Guadalupe Carnay Community Faces Siege by Honduran Security Forces for Participation in Protests Defending Healthcare and Educaiton against the U.S.-backed Dictatorship

Condemnation and Solidarity in the face of Human Rights Violations

 

The Municipal Committee in Defense of the Common Public Good in Tocoa, given what has happened in the community of Guadalupe Carney, declares:

That today, June 1st, the community of Guadalupe Carney has suffered the gravest of abuses and violations of the rights granted by the constitution of the republic and international law, solely due to the struggle for the human right to healthcare and public education. It is under a siege that even includes helicopters flying over the community.

As a social movement we united with the public denunciation by many solidarity organizations in holding the security forces of the police and military responsible for having entered the community launching teargas on girls, boys, youth, women and elderly people.

We demand justice for 24 year old Jairo Leonel Hernández Ramirez, 19 year old Nerlin Ignacio Hernández Hernández, 58 year old Ezequiel Urrea and minors 15 year old Jorge Soto Portillo and 8 year old William Aron Ruiz Sánchez, all of whom are victims of the regime of Juan Orlando and the police and military forces assigned to the Aguan region.

We denounce the direct persecution by these repressive bodies of the State against peasant leader Adolfo Cruz who, along with his family and neighbors was victimized by teargas launched directly into his house as a clear message of intimidation and aggression, with his family placed at risk by the Honduran state.

We also denounce the attack on human rights defender Obed Ulloa, who had all of the equipment he need to carry out his work as a human rights defender taken by the police. According to the human rights defender about 9 people have been wounded by the police during the community's protests in defense of healthcare and education.

We remind the Honduran state that the community of Guadalupe Carney has been a beneficiary of collective protective measures since the year 2003 and that the public protest it has been engaged in along with the teachers and medical associations in the area is a constitutional right that all communities and people have when fundamental rights like the right to healthcare and education are under attack.

We encourage the rural communities, the teachers unions, the doctors and nurses, the students, the mothers and fathers, the communities fighting for water and the environment and to protect their territory and all social movement organizations to stay firm in the struggle. The truth and human rights are on the side of the people.

We alert the human rights defense organizations nationally and internationally to stay tuned to what is happening in this region of the country and especially to what is happening in the community of Guadalupe Carney.

Tocoa, Colón, June 1st, 2019

Tocoa Municipal Committee in Defense of the Public Common Good

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.

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.

56 International Organizations Denounce Human Rights Abuses Against Chavelo Morales

el ingles sigue abajo

56 Organizaciones Internacionales Denuncian Violaciones de DDHH en Contra Chabelo Morales

20 Marzo 2014

John Kerry, Secretario del Estado de EE.UU

Julie Ciccarone, Director de Misiones, USAID Honduras

Amanda Johnson Miller, Oficial de Derechos Humanos, Embajada de EE.UU, Honduras

Juan Orlando Hernandez, Presidente, Honduras

Rigoberto Chang Castillo, El Ministerio de Derechos Humanos, Justicia, Gobernabilidad y

Descentralización, Honduras

Abogado Jorge Alberto Revira Avilés, Magistrado Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, Honduras

Ramón Antonio Sabillón Pineda, Director de la Policía Nacional de Honduras

Óscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas, Fiscal General, Honduras

Estimados señores:

La carta adjunta, firmada por 56 organizaciones de derechos humanos y justicia social, tiene por motivo la niega de justicia, otra vez de nuevo, a José Isabel Morales López. Es una denuncia de los procedimientos judiciales de febrero y las acciones de:

• El Fiscal José Reynaldo Canales, del Ministerio Público de Trujillo, Colón, Honduras por su conducta indebida como fiscal y manipulación de la corte.

• Los Jueces del Tribunal de Trujillo y La Ceiba: Carol Jacqueline Ortega, Luis Alberto Juárez, y Ricardo Geovany Rodríguez, todos culpables de conducta judicial indebida durante el transcurso del enjuiciamiento.

• Los Jueces de la Corte de Apelaciones de La Ceiba: Dilia Iracema Guillén, Garin Enoc Urquía y Rubenia Esperanza Galeano, todos los cuales, juntos con los jueces ya nombrados, violaron las órdenes de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de Honduras.

