A Moment in Honduras: Celebrations and Threats

A Moment in Honduras: Celebrations and Threats
Report from Honduras
August 17, 2019
V. Cervantes

San Juan Pueblo August 13

As the bus entered the small town of San Juan Pueblo (SJP) on August 15th we passed a police station where an unusual crowd (more than 20) of police were hanging around.  Later, walking with a friend who lives in SJP near the highway that runs from Progreso to La Ceiba,  we saw a military style truck full of police headed in the direction of the police station.  Only a couple of days earlier on August 13th, police had opened fire on protesters blocking the highway with burning tires - the emblematic sign of protest in Honduras. Four men were injured, one very seriously with a chest wound- a few days later it was being reported among the population that one man had died. This was the second very recent violent attack against protesters in SJP, one of the centers of resistance and protest in the province of Atlantida in northern Honduras.

Campesinas from the CNTC June 10th Movement
after receiving titles to their cooperative land

One of the wounded men is part of the families of the campesino group "10 de Junio" a women's land recuperation affiliated to the campesino organization the "National Center for Rural Workers (CNTC). I was there because La Voz de los de Abajo was invited to participate in a celebration of the women winning legal title to their land after 18 YEARS of fighting for their rights to the land. La Voz has accompanied the women for more than 16 years. Many of the women had been single mothers when they recuperated the land that was originally owned by the National University of Honduras but had been left abandoned and fallow for years before the recuperation. Over the years the women had been violently evicted, insulted publicly, their crops destroyed, and their lives threatened  now they had finally won legal ownership of the land and were determined to celebrate.

Secretary General of the CNTC with 

The women organized a celebration and even though the officials from government agency the National Agrarian Institute (INA)  (responsible for distributing the titles) rewrote the celebration agenda to put themselves and the government more into the spotlight, everyone who gathered on August 16th recognized the enormous achievement of the women.  Narcisa, one of the campesinas showed me her corn field and explained that she had done an experiment, planting part of the field with corn and a bean plant that is thought to fertilize soil and another part with only the corn. The field planted with the bean and corn was much more productive and she talked about how much she loves agriculture and what having a legal title to the land after so many years means for the women. Many of the women were joined by their grandchildren and children in receiving the titles and for photos.  There was music, lots of food and the most important speeches of the day came from the campesinas themselves who recounted the difficult 18 years, the importance of their being organized, and dennounced the criminalization and violence against the campesino movement for so many years.

On the same day, August 16th there was more to celebrate as a second political prisoner, Raul Alvarez was released from pre-trial detention in the maximum security military run prison, La Tolva. Raul and Edwin Espinal were imprisoned after participating in a militant protest in January 2018 against the installation of the fraudulent and violent dictatorship of Juan Orlando Hernandez. After 18 months of imprisonment they were released and will be preparing for their trials outside prison.

Free! Political Prisoners Edwin Espinal and Raul Alvarez
with Karen and Janet Spring - August 16, 2019

The night of August 15th my friend from the CNTC June 10th Movement and I walked around her neighborhood  where there have been many protest  road blocks and where the police have blanketed the area with tear gas and beaten and shot at protesters. It was a pretty quiet night and people were outside relaxing, but the stress of the weeks of repression and protest were showing. At around 9 pm we heard and saw fireworks being shot into the sky a ways from the neighborhood by the time we got home we could hear the sound of tear gas bombs being launched. A neighbor asked my friend if she had any vinegar in case the police tear gassed the neighborhood again and began to tear up and  become frantic. She had witnessed the police beating a man right outside her house the night of the shootings and I realized she was showing signs of traumatic stress. That night the sounds of possible conflicts died out early and the town seemed quiet, but after the campesinas' celebration, the night of the 16th, there were more protests and repression, but I was already on the road to Tegucigalpa.

Edwin and Raul still face trial (scheduled to begin in about a month). There are still 2 more political prisoners in pre-trial detention, Gustavo Caceres and Rommel Herrera.  and there are more than a hundred people facing trials for protest activity. There are also more activists at risk from  from the nearly daily protests and repressions. and from the anti-mining and defense of the territories struggles around the country such as Reitoca, Guapinol, Rio Blanco, and Vallecito,  with the government and National Party supporters threatening organizations such as MADJ, COPINH and OFRANEH. On August 17th a delegation of the Assembly of Women in Struggle was threatened in Rio Blanco and the road blocked by pro-government hired thugs. On August 18th MADJ was the subject of a threatening tweet calling on the government to arrest their leaders and  activists (a list of their names was included) because of the many protests in San Juan Pueblo.

Honduran resistance organizations and leaders are calling for unity against the dictatorship and for a plan to unite the social movements into a force that can make deeper change in the country once JOH is gone.
More to come...

Declaration - Declaración La Voz de los de Abajo March/Marzo 2017

English follows the Spanish

Declaración de La Voz de los de Abajo ChicagoTierra y Territorios: Campesinos y Pueblos Indígenas en Honduras siguen bajo ataque

     Del 26 de febrero al 11 de marzo de 2017, La Voz de los de Abajo organización con sede en Chicago, coordinó una delegación a Honduras de miembros y dirigentes de organizaciones de derechos humanos, de justicia ambiental, de jóvenes y estudiantes, religiosas, sindicales y solidarias, para la conmemoración del aniversario del asesinato de Berta Cáceres Flores.Nuestra delegación se reunió con defensores hondureños de derechos humanos y con organizaciones y comunidades que defienden los derechos a la tierra y a los territorios, entre ellas COPINH, la CNTC y OFRANEH.     El propósito de esta declaración es destacar y denunciar ejemplos específicos de violaciones a los derechos humanos y las amenazas, violencia y acciones contra las organizaciones mencionadas y contra los defensores hondureños que los acompañan. También reafirmamos enfáticamente nuestra oposición al financiamiento por el gobierno de Estados Unidos que contribuye a la militarización y al clima de inseguridad y violencia en el país. Destacamos también que la investigación sobre el asesinato de Berta debe incluir la investigación de posibles vínculos con el ejército estadounidense de algunos de los acusados de su muerte. Los testimonios que recibimos durante esta delegación confirman los informes de otras organizaciones internacionales de derechos humanos de que existe una colusión preocupante entre las élites locales y nacionales, los proyectos hídricos y mineros, el crimen organizado y el aparato estatal.

