Friday January 28th Updates on the Buenos Amigos Eviction and Detainments

Vicki Cervantes of the La Voz delegation has called with a report with more news about the evictions of Buenos Amigos community after speaking with the community and the police department in Tocoa:

They have confirmed armed police along with the former owner of the community's land, Cesar Velázquez, surrounded the community for at least an hour. While occupying, they burnt huts and clothing, destroying whatever belongings they could find. Three peasants were detained during eviction see: Thursday January 27. Blanca Espinoza for whom the police and Velázquez are searching for, and 14 other community members are now in hiding.

After speaking with the police department in Tocoa, we have been notified that the case has now been handed over to the DIC, the federal investigation department. The was a hearing held today at 4 pm concerning the case, but results are still not know.

In addition to the eviction of the Buenos Amigos, there have reports of several other evictions happening across the country. Newspapers have reported on an eviction happening in Santa Barbara.

UPDATE: All of those detained during the eviction have been released. Thanks to everyone who called!

Women in Resistance take over Highways Across Honduras

Report from La Voz de los de Abajo delegation - Tuesday 25^th of January

Most early mornings in any rural Honduran community you see campesinos with machetes, rubber boots and water on bikes or on foot heading off to work the land and create the food that fills the stomachs of their families, their communities, their nation. This Tuesday was no different, except that as the sun rose it discovered far more people than normal, mostly women, from communities around the country walking, biking or getting on buses holding signs, sticks, machetes, umbrellas and written statements. January 25^th is Day of the Honduran Woman, and the Resistance movement decided to celebrate the occasion by taking over highways across the country.

The La Voz de los de Abajo delegation travelled to the takeover at Planes with a community leader from Guadalupe Carney, one of about a hundred members of the community also headed to the takeover. Women in Resistance, a section of the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP), called for the actions to show that the fight against the coup regime and for the re-founding of the country is not over, to highlight the bravery and determination of women in the struggle and to protest the repeal of an important land reform decree by the congress.

Decree 18-2008 was initiated by President Manuel Zelaya in 2008 in consultation with the peasant movement to try to resolve long standing conflicts over land titles in favor of the peasant groups struggling for land. Though it had already been largely ignored by the de facto government since the military coup of June 28^th, 2009, its formal repeal by the national congress added fuel to the already explosive agrarian situation in Aguán and other regions of the country.

Peasants from at least five land reclamations in the Aguán region made their way to the highway takeover at Planes. Amidst chants of “Con la mujer en la casa, la constituyente se atrasa” (“with women at home, the struggle for the constitutional assembly gets set back”), “Mujeres del Aguán, en las luchas siempre están” (“women of Aguán are always in the struggles”) and “Militares de Aguán, matando campesinos están” (“the military in Aguán is killing peasants”), hundreds of people took over the major highway crossing at Planes in the municipality of Sabá, Colón.

The delegation was immediately called on to inquire why the police had detained a young unarmed man making his way to the demonstration. While the police claimed he had run from them when they asked to see his identification, they could give no further reason for his detention and finally let him go. In the exchange that followed the police stopped a young many to take away his machete, an instrument carried by nearly everybody in rural Honduras. The officers, all heavily armed with AK-47’s and tear gas canisters, quickly moved aside, however, when a large group of campesinos from the nearby land takeover called Buenos Amigos came marching over with machetes and sticks in the air.

The occupation was one of many highway takeovers and protests around the country including Jutiapa, Puerto Cortéz, Santa Cruz de Yojoa, El Progreso, Choloma, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. It was yet another demonstration that the resistance is alive and well in Honduras. Especially in the Aguán region, where campesinos are killed, disappeared and beaten regularly by private guards of the large landowners in collaboration with police and military, it is a sign of tremendous strength that hundreds of people still had the bravery to shut down a major highway for six hours. The dream of re-founding Honduras from below is something that hundreds of killings and thousands of beatings, jailings and threats have been unable to deter.

Afterward: Repression continues

After leaving the highway takeover, the campesinos went back to the hard realities of their day-to-day struggles. Within two days of the occupation, one of its largest contingents, the campesinos from the Buenos Amigos land reclamation, were violently evicted by the police. While they vow to return within 48 hours, in the mean time pressure on the police is urgently needed to demand the release of the three people detained during the eviction- José Santos Rios, Santiago Rodriguez and Jorge Santos. The number to the police station where they are being detained in Tocoa, Colón is (504) 2444-3105. (UPDATE: All detainees have been release, thanks for those who called in to put the pressure on!)