• Finalmente, el Sub Comisionado de la Policía Nacional de Honduras en el departamento de Olancho, Henry Osorto Canales quien cometió el crimen de perjurio en la corte con impunidad además de sus acciones de intimidación, amenazas y abuso de autoridad como miembro de la Policía Nacional.

Como defensores de los derechos humanos, estamos indignados por estos abusos de autoridad de los antemencionados miembros del sistema judicial de Honduras, y el ambiente de impunidad en lo cual ellos han podido operar en violación de los derechos de José Isabel Morales López, un campesino de la región del Aguán en el norte de Honduras y un preso político reconocido por organizaciones de derechos humanos en todo el mundo.

Hacemos un llamado por la libertad inmediata de José Isabel Morales López. Exigimos una

investigación completa de las violaciones de derechos humanos y las irregularidades judiciales en el entorno del enjuiciamiento además de las amenazas y el hostigamiento en contra de la familia y la comunidad. Además exigimos el cese de todo tipo de ayuda militar, policiaca y de seguridad hasta que haya un fin de las violaciones de derechos humanos en Honduras, en particular la ayuda de los Estados Unidos a la Policía Nacional y el financiamiento de USAID al Ministerio Público por razón de los abusos continuos que están siendo cometidos.

56 International Organizations Denounce Human Rights Abuses Against Chavelo Morales

The attached letter, signed by 56 human rights and social justice organizations, is motivated by the denial of justice, once again, to José Isabel Morales Lopez. It is a denunciation of the February judicial proceedings and actions of:

·       The Public Prosecutor, Jose Reynaldo Canales, from the Ministerio Publico in Trujillo, Colon, Honduras who exhibited prosecutorial misconduct and manipulation of the court

·       The Judges of the Tribunal of Trujillo and La Ceiba: Carol Jaqueline Ortega, Luis Alberto Juárez, and Ricardo Geovany Rodríguez, all of whom exhibited judicial misconduct during the course of a trial

·       The Judges from the Court of Appeals in La Ceiba: Dilia Iracema Guillén, Garin Enoc Urquía y Rubenia Esperanza Galeano, all of whom, together with the above named judges, violated orders from the Supreme Court of Honduras

·       And finally, the Sub-Commissioner of the National Police in the Department of Olancho, Henry Osorto Canales who perjured himself in court with impunity as well as having a history of intimidation, threats and abuse of authority as a member of the National Police.

As human rights defenders, we are outraged by these abuses of authority of the aforementioned members of the justice system of Honduras, and the environment of impunity in which they are able to operate in violating the rights of Jose Isabel Morales Lopez, a peasant farmer from the Aguán region of Northern Honduras and a recognized political prisoner by Human Rights organizations around the world.

We call for the immediate liberty of José Isabel Morales Lopez. We demand a full investigation into the human rights violations and judicial irregularities surrounding the trial as well as the threats and intimidation against the family and community. We further demand that all police, military and security aid be cut until human rights violations end, specifically the continued aid by the United States to the National Police and USAID funding to the Ministerio Publico given the ongoing abuses being perpetrated.

Chabelo Morales Privado de Justicia - Justice Denied for Chabelo Morales

En Español abajo

Chabelo Morales Justice Denied
Declaration by La Voz de los de Abajo, Chicago

We reject and condemn the guilty verdict issued today by the judges in court in La Ceiba,

Honduras against the compañero, member of the Campesino Movement of the Aguan (MCA), Jose Isabel “Chabelo” Morales Lopez.

As close observers of Chabelo’s case and of this trial, we recognize

that the so-called evidence presented against him was based on

distortions and outright fabrications. Witnesses for the prosecution

changed their testimony dramatically from previous statements in

order to implicate Chabelo, and the prosecution put all campesinos and

the campesino movement on trial.

The verdict reflects the power of landowner and National Police official

Henry Vicente Osorto and of the most powerful landowners in

Honduras who lead the campaign to characterize campesinos as

“criminals” and “terrorists”; it is not based on any concrete proof of

Chabelo’s involvement in the death of Carlos Manrique Osorto that

occurred on August 3, 2008 in Silin, Honduras.

