URGENT ACTION: Aguan Valley Human Rights Defender Blanca Espinoza in Imminent Danger

The Honduran Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared (COFADEH) repudiates the harassment and death threats directed towards human rights defender Blanca Azucena Espinoza, President of the Buenos Amigos Peasant Cooperative, in the municipality of Sabá in the department of Colón in the north of Honduras.

On September 27, 2010, Blanca Azucena Espinoza led, along with other residents, an occupation of unused lands in the community of El Elixer in order to benefit numerous landless families. Later that day she was beaten by a man armed with a machete who works for the largescale landowner Cesar Velásquez, who claims the property is his.

Since then, Blanca has faced a series of acts endangering her life and the lives of her nine children. On December 31, 2010, masked men in a green pick-up truck without license plates fired on a group from the community who was meeting with Blanca.

On January 4, 2011, subjects driving a grey car followed Blanca in the municipality of Sabá, where she took refuge in the offices of the Municipality. Three days later, on January 7th, Roger Barahona, an employee of Cesar Velásquez, followed Blanca when she was walking with her daughter on a street in El Elixir and attempted to hit Blanca's daughter with his car. On various occasions this individual has assured her that he will kill her and has shown her pistols and simulated firing them.

Since January 30, 2011, one of Blanca's daughters has been receiving text messages that say that Blanca is a "dead woman."

On March 1, 2011, at approximately 11:30pm, two masked and armed men riding a motorcycle patrolled Blanca's home for about 15 minutes. They left suddenly when a neighbor’s vehicle approaches. The subjects, in addition to ski masks, were wearing military-style coats and boots. On March 8 at approximately 10:30pm they arrived again and remained in front of her house for a half hour.

Blanca and three members of the board of the Buenos Amigos Peasant Cooperative are currently facing judicial procedures for land usurpation and the judicial authorities have also emitted a warrant for the arrest of her two daughters - one of whom is eleven years old - for the same offense. The constant presence of armed men and the text messages sent to her daughter are psychologically traumatizing her children who are clearly frightened and suffering from insomnia.

We are asking the international and national community to demand that the Honduran State:

• initiate an independent, exhaustive and impartial investigation into the threats against Blanca Azucena Espinoza, that they publicize the results of their investigation and that the responsible parties appear before the justice system;

• take immediate measure to provide effective protection to Blanca Azucena Espinoza and her family, according to their wishes;

• offer psychological support free of charge to Blanca's nine children so that they can recuperate their mental health and semblance of normalcy;

• comply with its obligation to guarantee that human rights defenders can exercise their right to carry out their activities without unjust restrictions and without fear of reprisal, as established in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998) and the corresponding resolutions of the OAS.

PLEASE FAX, CALL OR E-MAIL:

Jorge Alberto Rivera Avilés

Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia

Tel (504) 269-3000 269-3069

Mail: cedij@poderjudicial.gob.hn

Luis Alberto Rubí

Fiscal General de la República.

Fax (504) 221-5667

Tel (504) 221-5670 221-3099

Mail: lrubi@mp.hn and suazog@mp.hn

WITH COPIES TO:

Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras (COFADEH)

Barrio La Plazuela , Avenida Cervantes, Casa No. 1301

Apartado Postal 1243

Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS

Fax:+504 220 5280 (solicite: "tono de fax")

Mail: berthacofadeh@yahoo.com

And diplomatic representatives from your country of origin:

• U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras 011-504- 2236-9320, 011-504-2238-5114 Fax Number: 011-504-2236-9037

• Canadian Embassy in Costa Rica (also responsible for Honduras): sjcra@international.gc.ca or Fax 011-506-2242-4411 – Political Affairs

Death Threats and Harassment - Buenos Amigos Community in Aguan

March 9, 2011

This afternoon La Voz spoke via telephone with one of the leaders of the Buenos Amigos community in Saba, Colon (Aguan) Blanca Espinoza. The La Voz de los de Abajo delegation that traveled to Honduras January 22-30 of this year met Blanca and the campesino land recuperation of Buenos Amigos. While we were still in Honduras the community was violently evicted from the land. (See our previous posts from January for more history and detail).

Today Blanca informed La Voz that the campesinos remain off their land since their eviction on January 27th. Fourteen community members, including Blanca, have had legal proceeding against them. But most concerning are the ongoing death threats and harassment by paramilitary/private guards. Blanca has received death threats on her cell phone saying that "you are going to die with all of your children" (she has 9 children). She has also been followed and knows she is being watched.