COPINH y la comunidad de Río Blanco, Intibucá     Un año después del asesinato de Berta Cáceres, su familia y su organización continúan exigiendo una investigación seria, independiente del gobierno hondureño, sobre quién ordenó, planificó y llevó a cabo el asesinato. Los líderes y miembros del COPINH (Consejo Cívico de los Pueblos Indígenas de Honduras) informan que continúan recibiendo amenazas de daño físico, atentados contra sus vidas y amenazas de criminalización contra la organización. Visitamos la comunidad de Río Blanco donde se encuentra el proyecto hidroeléctrico DESA. Los miembros de la comunidad relataron sus experiencias de ser atacados físicamente, amenazados y acosados por empleados de DESA y por fuerzas policiales y militares debido a su oposición al proyecto DESA Agua Zarca. Expresaron su temor de nuevos ataques. Nuestro grupo también asistió a una conferencia de prensa en Tegucigalpa el 1 de marzo de 2017 para Suyapa Martínez del Centro de Estudios de la Mujer en Honduras (CEM-H). La Sra. Martínez es una defensora de derechos humanos acusada de difamación por la empresa constructora DESA en relación con el asesinato de Berta Cáceres. Cabe señalar que es ampliamente difundido, declarado públicamente e publicado en Honduras que algunos representantes del DESA en sus más altos niveles amenazaron directamente a Berta y deben ser investigados. Algunos empleados de DESA de nivel inferior están entre los arrestados en el caso de Berta. Aunque un juez rechazó recientemente los cargos de difamación, el caso de la señora Martinez es considerado como un ejemplo más de intentos de intimidar y silenciar a los defensores de derechos humanos, abogados y periodistas. También se considera parte de un intento descarado de silenciar el llamado a una investigación independiente del asesinato de Berta Caceres.

La CNTC y la comunidad "9 de Julio" en La Paz.     Nuestro grupo visitó la comunidad de la CNTC (Centro Nacional de Trabajadores del Campo) en Tutule llamada "9 de Julio". Esta comunidad ha sido desalojada 26 veces, al menos 3 veces con violencia, incluyendo la más reciente el 13 de enero de 2017. Los miembros de La Voz también visitaron la comunidad después de un desalojo violento previo en mayo de 2016. Estos desalojos se caracterizaron por asaltos masivos con gases lacrimógenos y con policías y unidades militares disparando munición real a los campesinos. El 13 de enero, Víctor Vázquez, presidente del Consejo Indígena de Simpinula, La Paz, y líder de la organización Lenca MILPAH en La Paz, recibió un disparo en la rodilla mientras observaba y grababa video del desalojo. Al mismo tiempo, un miembro del grupo campesino sufrió una seria lesión en la mano por un proyectil de gas lacrimógeno disparado directamente contra los campesinos y una mujer de la comunidad sufrió un aborto involuntario. 
     En el desalojo en mayo de 2016, dos miembros de la comunidad CNTC sufrieron heridas de bala. Este reciente desalojo ocurrió antes de que se recibiera una decisión judicial por un recurso presentado a principios de enero por el Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos (COFADEH) y otros representantes legales de los campesinos. La tierra estaba abandonada y en barbecho hasta que el grupo campesino, formado por familias jóvenes sin tierra, comenzara a trabajarla. Ellos construyeron un sistema de agua, sembraron cultivos de hortalizas para desarrollar la producción agrícola sostenible y construyeron pequeñas casas con jardines de flores. Fue entonces cuando una de las élites locales, Carlos Arriaga, empezó a reclamar la tierra. Arriaga es un pariente del alcalde de la ciudad de Tutule, Will Guevara, quien ha estado presente en varios desalojos.      Tras el desalojo del 13 de enero, Arriaga apareció en la televisión nacional denunciando a las familias campesinas y pidiendo al gobierno hondureño que lo ayudara a deshacerse de ellas. Han habido algunas negociaciones con Arriaga pero él ha insistido en que los campesinos tendrían que comprarle la tierra a precios exorbitantes por acre para reembolsarle por "mejoras". Sin embargo, la tierra es "ejidal" o tierra pública elegible para la distribución a los sin tierra. Los campesinos han hecho mejoras significativas en la tierra, ademas de que han tenido que reconstruir sus casas y replantar cultivos en numerosas ocasiones. Este caso es emblemático de la situación del campo para los campesinos, sobre todo en las regiones indígenas del país donde los miembros de la élite económica y política están vinculados al poder político y están interesados en los ingresos que pueden recibir de los mega-proyectos mineros y hidroeléctricos.        Organizaciones campesinas como la CNTC piden que se ponga fin a la criminalización de los campesinos (hay miles en el sistema de justicia penal por "delitos de tierra") y hay necesidad de una nueva reforma agraria integral para resolver la urgente necesidad de miles de campesinos pobres y sin tierra  para para cultivar. Sin tal reforma y un fin a la represión hay poca esperanza de lograr una seguridad en términos de alimentación o de la integridad física de los que viven en el campo.