Chabelo, his family and his supporters have been repeatedly

threatened during the entire 5 years in which this injustice has

persisted. We hold the Honduran authorities responsible for their

safety and security. We also recognize that the agrarian conflicts

causing so much violence and suffering will only be resolved through a

just, integral agrarian reform based on inclusion of the poorest and

most unprotected campesinos, and for that also we hold the Honduran

authorities responsible.

We call on human rights defenders, solidarity activists, and all those

who seek real justice and inclusion to speak out now and to support

the continuing struggle for “Liberty for Chabelo”.

La Voz de los de Abajo

February 7, 2014 17:40

Chicago, Il, USA

Chabelo Morales Privado de Justicia

Declaración de La Voz de los de Abajo, Chicago

Rechazamos y condenamos el veredicto de culpabilidad

emitido por los jueces de la corte en La Ceiba, Honduras, en

contra del compañero, miembro del Movimiento Campesino de

Aguan (MCA), José Isabel “Chabelo” Morales López.

Como observadores cercanos del caso de Chabelo, y de el juicio en su contra,

reconocemos que la pretendida evidencia presentada en su contra esta basada

en distorsiones y declaraciones inventadas. Los testigos de la fiscalía

cambiaron sus testimonios dramáticamente de los que presentaron

anteriormente con el fin de implicar a Chabelo y la fiscalía puso en juicio a la vez

a todos los campesinos y su movimiento.

El veredicto refleja el poder del terrateniente y oficial de la Policía Nacional

Henry Vicente Osorto y de los terratenientes mas poderosos de Honduras que

encabezan la campana para caracterizar a los campesinos como “criminales” y

“terroristas” y no esta basado en ninguna prueba concreta de la participación

de Chabelo en la muerte de Carlos Manrique Osorto que ocurrió en 3 de agosto

del 2008 en Silin, Honduras.

Chabelo, su familia y todos los que lo apoyamos hemos sido amenazados

durante los 5 anos durante los cuales esta injusticia ha perdurado. Hacemos

responsables a las autoridades de su seguridad y protección. También

reconocemos que los conflictos agrarios que causan tanta violencia y

sufrimientos solo se resolverán a través de una reforma agraria justa e integral,

basada en la inclusión de los mas pobres y mas desprotegidos campesinos, y

de ello también responsabilizamos a las autoridades en Honduras.

Hacemos un llamado a los defensores de derechos humanos, a los activistas de

la solidaridad, y a todos aquellos que buscan una justicia e inclusión verdaderas

a pronunciarse ahora y a apoyar la lucha que continua por la “Libertad para

Chabelo”.

La Voz de los de Abajo

Febrero 7, 2014 a las 17:40

Chicago, Illinois, USA

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. 

Justice Denied Once Again for Jose Isabel Morales

Trujillo Court Refuses to Release Jose Isabel Morales Pending His New Trial

6:07pm - January 6, 2014
Radio Progreso has just reported that the court in Trujillo, Colon (Tribunal de Sentencia) has denied liberty to "Chabelo" Morales pending his new trial. The radio station reporter was with Chabelo's distraught family and other members of the region's campesino organizations and social justice movement outside the court where they had been waiting all day for a decision from the court in the face of the Suprement Court ruling that his original trial can't stand and he must be given a new trial. The Supreme Court also ruled that he should be free pending retrial but the power to make that decision was then given back to the regional court where the most powerful landowners in Honduras have declared war on the campesinos. Radio Progreso reported that Chabelo was being transported to La Ceiba to await his new trial in the prison there.

Chabelo is a member of the Campesino Movement of Aguan (MCA) and of the Central Nacional de los Trabajadores del Campo (CNTC). The CNTC currently has more than 3000 members who are either charged, detained or imprisoned on charges related to the agrarian conflict in a country in which most of the population is rural, living in extreme poverty, and without the land or resources to survive while a handful of the biggest landowners and agribusiness companies control most of the land, the courts, and the power.
For more information see the blog entries below.