Last night (March 8) around 10:30 at night a motorcycle with two men wearing ski masks pulled up in front of her house. She was terrified, suddenly a truck happened to pull up and the motorcycle took off. She believes that they were scared off by the arrival of the truck and that is the only reason that something worse didn't happen.

Two other members of the campesino group have been followed and threatened, Santos Rios and Santiago Rodriguez. Men showed up looking for Santos where they thought he was working but he was not there so they left. Santiago has been followed and threatened.

Blanca told us that representatives of the National Agrarian Institute (INA) in Colon who are looking into the land conflict at Buenos Amigos have also been threatened. The land in dispute was forclosed on and should be available for the campesinos (100 families) to obtain. The previous owner, Cesar Velasquez, aided by local police and other land owners opposed to the campesinos, is using the paramilitary, private guards, threats and harassment to drive the campesino families out of the area. Since the eviction, due to the constant threats and persecution, Blanca and others in the group have not been able to work in order to maintain their families. Because of the threats and the appearance of masked men at her house, Blanca and her family are being forced to leave the house and find other shelter.

The campesinos have filed a complaint with the human rights organization COFADEH.

URGENT ACTION: Two Human Rights Defenders Under Threat

Two Urgent Actions From the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras -COFADEH
Read and Take Action Please!
The contact numbers and emails for the urgent actions are the same for both alerts.
Excerpts from both alerts in English follow.

Please direct letters in Spanish or English to:
Jorge Alberto Rivera Avilés
Presidente de la Corte Suprema de Justicia (President of the Supreme Court)
Tel (504) 269-3000 269-3069
Mail: cedij@poderjudicial.gob.hn

Luis Alberto Rubí
Fiscal General de la República (Attorney General of the Republic of Honduras)
Fax (504) 221-5667
Tel (504) 221-5670 221-3099
Mail: lrubi@mp.hn
suazog@mp.hn

With copies to:
Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras (COFADEH)
Barrio La Plazuela, Avenida Cervantes, Casa No. 1301
Apartado Postal 1243
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
Fax:+504 220 5280 (ask for "tono de fax, por favor")
Mail: berthacofadeh@yahoo.com

Diplomatic Representatives in Honduras that represent your country of citizenship. U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras 011-504- 2236-9320, 011-504-2238-5114 Fax Number: 011-504-2236-9037
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Urgent Action: Jose Trinidad Sanchez
Human Rights Defender Threatened and Given Ultimatum

The Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) expresses its grave concern for the continued attacks against Human Rights Defender Trinidad Sánchez Argueta, Executive Director of the Network for Alternative Community Trade (Red COMAL) based in the city of Siguatepeque in the central department of Comayagua, at 149Km from the capital city of Tegucigalpa.
On the 25th of February, 2011, at 8:13pm, José Trinidad Sánchez received a text message on his cellphone with the following text: "Trinidad WE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE YOU LIVE IN EL PORBENIR your days are limited so enjoy what you have robbed from Comal as of today count down your days you are being watched you dog."

This is not the first act against Trinidad or the members of his family. In August, 2010, his 25-year-old son Jorge Luis, who was studying in the high school "Republic of Cuba" in the department of Santa Bárbara was detained and subject to mistreatment by agents of the Preventative Police who accused him of being Cuban. After hitting his head against a wall, handcuffing him and throwing him against the sidewalk, they expelled him from the department and ordered him not to return. In May 2010, an armed man dressed in black and carrying a number of instruments hiking/mountaineering violently entered Trinidad's home at 2:45am, threatened and removed the family members from their beds, pointed the firearm at them intimidatingly for several minutes, then took a camera and a computer monitor and left.

On November 28, 2009 at 1:40pm, a group of 50 individuals including uniformed police officers, police in civilian clothing, and military personnel violently entered the offices of Red COMAL located in the village of 3 de septiembre in the municipality of Siguatepeque and forced the watchman to open gate to the main building. Once inside, the individuals proceeded to break open the locks on the doors of various offices, including those of the School of Solidarity Economy Training Center.

COFADEH is deeply concerned by the situation faced by TRINIDAD SANCHEZ, especially in light of the pattern of systemic attacks against human rights defenders and social activists, particularly with respect to serious incidents registered in the last few months of home invasions, criminal attacks, and illegal entry into offices of human rights organizations. In the last two months three offices have been attacked and one human rights defender has had to leave the country due to reiterated death threats and continued persecution.

