Honduras did not experience civil war in the 1980s, but its geography (bordering El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua) made it a key location for US military operations: training Salvadoran soldiers, a base for Nicaraguan contras, military exercises for US troops. The notorious Honduran death squad Battalion 316 was created, funded and trained by the US. The state-sponsored terror resulted in the forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of approximately 200 people during the 1980s. Many more were abducted and tortured. The 2009 military coup d’etat spawned a resurgence of state repression against the civilian population that continues today. Back from her 2-week delegation to Honduras with the topic Women Leading the Way to Justice and Peace, Sophie will report from her experience of peaceful resistance in the country with the highest homicide rate in the world.
After learning for two weeks from the people protecting their traditional lands and resisting the violence by Tahoe Resources, Wilber will talk about his journey to the counrty directly north of his native El Salvador.
Come and discuss with us:
How can we better act in solidarity with the people in Central America?
Dear Secretary of State Kerry,
We write in shock and deep sorrow regarding the murder of Honduran human rights and environmental defender Berta Cáceres, founder and general secretary of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). We urge a response from the State Department that is not business as usual but a profound change of direction towards improving the abysmal situation of human rights in Honduras.
