have been handed over to the campesinos who filed the solicitudes years ago. The campesino organizations are demanding that the Integral Agrarian Reform Law that they proposed to the congress last October be passed, that Porfirio Lobo convoke a national dialogue to end the land conflicts and the recuperated lands be titled to the campesinos now.

Thank you to Jesse Freeston and to an article posted by German Reyes for some of the information in this posting.

Resistance Leader Survives Kidnapping and Torture

Monday afternoon (January 10, 2011) Juan Chinchilla, a member of the Executive Committee of the FNRP was located having survived a kidnapping and torture for 2 days.

On Saturday, January 8, Chinchilla, a journalist and a representative of Youth In Resistance and the Unified Campesino Movement of Aguan (MUCA) was kidnapped as he rode his motorcycle to his home in the campesino settlement of La Concepcion in the municipality of Tocoa in the Aguan region in northern Honduras. Moments before being kidnapped he made a phone call to denounce the presence of motorcycle and car following him. Gunshots were heard, but when people arrived at the scene they only found his motorcycle with bullet holes.

Immediately human rights organizations, resistance organization, and solidarity groups internationally and nationally responded with urgent actions calling the local police, Honduran government, U.S. Embassy, U.S. State Department and other entities demanding that Chinchilla be “reappeared” alive and well. In Aguan the campesino organizations began a physical search of the rural area where the golpista landowners Miguel Facusse, René Morales and Reinaldo Canales are contesting campesinos’ rights to land. These landowners are responsible along with the de facto regime of Porfirio Lobo for the militarization of the region, the violent attacks on the campesinos and the disappearances and murders of numerous peasant activists.

Chinchilla reappeared and is safe in an undisclosed location. He has burns and bruises from torture.

Information from Los Necios; Red Morazanica; Resistencia, Rights Action