COFADEH requests that the national and international community urge the Honduran State to implement the necessary measures and mechanisms to effectively guarantee and protect the life and integrity of JOSE TRINIDAD SANCHEZ. The State must equally guarantee the Right to Defend Human Rights, as stated and universally recognized by the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, ratified in 1998, and the 1999 and 2000 resolutions in the OAS on human rights defenders in the Americas


URGENT ACTION: Leo Valladares Lanza
Human Rights Defender in Danger

With great concern, the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) informs the national and international community of acts of harassment, persecution, and psychological aggression against Mr. Leo Valladares Lanza, the former Human Rights Commissioner of Honduras and the current director of the Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI Participa).

The 21 of February, 2011 at 3:15pm, a taxi arrived at a private meeting Mr. Leo Valladares Lanza had with the Special Prosecutor for Children Nora Urbina. This same taxi had for some time been parking outside of Mr. Valladares' home, and followed him to the café where he was meeting with the Special Prosecutor and parked outside, where the driver made several calls on his cellphone. The situation was so alarming that neighbours informed the Valladares family of what was happening, and the Special Prosecutor requested an escort for him to return home.

On March 1st, the same taxi parked outside of the Valladares home, but this time was accompanied by another vehicle. The family called the police, who arrived and summoned the drivers of the vehicles in question. Following their inquiries, the police recommended to the family that they leave for a time and take additional security precautions.

Since the second week of February, unknown individuals have called the Valladares residence numerous times asking for “Rodrigo,” referringg to José Rodrigo Valladares Pineda, Mr. Valladares' young son who was murdered January 25, 2009 and who's death remains in impunity. After asking for him, the caller laughed menacingly. There has also been an unknown motorcycle making rounds near the residence and accelerating its motor in front of the house to such an extent that it activates the house alarm.

The above mentioned events occurred after Mr. Valladares participated as a speaker during a television program regarding the repositioning of the Armed Forces, the resurgence of militarism in post coup d'état Honduras, and the incorporation of the military in the structures of the Executive
Background:In his role as national Human Rights Commissioner, during his first year in office Mr. Leo Valladares Lanza presented a preliminary report on Disappeared Detainees. During the second year of his term, he presented a report on arbitrary and summary executions and another regarding the state of freedom of expression in Honduras. During his final term in office, unknown assailants violently entered his homee, beat his son Rodrigo and his wife Daysi Pineda, and apparently stole a vehicle which was abandoned two blocks from the house.

We request that the national and international community urge the Honduran State to:
• initiate an independent, impartial, and exhaustive investigation into the threats against Mr. Leo Valladares, that they make public the results of the investigation, and that the responsible parties appear in court;
• take immediate measures to provide effective and appropriate protection to Mr. Leo Valladares according to his wishes;
• carry out its responsibility to guarantee human rights defenders their right to carry out their work without unjust restriction and without fear of reprisal, as is established in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders as well as the resolutions of the OAS.

COPINH: "For the re-foundation of Honduras"

Report from La Voz de los de Abajo visit with the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH)

Deep in the mountains of western Honduras people have big dreams for their country and world. The indigenous Lenca communities who collectively make up COPINH - the Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras - are fighting for nothing less than the re-foundation of Honduras from below. "Our struggle is against the triple evils of capitalism, patriarchy and racism," explains Cruz Alfaro, one of the elected community coordinators of COPINH.

COPINH communities are scattered throughout the mountains of Western Honduras that were once home to the great indigenous Lenca leader Lempira, who united all the indigenous peoples of Honduras 500 years ago to confront the Spanish with some of the most fierce anti-colonial resistance they ever encountered. That tradition of resistance has continued ever since, with Lenca communities resisting attacks on their lands, culture and resources by the Spanish colonists, the church, the post-independence Honduran state, Honduran oligarchs, U.S. mercenaries, and global corporations and financial institutions.

As an organized expression of a long tradition of resistance, COPINH was founded in the early 90's. Lenca communities came together to support each others' struggles to defend land from cattle ranchers, shut down sawmills, protect the forest from loggers, defy World Bank plans to dam up and privatize rivers and resist exploitation by mining companies. Throughout these and other struggles COPINH has carried out an extensive process of popular education with its base. Through community workshops, regional assemblies, and community radio, COPINH members help each other connect the dots between community issues and the global struggle to make another world possible. There is widespread understanding within COPINH's base communities of the dangers of the neoliberal economic model being forced upon most of the world by the U.S. government, multinational corporations and international financial institutions.