OFRANEH y la comunidad de Barra Vieja     La comunidad Garífuna de Barra Vieja, cerca de Tela, Atlántida, ha existido por más de 100 años como una de las 48 comunidades garífunas localizadas en la costa norte de Honduras. La comunidad mantiene su lengua materna y su cultura económica y social. A partir de 2007 las elites económicas y políticas comenzaron a tratar de desplazar a la comunidad de 127 personas para desarrollar proyectos de mega-turismo en las playas prístinas del área de Tela. Líderes de la comunidad dijeron a nuestra delegación que a partir de 2013 estos intentos se hicieron más agresivos ya que el exclusivo Indura Beach Resort y Golf Club (ahora conectado a la cadena Hilton) fue construido en tierra que también formaba parte de Barra Vieja y otras comunidades cercanas. Vimos la estación de guardia con guardias armados y una cerca que corre hasta el borde del agua y evita que los aldeanos puedan acceder a la playa o las palmeras (manaca) que necesitan para renovar sus casas. Los y las estudiantes jóvenes de Barra Vieja no pueden caminar la distancia más corta a lo largo de la playa para llegar a su escuela en la aldea siguiente y tienen que conseguir el transporte o caminar una distancia larga y desprotegida para llegar a la escuela.       En 2014 se emitieron órdenes de desalojo contra la comunidad. La policía intentó desalojar a la comunidad en abril de 2014 sin éxito y en septiembre de 2014 un gran contingente de policías y militares fuertemente armados entró en la comunidad obligando a los residentes a salir de su casa. Varios residentes ancianos murieron en los días después del desalojo, mientras muchos residentes volvieron otra vez para recuperar sus hogares y la tierra. OFRANEH expuso el hecho de que la propia orden de desalojo no cumplía con los requisitos legales y también que es un hecho que el artículo 169 de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo, que protege los derechos de las comunidades indígenas, se aplica a los garífunas de Honduras. Los cargos de robo de tierras contra los líderes y residentes de Barra VIeja fueron anulados en la corte, pero los funcionarios y promotores no han renunciado a los esfuerzos legales y extrajudiciales para desplazar a la comunidad; Muchos de los aldeanos han abandonado temporalmente sus hogares debido a las constantes amenazas y acoso. 

      Consideramos que estos tres casos son indicativos de las crisis de derechos humanos en curso en Honduras que se apoyan en la impunidad y la intimidación. Hay otros casos serios que no podemos tratar hoy en esta declaración.  Hemos visto la declaración del vicepresidente estadounidense Pence después de la visita del presidente Hernández a Estados Unidos el 23 de marzo de 2017. Nuestra experiencia y la experiencia de las personas y organizaciones hondureñas que conocemos, contradicen la afirmación del Sr. Pence de que ha habido "importantes avances que ha hecho Honduras en los últimos dos años" en el fortalecimiento de la seguridad ciudadana, y en contra de la corrupción, y seguiremos trabajando para detener la ayuda militar y de seguridad de Estados Unidos que compra balas y gases lacrimógenos para su uso en contra el pueblo hondureño.

La Voz de los de Abajo Chicago27 de marzo de 2017
Chicago, Il EUA

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Declaration by La Voz de los de Abajo Chicago
Land and Territories: Campesino and Indigenous Peoples in Honduras Are Still Under Attack

     From February 26 - March 11, 2017,  the Chicago based organization La Voz de los de Abajo coordinated a delegation to Honduras of Chicago student/youth,community environmental justice, religious, human rights, union and solidarity organizations for the one year commemoration of the assassination of Berta Caceres Flores.      Our delegation met with Honduran human rights defenders and with organizations and communities defending land and territory rights including COPINH, the CNTC and OFRANEH. 

     The purpose of this statement is to highlight and denounce specific examples of violations of human rights and the threats, violence and actions against the organizations mentioned and the Honduran human rights defenders who accompany them. We also emphatically reaffirm our opposition to U.S. government funding which contributes to militarization and the climate of insecurity and violence in the country. We wish to emphasize as well that the investigation into Berta’s murder must include the investigation of possible ties to the US military of some of those accused of her death. The testimony we received during this delegation affirms the reports of other international human rights organizations that there is a disturbing collusion of forces between local and national elites, water and mining projects, organized crime and the state apparatus. 

COPINH and the community of Rio Blanco, Intibucá     One year after Berta Caceres’ murder, her family and organization continue to demand a serious investigation independent from the Honduran government into who ordered, planned and carried out the assassination. COPINH (Indigenous Peoples Civic Council of Honduras) leaders and members report that they continue to receive threats of physical harm, attempts against their lives, and threats of criminalization against the organization. We visited the Rio Blanco community where the DESA hydroelectric project is located. Community members related their experiences of being physically attacked, threatened and harassed by DESA employees, police and military forces because of their opposition to the DESA Agua Zarca project. They expressed their fears of further attacks. 
     Our group also attended a press conference in Tegucigalpa on March 1, 2017 for Suyapa Martinez of the Center for Women’s Studies in Honduras (CEM-H). Ms. Martinez is a human rights defender accused of defamation by the DESA construction company related to the murder of Berta Caceres.  It should be noted that it is widely held, stated publicly and printed in Honduras that DESA representatives at its highest levels directly threatened Berta and should be investigated. Some lower level DESA employees are among those arrested in Berta’s case. Although a judge recently rejected the charges, Ms. Martinez’s case is considered to be one more example of attempts to intimidate and silence human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists. It is also considered to be part of a blatant attempt to silence the call for an independent investigation of Berta Caceres’ murder. 

