Honduras: Campesinos in Aguán fear resurgence of violence despite accord
- Revistazo photo
Thirty-six killed so far during Lobo administration
[Translation of an article from Revistazo.com of Tegucigalpa for May 26. See original here and related articles here, here and here.]
By Germán Reyes
In a press conference held in Tegucigalpa, leaders of campesino organizations of the Aguán Valley charge that as a result of systematic violence and the repression of human rights, 36 campesinos have been assassinated in the area so far during the present administration.
They declare that despite the fact that the administration of Porfirio Lobo Sosa has spent almost two years seeking reintegration into the Organization of American States, in the past two months alone six more campesinos have lost their lives through violence and they expressed fear of a resurgence of repression once international organizations cease observing the country.
“We think that if there have been human rights violations at this time, while there has been international pressure, now that the Cartagena de Indias Accord has been signed, there will be a resurgence of activities against the campesinos.”
The campesinos say that Miguel Facussé, René Morales and Reynaldo Canales have at their command the army, the police and a band of assassins who are for the time being hiding out but are going to carry out their activities later. Their plan is to annihilate the campesinos,” said Ramón Navarro, president of the Asociación Nacional de Campesinos de Honduras (ANACH).
The ANACH leader denounced the presence of security guards appearing to be foreigners who, in order not to be recognized, wear ski masks. “We have seen them in the factories belonging to Miguel Facussé and René Morales and we can verify it. If they wear ski masks it is because they are not Hondurans, their bodies are burly and not those of simple Honduran Indians and those are the ones who are assassinating our comrades,” he stated.
Rafael Alegría, coordinator of Vía Campesina Hondureña, confirmed the danger the campesinos of the Aguán live in. He charged that with 36 assassinations recorded, there has been no investigation or legal action.
He declared that without doubt there is fear that the danger will deepen, for which he called on the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to establish in the country an office for monitoring human rights, as established by the Cartagena de Indias Accord.
The search for weapons: pretext for the militarization of the area
Juan Chinchilla, leader of the Movimiento Unificado Campesino del Aguán (MUCA), believes the supposed search for weapons is nothing more than a pretext for the government to keep the Aguán area militarized.
He stated that the government talks about arms used by narcotraffickers. “Of the narcotraffickers, we know and they know who they are in the area, they are the large landowners and they are the ones with the weapons. There is evidence that Miguel Facussé’s guards carry large-calibre weapons and they have assassinated 36 of our comrades, wounded more than 20 and they aren’t bothered by it,” Chinchilla stated.
Chinchilla said the government should comply with the Cartagena de Indias Accord and not leave it aside, as has happened with all the commitments signed with the Movimiento Campesino del Aguán. “The government is two-faced, Porfirio Lobo Sosa smiles here and says everything is fine in the Aguán, but the scene in the Aguán Valley is not that way.”
Obdulio Suazo, a leader of the MCA, declared,“Even if it is true that Lobo and Zelaya signed an agreement, compliance with it is not guaranteed. We want there to be respect for human rights in reality and, principally, in the Aguán area.”
The defender of human rights, Juan Almendares Bonilla, condemned the acts of repression against the campesinos. He questioned why, despite there being in the Aguán an army battalion, the police and a naval base, the authorities are not aware of the crimes that have occurred in the past few months.
Tags: Asociacion Nacional de Campesinos de Honduras, campesinos, Cartagena de Indias Accord, Honduras, Movimiento Unificado Campesino del Aguan, Organization of American States, Porfirio Lobo, Rafael Alegria, Valle del Aguan, Via Campesina