Source: HLRN
website: http://www.hlrn.org/
A short while ago, we had sent out an urgent action request from our friends at FIAN regarding the violence committed by the Government of Honduras against local peasants. As you will remember the background story was, briefly, as follows:
On February 26, 2006 the INA settled 88 families of the “Peasant Movement of Vallecito” in Vallecito, in Limo’n municipality, Colo’n, on plots bought by the Agrarian Institute. At the same time the businessman Miguel Facussé and cattle breeders of the region claimed to be the legitimate owners of this land. It seems that the legal ownership of the land plot in question had not been clarified beforehand. On April 16, 2006, the peasants were forcibly evicted without any court order. Since then the families have been living in a refugee camp of INA – including 205 girls and boys – without adequate food and housing.
On October 3, 2006, Vice Minister Marco Tulio Cartagena of the INA Institute authorised the peasants to harvest palm fruits on one of the plots owned by INA, but claimed for by Mr. Luis Alejandro Escobar, coordinator of the University Centre of the Atlantic Coast (CURLA) in Sinaloa. When the peasants were harvesting the fruit on the aforementioned land, Mr. Escobar arrived, accompanied by the agents Marlon Orlando Guifarro and Carlos Rojas of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DGIC), ignoring the authorisation of INA.
Witnesses indicate that the Coordinator shot at one peasant, named Juan Rami’rez, hitting his right hand. According to the witnesses this shot led to the escalation of the conflict during which another peasant, Antonio Rami’rez, was injured by a shot. Furthermore 29 peasants were detained for five days in prison where they were beaten; every 24 hours
they were allowed to leave their cell to use the bathroom, and had to suffer other kinds of physical maltreatment. It was also testified that, when the peasants went to present their complaint about these violent acts, two policemen of the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation refused to receive the complaint, but rather threatened to arrest them, detaining peasant Ms. Erica Marlin Saldivar for one hour. On October 28, five hooded persons heavily armed arrived at the refuge of the peasant families, and threatened them that four of their leaders would disappear.
We are very pleased to inform you that all your support has led to the Honduras government being referred to the *1503 Procedure of the Human Rights Council*. Under this procedure, “the Council has the mandate to examine a consistent pattern of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms occurring in any country of the world. Any individual or group claiming to be the victim of such human rights violations may submit a complaint, as may any other person or group with direct and reliable knowledge of such violations.” Under this procedure, State violations, pursuant to complaints by individuals or groups, are discussed before the Council.
More information about the procedure is available at:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/complaints.htm#1503 .
Thank you for all your support and please know that your letters DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