The CNTC and the “9 de Julio” community in La Paz.     Our group visited the CNTC (National Center for Farm Workers) community in Tutule called “9 de Julio”. This community has been evicted 26 times, at least 3 times with violence including most recently on January 13, 2017.  Members of La Voz also visited the community after previous violent eviction in May, 2016. These evictions were characterized by massive tear gas assaults and police and military units firing live ammunition at the campesinos. 
     On January 13, Victor Vazquez the President of the Indigenous Council of Simpinula, La Paz and leader of the Lenca organization MILPAH in La Paz was shot in the knee as he observed and video taped the eviction. At the same time a member of the campesino group suffered a serious hand injury from a tear gas projectile fired directly at the campesinos, and a woman from the community suffered a miscarriage. 
     In the eviction in May 2016 two members of the CNTC community suffered gunshot wounds. This recent eviction occurred before any  court decision was received for an appeal submitted in early January by the Committee of the Families of the Disappeared Detainees (COFADEH) and other legal representatives of the campesinos.  The land was abandoned and fallow before the campesino group, made up of young families with no land, began working. They built  a water system, planted vegetable crops to develop sustainable agriculture production and built small homes with flower gardens. That is when one of the local elite, Carlos Arriaga, began pressing a claim to the land. Arriaga is a relative of the mayor of the town of Tutule, Will Guevara, who has been present at several evictions. After the January 13th eviction, Arriaga appeared on national television denouncing the campesino families and calling on the Honduran government to help him get rid of them. There have been some negotiations with Arriaga but he has insisted that the campesinos would have to buy the land from him at exorbitant prices per acre to reimburse him for “improvements”.  However, the land is ‘ejidal” or public land eligible for distribution to the landless.  The campesinos have made significant improvements to the land, as well as having had to rebuild their homes and replant crops numerous times. 
     This case is emblematic of the situation in the countryside for the campesinos, especially in the indigenous regions of the country where members of the economic and political elite are is tied to political power and economic gain from mining and hydroelectric mega-projects. 
     Campesino organizations such as the CNTC call for a stop to the criminalization of the campesinos (there are thousands in the criminal justice system for “land crimes”) and for the passing of a new, integral agrarian reform to resolve the urgent need of thousands of landless and poor small farmers for land to cultivate. Without such a reform and end to the repression there is little hope for food and physical security in the countryside. 

OFRANEH and the community of Barra Vieja       The Garifuna community of Barra Vieja near Tela, Atlantida has existed for more than 100 years as one of some 48 Garifuna communities located on the northern coast of Honduras.  The community maintains its native language and economic and social culture.  Beginning in 2007 the economic and political elites began trying to displace the 127 person community in order to develop mega-tourism projects on the pristine beaches of the Tela area. Community leaders told our delegation that beginning in 2013 these attempts became more aggressive as the exclusive Indura Beach Resort and Golf Club (now connected to Hilton) was built on land that was also part of Barra Vieja and other nearby communities. We saw the guard station with armed guards and a fence that runs all the way to the water’s edge and keeps the villagers from being able to access the beach or the palms (manaca) that they need to refurbish their homes. School children from Barra Vieja cannot walk the shorter distance along the beach to their school in the next village but have to get transportation or walk a long, unprotected distance to get to school.  
     In 2014 eviction orders were issued against the community. Police tried to evict the community in April of 2014 without success and in September 2014 a large contingent of heavily armed police and military entered the community forcing the residents out of their home. Several elderly residents died in the days after the eviction, while many residents returned again to recuperate their homes and land. OFRANEH exposed the fact that the eviction order itself did not meet the legal requirements and the fact that the International Labor Organization Article 169 protecting the rights of indigenous communities applies to the Garifuna in Honduras.  Charges of land theft against Barra Vieja leaders and residents were overturned in court, but the officials and developers have not given up either legal and extra-judicial efforts to displace the community; many of the villagers have temporarily left their homes due to the constant threats and harassment. 


     We believe that these three cases are indicative of the ongoing human rights crises in Honduras that rests on impunity and intimidation. There are other serious cases that we are unable to develop in this declaration today. We have seen the statement by the US Vice President Pence after the March 23, 2017 visit by President Hernandez to the US. Our experience and the experience of the Honduran individuals and organizations we know contradicts Mr. Pence’s assertion that there has been “important progress that Honduras has made over the past two years” in strengthening citizen security and fighting corruption, and we will continue to work to stop US military and security aid that buys bullets and tear gas to be used against the Honduran people. 

La Voz de los de Abajo
March 27, 2017
Chicago, Il USA

“Made in the U.S.A”: Take Action for Honduran Campesinos

From February 28 - March 8, 2017, a La Voz de los de Abajo delegation was in Honduras for the commemoration of Berta Caceres' murder a year ago. We also visited campesino communities. This is an article by a delegation participant from our Chicago partners in solidarity with Honduras, CRLN. 

“Made in the U.S.A”: CNTC Land Recuperation Efforts Hurt by U.S. “Security” Aid

Reflections by Sharon Hunter-Smith, Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America

Tegucigalpa and La Paz, Honduras; March 6, 2017

Our group from Chicago stood staring at the rough wooden table, which held 2-dozen or so spent tear gas canisters plus a couple of bullet shells, collected by the 9th of July community from the area immediately surrounding the place where we stood. The largest one, designed to be fired from a rifle, was stamped “Made in U.S.A.” The connection between U.S. military and police aid to Honduras and the violent persecution of impoverished Honduran farmers was crystal clear in the objects before us.

The original rural community of 28 families has been tear gassed and evicted from their simple hand-built dwellings and cultivated land 26 times by the Honduran military or police. In the last surprise eviction on January 13, 2017, the police followed the fleeing people, even women and children, across the valley, shooting all the way. One man was shot in the leg and a pregnant woman miscarried after running away, panicked, from the “security” forces. They also tore down and burned houses, stole or burned possessions and tools left in and around the houses, and cut down some of the fruit trees and crops. Since then, the women and children, have moved to a nearby community while the men have re-occupied the land.

“Thanks be to God that we continue to live on this land,” said one man. After each violent eviction, the community’s commitment is to return and resettle on the land within 24 hours of being pushed off, rebuilding houses and restoring crops as they are able. The bravery and endurance that this strategy demands is fed by their hope of land ownership. They experience other threats in the form of arrest warrants against them and death threats from the national or military police. “Every time we receive a group of international people who are in solidarity with us, it gives us the strength to keep going on with our struggle,” said another.

