Rights Action
February 22, 2017
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Honduras Political Killing Machine Continues: Jose de los Santos Sevilla, Indigenous leader, shot dead in his home
- Still, Honduras remains a strong “democratic” partner of the U.S. and Canada
- Still, Honduras remains a profitable investment place for the World Bank and Canadian and U.S. businesses in mining, tourism, garments, bananas, hydro-electric dams, African palm, …
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Honduras: Indigenous Leader José Santos Sevilla Assassinated
FEB 21, 2017, https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/21/headlines/honduras_indigenous_leader_jose_santos_sevilla_assassinated
In Honduras, indigenous leader José Santos Sevilla has been assassinated by armed gunmen in his home in Montaña de la Flor. Santos Sevilla was the leader of the indigenous Tolupan people, who are fighting to protect their ancestral lands from industrial mining and logging projects.
In 2015, the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples warned of rampant violence against Tolupan organizers, including assassinations, as well as state impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes.
Santos Sevilla’s assassination comes only weeks before the anniversary of the assassination of Honduran indigenous environmental organizer Berta Cáceres, who was killed by armed gunmen in her home on March 2, as she was leading a struggle against hydroelectric dams threatening the ancestral land of the Lenca people.
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Asesinan a líder indígena en La Montaña de la Flor
FEBRERO 17, 2017
http://unetv.hn/2017/02/17/asesinan-lider-indigena-la-montana-la-flor/
El líder de la etnia Tolupán fue ultimado a balazos este viernes en la Montaña de la Flor, situada en el municipio de Orica, departamento de Francisco Morazán, Honduras. La víctima es José de los Santos Sevilla, quien era maestro y líder de la tribu Tolupán. Su cuerpo fue trasladado esta mañana a la morgue de Tegucigalpa, capital del país. El hecho criminal ocurrió esta madrugada cuando el dirigente indígena dormía en su vivienda ubicada en la comunidad de La Ceiba.
Según información preliminar, cinco desconocidos se introdujeron a su casa y le dispararon en reiteradas ocasiones hasta quitarle la vida.
El alcalde de Orica, Alexander Rodríguez, lamentó la muerte del tolupán al que calificó como buen amigo y pidió apoyo al mandatario Juan Orlando Hernández para que se realice una exhaustiva investigación del crimen. Eran las 10:50 de la mañana y las autoridades policiales desconocían el paradero de los homicidas y el motivo por el cual determinaron quitarle la vida.
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Why So Many Central Americans Flee North, Decade After Decade?
The exploitation and poverty, violence and government repression, corruption and impunity of Honduras and Guatemala are “American” and “Canadian” issues. The U.S. and Canadian governments, the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank, and North American companies and investors (including pension funds) maintain profitable economic and military relations with the Guatemalan and Honduran regimes, turning a blind eye and/or directly contributing to environmental harms, exploitation, repression, corruption and impunity that are the norm in these countries, that force so many to flee.
Sandra Cuffe writes about Honduras, the most repressive, corrupt country in the Americas, where many North American companies do “profitable” business
http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ea011209a243050dfb66dff59&id=87f2a66f18
“There’s an awful lot of corruption around these mega-projects, these big investment projects, whether that’s mining, whether that’s hydroelectric, whether it’s logging, or whether it’s luxury hotel projects. These projects are being imposed on communities, which is why they need to mobilize in the first place. And then that same corruption means activists can then be killed with impunity.” (Ben Leather, Global Witness)
Rights Action (U.S. & Canada)
Rights Action funds grassroots human rights, environmental and development organizations in Guatemala and Honduras. We expose and hold accountable the U.S. and Canadian governments, companies and investors, and other international actors (World Bank, etc.) that help cause and profit from the repression, environmental harms and human rights violations.
Get Informed / Get InvolvedTax-Deductible Donations (Canada & U.S.)
To support community, human rights and environmental defense organizations in Honduras and Guatemala, working and struggling for justice and for fundamental change from the local to global levels, make check payable to "Rights Action" and mail to:
- U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
- Canada: (Box 552) 351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
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