Buenos Amigos - Eviction, Detentions and Torture

The Honduras Accompaniment Project reports news that at 4pm today, January 27, three peasants were detained by police during an eviction of one hundred families by police and military in the campamento “Buenos Amigos” in Saba Colón. It is not clear if security forces had an eviction order or arrest warrants. Community members reported that one of the detained men had been tortured. Human rights organizations and the community are very concerned about the welfare of the three detained.

URGENT ACTION FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS
Human Rights partners’ request that Spanish speakers call the police station in Tocoa, Colon: 504- 2444-3106 or 2444-3107 and,
1. express concern for the three detained: José Santos Rios, Santiago Rodriguez and Jorge Santos
2. express concern regarding reports that one of the detained was tortured
3. ask the reason for their arrest

Buenos Amigos Follow-up

Delegation Report -
Yesterday (January 25) we posted an action alert for the campesino community, Buenos Amigos in Elixir, Colon - a community of 100 families at immediate risk of a violent eviction. On January 26, the delegation returned to the community to accompany them further. At the time that we left the community no eviction had occurred but it is still expected at any time.

The community of Buenos Amigos sits on 360 hectares of land, one of several properties owned by landowner Cesar Velasquez, which had been both neglected and foreclosed on, and is now available for agrarian reform.

The community spent three years investigating land that was eligible for reform. Since recuperating the land, the community has begun the process of applying to the National Agrarian Institute (INA) for title to the land. So far, they have not received any response. In fact, the campesinos stated that director of the INA, Cesar Ham, has been particularly unresponsive.



In the two months that they have been on the land, they have faced three evictions (now, four). Blanca Espinoza is a leader in the community who has denounced the violent attempts to remove them. During one of the incidents that Blanca has publicly denounced, they were shot at by unidentified assailants hidden in nearby palm trees. On another day Cesar Velasquez came by with 10 armed men to confiscate large farm equipment in their possession. They demanded to see any official order, but because he could not produce any, they resisted his attempts to enter.

On January 22nd, three vehicles full of heavily armed men arrived to Buenos Amigos and began shooting. They followed a young man of the community and shot at him, fortunately without harming him. They suspect Cesar Velasquez, though they note that they have been confronted by both police and military, as well as by private guards from the Standard Fruit Company (Dole) and other big landowners in the region. Blanca stated that they had to remove their children from the land after this attack because many of them became sick from fear.

The day we went back (January 26), we were informed by Blanca that they had received two calls---one at 9 the night before and the other at 6 in the morning, both threatening immediate eviction. La Voz de los de Abajo attempted to call Cesar Ham, but were only able to leave messages. As of today, he has not returned our call

The residents of Buenos Amigos expressed their gratitude for the presence and support of the delegation, which was the first international delegation to visit the community. They expressed their need for basic elements such as food, money, medicine, and school supplies for their children. They have received support from other campesino communities, but continue to be in danger.

The community of Buenos Amigos remains committed to the land. Though, to them, every eviction signifies death and destruction, Blanca Espinoza said that “If we die in our fight for this land, so be it. I cannot afford fear because I have children, and my compañeros have children. We’re not going to leave this land. If they remove us, we’ll be back in 48 hours.”

Campesinos of the Buenos Amigos Community Under Threat of Immediate Eviction

The La Voz de los de Abajo delegation has been informed by the campesino community of Buenos Amigos located in Saba, Colon that there they are under threat of eviction by government forces as early as tomorrow Wednesday January 26th. The Buenos Amigos Community, affiliated with CNTC (the National Rural Workers Association), is comprised of 100 families. The 360 acres of land is in foreclosure and now owned by the bank.

The community intends to stay despite the threat of eviction and maintain their right to the land through the Agrarian Reform. Community leader, Blanca Espinoza, stated that "If we have to die for the land, we die but we don't intend to leave. If they evict us from the land then we will back within 48 hours."


Please call the National Agrarian Institute at 011-504-239-8401 or 011-504-239-8402 and tell them to respect the community of Buenos Amigos' right to the land and demand that any kind of eviction is immediately called off.