The irony is that if this were a pioneer story under a different government, these people would be heroes. This community of formerly landless people, organized by the Central Nacional de Trabajadores del Campo (CNTC--National Center of Rural Workers), settled this abandoned and desert-like land in 2010. They dug trenches and bought plastic pipes to carry water for irrigation and drinking water from a spring 3 kilometers away. They planted fruit trees and other crops to feed their families. A dry hillside turned green and provided a way to make a living. The CNTC which was founded in 1985 currently works with 203 other communities, like 9th of July, who are reclaiming land and putting it to good use in 14 of the 18 Honduran departments (what in the U.S. would be called states).

The National Agrarian Reform Law of 1962 provided that idle land fit for farming could be expropriated and awarded to indigent and landless persons by the government, and land was redistributed under this Law. However, the 1993 neoliberal Law of Agrarian Modernization gutted the agrarian reform,increasing inequality among landowners and increasing the desperation of the rural poor. To force the issue and obtain the land essential for rural people to support themselves and their families, the CNTC works with landless people to settle and plant on unused, undeveloped or abandoned land. The occupants then file for title with the Honduran National Agrarian Institute (INA) after some years of living on and working the land. 

The 9th of July community is the most persecuted of all the CNTC communities, but others usually are evicted at least several times in their struggle to obtain land. How long do they have to be on the land before they are granted a title? “We don’t know with this administration. They are not on our side,” answered one man. Some of the CNTC communities have lived and worked on their land for 15-20 years and still do not have title. Others have succeeded in their efforts.

Putting this into an even larger context for us, CNTC General Secretary Franklin Almendares explained that 64% of Honduran people are rural, impoverished, and displaced or facing displacement from their land for lack of a title to it. 46% live in extreme poverty. “We are not poor—our land is rich—but we are impoverished, because they throw us off the land on which we live and farm. They want to annihilate those who speak out, who protest, who object to and challenge this system.” At the same time, Almendares pointed out, when large corporate landowners take land without having title to it, the government is complicit with their actions and grant them titles.

Visiting a second land recuperation project, CNTC organizers led us to a piece of land on a plantation that had been abandoned for decades, its owner living in Tegucigalpa.14 young men and boys, most in their teens and early twenties, had arrived on the land 11 days earlier at night.They had made pup tents from pieces of plastic and canvas held up by sticks for shelter, and had begun clearing trees so that they could begin to create fields to plant. The youngest among them appeared to be around 11 years old. They seemed wary and shy,  vulnerable and scared. Most did not talk to us, letting the CNTC organizers and the elected head of their group explain to us their situation.

All wanted to acquire some land to work on and have something to hope for. They eventually wanted to start a family and needed a way to support them. Without land, they had no hope, and without hope, they had nothing to live for.

The CNTC organizers  told us that after arriving, the group did not sleep for three nights, worried that the police would find them and evict them. They also had not slept outside before with insects and snakes in the area, and they were getting used to that. With encouraging words, the CNTC organizers told the group that eviction is just a passing misfortune on the way to acquiring land and homes and community. Every group had experienced this, and many had eventually earned their titles. They must work and have hope that they, too, will be successful one day, because this path is the only one that offers them any hope.

What can those of us in the U.S. do to stop the persecution of communities working with the CNTC? Call your Congressional Representative’s office, ask to speak with or leave a message for the staff responsible for foreign policy, and request that they co-sponsor H.R. 2199, the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act. This would suspend all U.S. security aid to Honduras, including equipment and training, until they cease their human rights violations. We must stop U.S. funding that enables the Honduran government to use violence against its own people, people who only want a chance to support their families and contribute to the life of their communities.

La Paz - Resisting Criminalization

June 24-25th La Paz

V. Cervantes

We left Progreso early on Friday and took a bus to San Jose, La Paz.  Walking down the road towards the regional center I could see their new radio antenna tower rising up behind the building. La Voz de los de Abajo and Chicago’s Radios Populares have worked with the campesino radio project with the CNTC in La Paz for more than 8 years and we always check in with the local communities in La Paz. 

When we arrived a workshop was in progress with a lawyer from Via Campesina on the topic of the “law and the campesino movement”.  This is a timely topic for the campesinos and campesinas in La Paz where the criminalization of the campesinos is ferocious.  There are 18 local CNTC campesinos with arrest warrants currently, including the regional General Secretary,  and many more on probation — all for their participation in the agrarian movement to recuperate land for the small landless farmers. 8 members of one La Paz CNTC campesino group named after Honduran human rights defender Juan Almendares, spent three months in prison last year under very difficult conditions that affected their health. This included 3 members of the regional leadership committee of the organization. Nationally, the CNTC has 5 members in jail now and  thousands more who have been charged. 

When we sat down and talked to the campesinos and campesinas they told us that the government of Juan Orlando Hernandez is not only arresting more campesinos but also charging them with more serious crimes. A few years ago they would be charged with usurpation of land or theft and now for the same actions of recuperating land, they are being charged with terrorism, weapons charges (for having work tools like machetes) also,  the penalties for things like deforestation (for cutting down one tree) used to be minor but now can mean 4-7 years imprisonment.  

In early May of this year I accompanied a recently evicted La Paz campesino group called “9th de Julio” whose members had their houses destroyed and their crops burnt out, and two of their members wounded when police opened fire against them.  On Saturday we were invited by the regional CNTC to visit the “9th de Julio” again. We found that the campesino families have rebuilt all their houses and replanted some of their crops despite being under threat of another eviction and despite the existence of  arrest warrants against their members. The men and women in the community explained that they had taken land that was fallow and turned it into land that provided food, not only for their families, but enough to take to the local markets and sell. The community has more than 20 children and the families talked about the trauma for the children of having seen police and military come into their homes, destroying everything and firing weapons. They explained that they have to teach their children the importance and necessity of what they are doing and why they are organized. The president of the coop told us that they know that this struggle for the land is necessary for their survival; if they loose the land and homes they have worked so hard for they will have absolutely nothing and will be living on the side of the road. 