COPINH was an important voice amongst the organizations that had been pressuring and working with ousted President Manuel Zelaya towards a constitutional assembly to open up space for the excluded majority in Honduras to participate in shaping the political and economic structures of their country for the first time. When other branches of the government tried to stop the opinion poll consulting Hondurans about whether to have a constitutional assembly, COPINH led thousands of people with machetes raised to the Public Ministry. They had been pushing President Zelaya to go beyond reforms like raising the minimum wage and granting land reform claims and actually open the doors to grassroots re-foundaiton of the country. The consultation was his first step in opening the door to participatory democracy and the resolution of long-standing demands of the Honduran people.

On June 28th, 2010, the day the consultation was to take place, U.S.-trained army leaders kidnapped President Zelaya and flew him to Costa Rica via the U.S. military base at Palmerola. COPINH immediately mobilized hundreds of people to Tegucigalpa, who remained there for months as a permanent fixture in the resistance to the coup. COPINH was amongst the groups in the resistance who went so far as to walk to the border of Nicaragua in defiance of and despite repression from the army and police to try to get President Manuel Zelaya back in the country.

COPINH has been present throughout the historic process of resistance to the coup and the continuing struggle for the re-foundation of Honduras. Recently, COPINH raised some controversy when it issued a statement that criticized the urban leadership of the National Front of Popular Resistance for lack of transparency, insisting that dedication to the growth of the resistance movement also means internal accountability and democracy.

As COPINH coordinator Cruz Alfaro explained to us, “We are critical and self-critical, within our own organization and within the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP). If anyone amongst our own leadership strays from the will of the communities, the communities will call them out and correct or oust them in order that the communities always be the protagonists of our struggle. Likewise we are critical when we need to be when the leadership of the FNRP makes mistakes. We believe that if the re-foundation of Honduras is to create a democratic and partici patory society, then the process of that re-foundation, the movement that pushes it forward, must also be thoroughly democratic, horizontal and from below.”

COPINH coordinator Berta Cáceres went on to explain that COPINH believes true power is built from below, not seized from above. “We question the idea of ‘taking power,’ we believe power is built from below, from the base, from the most marginalized sections of the people, not from intellectuals, whether left or right. That doesn’t mean intellectuals don’t play a role, there a brave and great intellectuals in the resistance movement, but the people who have been excluded from shaping society need to be at the center of creating the ideas on which we re-found Honduras. We need to build popular power or we will never truly have power.”

With this position guiding the organization, COPINH, along with many others in the resistance, especially amongst the indigenous, black and campesino movements, has been very critical of the desire by some forces in the resistance to participate in electoral politics.

"It's not that we don't think there is a time for electoral struggle, just not under these conditions. The same military that carried out the coup is responsible for carrying out elections, the government convening them is illegitimate, and the media influencing them is all owned by the oligarchy who gave the order for the coup," explains Berta.

With the February 25th Assembly of the National Fornt of Popular Resistance fast approaching, many are worried about the possibility of a split between what are called the "re-foundationists" or "insurrectionists" and those referred to as the "electoralists." To avoid such a split, COPINH and others argue that the question of electoral participation shouldn't be debated at this assembly, which should instead be focused on strengthening internal democracy and consolidating, educating and building the resistance's base.

"The tension is too high right now, more work with the bases of the resistance, more education, more debate needs to happen before anybody can take a vote on the position of the FNRP on elections," says another COPINH coordinator, Salvador Zúñiga. "The real re-foundation of Honduras will come from the communities, their struggles have to guide our path."

One such community is El Picacho. Though they have to walk eight hours to the nearest town with a bus then travel six or more hours by bus to get to the capital, El Picacho community members have been present at every major mobilization of COPINH and the rest of the Honduran resistance. One of the most isolated and marginalized communities in Honduras, El Picacho is home to about 50 families who live off the land and depend on the rivers in the nearby mountains that are included in their communal land title.

When community members discovered a mayor of the nearest mid-size town had begun surveying their water supplies to lease them out, they contacted COPINH coordinators seeking support. Fearing that the survey may be the first step towards selling off these waters to private interests, COPINH sent four coordinators to El Picacho, accompanied by the La Voz de los de Abajo human rights delegation.