In the evening on Saturday we joined two of the compañeros who were on the air on Radio Suyuguare (a Lenca indigenous word that means land of hills and valleys). The communities in La Paz are overwhelmingly Lencan and the CNTC region embraces their cultural and traditions. The radio project has applied for a community radio license and broadcasts 7 days a week from 1 to 9pm. There is a team of mostly young campesinos and campesinas who take turns broadcasting and they have shows that talk about indigenous rights, the campesino movement, news, environmental issues and also play music and take dedications. It was impressive to see and hear all the calls and messages coming in during the broadcast, showing us that they have a strong audience in the region. Samuel and Orlando explained to us the importance of the radio project for their work in organizing and educating the communities, for making alliances with other community members who are not in the campesino movement and finally for them as young campesinos as an activity that has opened up new knowledge and opportunities to participate in national and regional networks and events. 

Environmental issues are extremely important in La Paz. The ruling party leader and Vice President of the National Congress is from La Paz: Gladys Aurora  and her husband are strong supporters and business partners with many of the big hydroelectric and mining projects already begun in the beautiful mountainous region. In fact there are projects named Aurora 1, Aurora 2, Aurora 3. The campesino communities strongly oppose the destruction of the indigenous territories and of the agricultural land that these projects bring but they told us that the government in partnership with the construction companies and international companies are waging a war against the opposition with bribery, false promises to bring positive development to the poor communities, threats and finally with assassinations like that of indigenous leader Berta Caceres of COPINH in the nearby province of Intibuca. 

On Sunday we will head to La Esperanza, Intíbuca to express our solidarity with COPINH and to  talk to COPINH and to Berta Caceres’ family about their struggle for justice. 

Violent evictions today and campaign against international observers

May 11

The Human Rights Observation Mission spent most of the day traveling from the Aguan Valley back to Tegucigalpa where there will be a public forum on Thursday to discuss the Mission’s finding but we received news of more repression and new government attacks on human rights defenders and journalists.  

This morning, in Tutule, La Paz two campesinos from the campesino group 9th of July (9 de Julio) community were wounded when 12 police vehicles and 80 soldiers carried out a violent eviction, using bulldozers to destroy houses, crops  of fifty families who have lived and worked on the land for 7 years. The security forces fired live ammunition wounding Johnny Alfredo Mejia Torres and Edwin Murillo. At the same time  5 patrol cars arrived at the home of Wilman Chávez, General Secretary of the La Paz region of the Central Nacional de los Trabajadores del Campo (CNTC) to arrest him. 

Franklin Almendares
photo from conexihon

The National General Secretary of the CNTC, Franklin Almendares reported to the media that the men, women and children of the community were forced to run and attempt to hide in the mountains from the troops. He also reported that this eviction is to benefit a local political power, Carlos Arriaga. In a phone interview with Franklin Almendares  this evening he said that the two wounded men received treatment and will recover and that there is a court hearing tomorrow morning for those who were arrested. He called for human rights organizations both national and international to accompany the community and their organization. 

In Tegucigalpa, the General Secretary for the Administration of the Government, Jorge Ramón Hernández Alcerro held a press conference where he condemned international observers and press for “inciting violence” referring to the protests this week by COPINH that were repressed by the police. He said that he was instructing the Honduran immigration service to identify foreigners who are participating in the protests or inciting violence. At least one international observer, Giulia Fellin who has been accompanying COPINH was harassed and interfered with as she tried to go to her embassy today. Another National Party politician claimed that foreign journalists are inciting violence, creating images and causing problems for the government. With this the government continues the campaign of defamation against human rights defenders, journalists and international solidarity and opens the door to more repression against those groups as well as inciting violence against them. 

Another Chance for Justice - Chabelo's trial reconvenes

Solidarity Action continues
the week of October 19th.

Spread the word through your social networks. Use the hashtags #justiceforchabelo #justiciaparachabelo

Chabelo's Trial Reconvenes

(for background info please visit: freechabelo.wordpress.com or hondurasresists.blogspot.com )

October 19, 2015

Greg McCain

There was a greater anticipation for this hearing than the previous ones because, before the trial was suspended 2 weeks ago, the judges had strongly requested that the Prosecutor impress upon his witnesses that they need to show up. Indeed, that was the whole reason for the 2 week suspension; key prosecution witnesses were not appearing. The 2 weeks was to give them time to schedule accordingly.

The main witness, known as Protected Witness 2 (PW2), was the only survivor of the incident in which 11 people lost their lives in a fire that burned the house belonging to the Osortos to the ground.  PW2 was pulled from the house, ironically enough, by one of Chabelo's brothers.

Through out the initial investigation PW2 never identified Chabelo as one of those involved. It was only after the prosecution and Henry Osorto, a Sub-Commissioner of the National Police and whose family was involved in the conflict that resulted in the fire, decided to manufacture the case around a photo of Chabelo.

PW2's testimony changed in the first trial from what he had been saying in the investigation. He was now implicating Chabelo and one other person, Carlos Maradiaga, in the murder of Manrique Osorto. His testimony changed again in the 2nd trial due to Maradiaga having been found innocent in the 1st trial. Chabelo was being solely accused by PW2. It was due in part to these irregularities that the Supreme Court annulled, twice, the convictions of Chabelo.

Another important witness is Henry Osorto himself. Although he was not at the house during the incident, he claims that he was on the phone with his nephew, Manrique, during the events that led to Manrique's death. Osorto's testimony changed as well between the 1st and 2nd trials.

These 2 prosecution witnesses, amongst others, are refusing to come to the hearings in Trujillo. The Prosecutor stated that he spoke with Osorto on the phone and Osorto says that it is too dangerous for him and the other witnesses to go to Trujillo.

It is important to note that Osorto was recently elevated from a Sub-Commisioner to a Commisioner of the National Police. He has sufficient resources at his disposal to ensure his and the other witnesses' safety.

In today's hearing, the Prosecutor solicited the court to have the trial moved to La Ceiba or Tegucigalpa where Osorto feels safer (?). He also solicited that 3 prosecution witnesses be removed from having to testify. The judges asked the Defense if they agreed with the elimination of these testimonies. The Defense accepted this and the judges let it stand.

On the question of moving the trial which would require another suspension, the judges asked for the Defense's response. Atty Omar Menjivar stated that by law trials could not be suspended for more than 15 days. This trial has already had a 10 day suspension and the chances of getting it added to the docket in La Ceiba or Tegus in less than 5 days would be almost impossible. Omar also stipulated that the law states that "victims" have the right to testify, but there is no legal obligation that they do so. In other words, if they don't show up, the court is under no obligation to compel them to nor make it more convenient for them to. They have the power to order a witness to appear, but they are under no obligation to.

The judges deliberated at the bench for a short period than stated that today's hearing would be adjourned so that they could consider thoroughly the Prosecution's solicitation and they would deliver their decision.

There was one witness for the prosecution today, a medical examiner from the Public Ministry. His testimony consisted of his having examined PW2 and confirming that he had received wounds from a high caliber arm. He had no evidence that connected Chabelo to the incident.

It is clear that Osorto is once again manipulating the court proceedings. There is much speculation as to his true motive beyond his claims of safety. Some speculate that it is a psychological game to keep Chabelo and the Guadalupe Carney community off balance and fearful that this nightmare will never end. Others state that Osorto is buying time to solidify his plan to kidnap and assassinate Chabelo to keep the trial from having the possible outcome of Chabelo's innocence.

Chabelo accompanied by
Greg McCain October 5, 2015

Whatever the true motives, it is clear that Osorto has the power to manipulate the justice system as he has done for the past 7 years with regard to Chabelo's case. Just as Chabelo's incrimination has become a symbol for the criminalization of  campesinos and social movements across Honduras, his court hearings are emblematic of how the justice system works only for those with power. It has only been through the collective power of the national and international human rights communities that Chabelo and his defense team have pushed through the corruption and kept his case alive to fight another day.

Help keep the pressure up. Spread the word through your social networks. Use the hashtags #justiceforchabelo #justiciaparachabelo

War on Drugs? War on Campesinos

The country is buzzing about the arrest of Yankel Rosenthal in Miami for money laundering and the indictment  of Jaime and Yani Rosenthal from one of the most powerful families in Honduras. Karen Spring, the Honduras Coordinator for the Honduras Solidarity Network has a very thoughtful piece in her Aquí Abajo blog that that lays out both background and things to think about in this "war on drugs" run by Washington DC.  Talking about wars, I am publishing below an article from my visit on Wednesday with the campesino leaders in Progreso from the CNTC.


Conversation with Magdalena Morales & CNTC regional leaders - Progreso
Campesino Movement Still Fighting for Justice and Survival

Wednesday October 7th .
V. Cervantes

Magdalena 

The National Center for Rural Workers (CNTC) in the province of Yoro has 42 organized communities, each with several cooperative projects (campesino empresas).  Magdalena Morales is the general secretary and we were joined by Francisco, Julian and Bernabe, the other members of the regional secretariat. I was eager to get an update on one of their communities in Sulaco that, on August 18th,  was violently evicted from its land after 15 years. The community is named Hernando Figueroa and has been home to two former national General Secretaries of the CNTC.

Sulaco eviction

At least 200 police and military, accompanied by the government Human Rights Commission, arrived at the community with 12 patrol cars, an ambulance, firemen and armored vehicle. No eviction order was shown, but the troops destroyed 20 homes, an evangelical church and about 350 acres of beans, corn and other food crops which represented all the community's cultivation.  Only the intervention by phone of a regional official from the government's Agrarian Institute stopped the violence before the Catholic church and preschool and water purification system were destroyed.

Magdalena said that the government of Juan Orlando Hernandez seems to have new protocols for violence in evictions: using quantities of tear gas, sending in ambulances, firemen and armored vehicles with larger numbers of both military and police troops---as if they were going to war. The group talked about the recent attacks on settlements in Choluteca and Villanueva as examples of how far the government is willing to go in making poor people homeless. Those attacks were documented by social and traditional media so that the whole country could see them, most evictions are not shown on television.

The group also talked about the ongoing intimidations against campesino leaders. In Progreso there was an intense campaign against the CNTC, especially Magdalena during the recuperation of land claimed by the ASUNOSA corporation (part of SAB Miller's operations). Magdalena was criminally charged and all the leadership was threatened. The case against Magdalena was finally negotiated but there remain threats and intimidations, such as surveillance of the leaders' movements. The group felt, in general, that the Hernandez government has unleashed a new campaign against campesino organizations and communities with threats, evictions and the criminalization of the campesino social movement. They said that one of the key fights for the agrarian movement is to fight this criminalization and intimidation.

Julian, Francisco, Bernabe

Francisco explained that his community, 6 de April,  is also under threat of eviction after more than 11 years on their land. They were being titled under President Zelaya's decree (18-2008), which was aimed at resolving hundreds of long-standing agrarian conflicts in favor of the campesinos living and working on recuperated land. After the coup, the decree was annulled and, in the case of 6 de April, a big landowner claimed the land, first demanding payment from the Agrarian Institute and when that was denied moving to the courts to claim title to the land. The campesinos have now been told by the Agrarian Institute that they need to get a lawyer to defend their title, but they do not have the resources to hire private representation. Juan Orlando Hernandez has slashed the budget and and functions of the Agrarian Institute in the past few years so that it no longer provides the same legal and advisory services to the campesinos that it once did.

Magdalena with poster
for Credi-Mujer Law

In the middle of this discussion a reporter and cameraman from the television station, TV Progreso arrived to interview Magdalena about a recent success for the campesino movement, the passage of the Credi-Mujer law in Congress. This law is aimed at increasing gender equity so that poor women and campesinas in the rural areas can get access to credit and other economic assistance. Magdalena talked about the importance of this access in a country with a high percentage of women headed households and single mothers who are struggling to survive. After the reporter left she told me that there are some people who don't feel this small victory is important but that she and other women leaders believe that it will not only help women directly but indirectly will increase access to other services and assistance for poor women in the countryside.