The COPINH and La Voz de los de Abajo delegation drove four hours through rough mountain roads followed by an intensive four-hour hike to get to the community, during which COPINH coordinator Salvador Zúñiga periodically called into COPINH's Radio La Voz Lenca to interview other participants in what he

called "this historic hike through the lands of Lempira." Finally, by late in the afternoon we arrived at El Picacho, which had never received foreign visitors, and sat down with an assembly of community members in front of the school.

Salvador opened by asking "why are we here?" After a moment of silence a community elder explained the importance of water to the community and fears about its privatization. "Who wants to add more? Let's here from some of the women." One after another, community members described their worries, frustrations and questions as well as their determination to defend their land and water. Salvador re-affirmed to them that as a community they have the right to decide on the use of their waters yet passionately challenged them to exercise and defend that right as a community and as part of a wider movement.
The voices of all present shouted "yes!" when asked if the community was willing to defend its water, as they did when asked if they would attend a nearby assembly about the threat of a dam project to the region. The community vigorously discussed how to share their water with needy neighbors but defend it to the last drop from private interests, speculators and foreign corporations.

"Out of these discussions comes the basis for re-founding Honduras from below," reflected Salvador on the hike back out.

As the delegation made its way back out of the community on mules and on foot, the voices and ideas fueling the re-founding of Honduras were as clearly and colorfully imprinted on our imaginations as the setting sun that saw us off.

Radio Orquedia in Guadalupe Carney, Bajo Aguan

Community radio as the voice of the campesino communities

Community Radio has been an important tool for communities in permanent resistance in Honduras in the cities and the countryside. It is used by youth, labor, indigenous and campesinos communities. Since the coup d’etat the radio stations have suffered repression, shut downs by army and police forces, and threats and assassinations.
The La Voz delegation visited stations in Triunfo de la Cruz, La Esperanza, Progreso and in Bajo Aguan on January 24, we visited a radios run for and by the campesinos themselves, Radio Orquedia in the community of Guadalupe Carney. We talked to one of the founders of the radio station and of Guadalupe Carney, Adolfo Cruz and with some of the young and not so young compass who now do programming and broadcasts.

The community of Guadalupe Carney was founded in 2000 through a land recuperation of a closed military base in Aguan. Adolfo Cruz explained that early on the campesinos wanted to build their own radio station and on December 14, 2004 they inaugurated Radio Orquedia in a small building with no electricity - only 2 small solar panels; a small antenana and with equipment donated by solidarity organizations. The campesinos themselves had only the most basic training in radio broadcasting but were able to broadcast regularly to the whole community. Later through international solidarity, the station acquired a new antenna tower and the campesinos built a facility with electricity. Now the radio reaches several municipalities in the region with 30-40 thousand listeners. Cruz told us that the radio has three functions: to entertain; to inform; and to provide education and orientation to the community. Not long ago the radio staff which is mostly young campesinos and campesinas conducted a poll to see what the community wanted to hear on the radio and from the poll they developed programming to try ad meet most of the desires of the audience. The radio also works as a means of communicating urgent actions and of breaking the commercial media chokehold on information-to the campesinos. Since the coup that activity has made the radios indispensable. Cruz told us that Radio Orquedia was on the air when they got the first phone call telling them that President Zelaya had bee kidnapped by the military – they immediately began broadcasting that a coup d’etat was in progress. On the same day the military tired to shut down the radio but the community massed to defend their radio and the military withdrew. Radio Orquedia broadcasts calls for protests, road takeovers and warnings about police or military repression so that the communities can organize. On November 15th when 5 members of Guadalupe Carney were massacred by oligarch Miguel Facusse’s private army the communities began protesting –by blocking the highway. 1500 military troops moved into the area to disperse the peasants and when Radio Orquedia got word of the troop movement they broadcast the warning to all the surrounding communities to prepare. The military carried out a 10 day siege of Guadalupe Carney and one day they surrounded the radio station and tried to enter and destroy the equipment and take it off the air. Again the community mobilized when the news was broadcast and rallied to the station – the military was not able to take the station off the air or destroy it.

Byron Morales one of the young campesinos involved in the radio project told us that participating in the radio project is wonderful for him and that the project is very important for young people in the community because it gives them something important to do that they like to do. Programming includes children’s shows, rock, traditional, rancheros, commentary and more.
Cruz told the delegation that they now have collaboration with Radio Progreso to receive some shows from that more established station. Radio Progreso is also working to organize a network of the community radios across the county. They hope to be able to connect to the internet soon since the nearby town of Trujillo has internet and they are looking to replace some of their old and damaged equipment and are looking for donations of a mixer, computers, and resources to improve their facilities.