Magdalena began talking about the determination of the organized campesino movement to begin the fight again for Congress to pass their project, the Law for Integral Agrarian Reform with Gender Equity.  She said that they had not been able to win in Congress over the past two years but are gearing up to fight again because only with a just agrarian reform will it be possible to begin to address the extreme poverty and the agrarian conflicts and violence against communities  in the countryside.

Margarita Murillo

Another important campaign that Magdalena said they want to take up is an independent investigation of the assassination of Margarita Murillo, a campesina leader and member of the resistance, killed on August 26, 2014, in nearby Villanueva while working on her parcel of land.

Margarita was a founding member of an early campesino organization, the FENACAMH (National Unity Campesino Front) and of the CNTC. She was kidnaped and tortured during the repressive period of the 1980's and had to go into hiding. She returned and after the coup became active in the resistance. At the time of her murder she had protective measures ordered by the Interamerican Human Rights Commission but, as is usual,  the Honduran government had not complied with requirements to provide protection. Magdalena said that there is a real need for an independent investigation to find out the facts because otherwise there will not be a serious attempt to know what happened.

Chance for Justice - Support for Chabelo and other News

Below are links to two statements in support of Chabelo Morales, one from La Voz de los de Abajo and one from Alliance for Global Justice, published by Radio Progreso and taped during this accompaniment visit for Chabelo's new trial. The trial is set to reconvene on October 19th. There is much hope for his complete liberty but concerns remain for his security as well as that of his family and community.

Meanwhile Honduras has been rocked today by the news that a member of the powerful Rosenthal family (Yankel Rosenthal) was arrested in Miami for money laundering and that the patriarch of the family media and agricultural empire (Jaime Rosenthal) and politician (Yany Rosenthal) as well as the Rosenthal bank (Banco Continental) are also named for money laundering of dirty (narcotics and organized crime) money. Yankel was a Vice Minister in President Juan Orlando Hernandez's government until recently. More to come on this twist later.

Chance for Justice Day 5

Vicki Cervantes of La Voz de los de Abajo and HSN is accompanying Chabelo Morales' new trial for two weeks along with Karen Spring of the HSN and other international observers. 

Friday, October 2, 2015

V. Cervantes

Thursday evening the electric power went out in Guadalupe Carney and with no television, radio or lights for distraction, some folks went to bed very early, while some of us stayed up burning through candles, telling stories about the history of the community, and sharing rumors and gossip about the powerful military figures and oligarchs active in the Aguan. One of the young campesinos talked about how after taking over the land that had been a US military facility, the campesinos found graves, ammunition shells, and more on the lands. I remembered that not long after the land recuperation the La Voz de los de Abajo was given a copy of military documents found by the MCA campesinos at Guadalupe that included a list of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran prisoners who had been held in the clandestine detention center run by the US and Honduran military at the base. The young campesino told us the story that circulated in Guadalupe in those early days about a campesino ghost with high rubber boots full of water who could be heard walking around near the village. For sure there are many ghosts, victims of the military, oligarchs, and big land lords past and present, who are still walking the valley, looking for justice.

Early in the morning Friday it started pouring rain and everyone was worried about how the rain might keep supporters away from the courthouse. Amazingly, the sky cleared and we piled into the back of a pick-up truck ourselves for the short ride from Guadalupe Carney to the court in Trujillo. When we got there Chabelo and the Morales family were happy to see that a sizable group of campesinos and campesinas from Guadalupe Carney and supporters from the San Alonzo Foundation and the Human Rights Observatory of the Aguan were there waiting for Chabelo to arrive. The defense team accompanied by members of ERIC-SJ and Radio Progreso arrived shortly and the trial began. 

Day 5 in Court:

Today two prosecution witnesses appeared but the testimony again was limited to forensic details regarding ballistics analysis and once again there was no evidence was presented linked to the accusations against Chabelo. After about an hour the testimony was complete and the judges announced that the trial would adjourn for the day and not convene again until October 19 because there were still problems in locating important prosecution witnesses and October 7,8, 9 are holidays and the court decided not to work those days. The defense lawyers objected to the fact that the prosecution witnesses,especially the key witness, Henry Osorto, were not complying with orders to appear in court and asked for the court to issue edicts requiring their presence and if they don’t show up to go ahead and let the defense present its case. They also proposed that if Henry Osorto fails to show up again he lose his status as victim (which implies a certain leniency towards his no-shows). After much conferring among themselves the judges agreed to set a schedule so that defense witnesses could know when they will be called and to issue edicts for all scheduled witnesses to appear. Under Honduran law ignoring the orders to appear can result in charges of “disobedience” to the court similar to “contempt of court” charges. 

PRESS CONFERENCE: “URGENT TO CONTINUE ACCOMPANIMENT AND SUPPORT”

After the court adjourned, the defense team, international and Honduran supporters and one of Chabelo’s brothers, Merlin Morales headed to Tocoa, the main city in the Aguan Valley, about an hour away from Trujillo, for a press conference that was facilitated by a lawyer from ERIC-SJ, Brenda Mejia who has been observing the trial since it began. 

At the press conference defense lawyers, Omar Menjiva and Sara Aquilar explained what was going on in the court and the significance of the delays. Sara spoke eloquently about the symbolic importance of Chabelo’s case for the campesino movement and emphasized the urgent need for international observers and local supporters to continue to accompany Chabelo, his family and the community despite the obstruction and delays.

The Guatemalan jurist accompanying the trial, Dr. Henry Monroy, also spoke and noted strongly his view that the case of Chabelo is an example of the criminalization of social protest, in this case the just struggle for land -- the agrarian movement. He called for a regional solidarity presence from Central America and denounced the fact that intimidations against the family and Chabelo continue, including strange men appearing in the community near family homes and following vehicles.