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IRTF News
News Article
August 6, 2020
Inter-American Court on Human Rights issues a ruling, 1- to require that the State of Honduras adopt all necessary and adequate measures to determine the whereabouts of Milton Joel Martínez Álvarez, Suami Aparicio Mejía García, Gerardo Misael Trochez Calix y Albert Snaider Centeno Thomas, who have been disappeared since 18 July 2020…and 2- to require the State of Honduras to adopt all appropriate measures to effectively protect the rights to life and personal integrity of the members of the Garífuna Communities of Triunfo de la Cruz and Punta Piedra that develop collectively actions in defense of the rights of the Garífuna people…
News Article
August 5, 2020
Racism and a history of violence against human rights and environmental defenders in Honduras make the Garífuna people a vulnerable target. Garífuna territory stretches along pristine Caribbean beaches and includes fertile agricultural lands that have become of interest to international tourism developers and palm oil companies. Over the course of decades, large scale economic projects (e.g., Hilton’s Indura Beach and Golf Resort) have led to land grabs and a loss of farmland that the Garífuna people had used for subsistence farming. In 2015, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights ordered the Honduran government to compensate the community of Triunfo de la Cruz for the ancestral lands that had been lost, but close to five years later, it has not complied and economic development projects continue to proliferate in Garifuna territories. Francis Lopez, a resident of Triunfo de la Cruz, described an ongoing sense of fear and insecurity in her village. When those who abducted five men from the community on July 18, wearing bulletproof vests and police uniforms, arrived in unmarked vehicles and began pounding on doors, surprised residents quickly realized what was happening. The community responded with a roadblock to try and stop the abductions, but they were shot at before three vehicles got away.
Content Page
August 4, 2020
As we address the climate crisis, it is imperative that we reject capitalist, extractivist, imperialist models of interaction at all levels: interpersonal, national, and international. Join us as we discuss our collective liberation and the end of colonialist corporate control through systems of racism, classism, and patriarchy.
News Article
August 1, 2020
To President Juan O. Hernández of Honduras: "The abduction of "the Garífuna five" comes against the backdrop of widespread violations of the rights of the Garífuna people, including their ownership rights to ancestral lands...I should point out that this is not merely an internal matter for Honduras; this is an international human rights issue...The lawless and criminal campaign against the Garífuna people, and their leaders, in Honduras must stop.." Sincerely Yours, Dr. The Hon. Ralph E. Gonsalves Prime Minister and chair of CARICOM
RRN Letter
July 31, 2020
The arrest and criminalization of indigenous and environmental rights defenders is part of a strategy of intimidation and violence against them. Fredy García is one victim of this violent strategy in Oaxaca, Mexico. Fredy García is the spokesperson for the Committee for the Defense of Indigenous Peoples (CODEDI). He has been in Tanivet prison in Oaxaca since November of 2019 on fabricated charges of “assault,” “injuries” and “aggravated robbery.” On July 10, prison guards severely beat Fredy García, saying that they were acting on “orders from above.” On July 12 he was transferred to a cell in a different block where his use of the telephone is severely restricted, and he is forced to work outdoors in areas with very little shade. When his wife came to visit, she was told by prison authorities that Fredy García was placed in a punishment zone of the prison. During a restricted 20-minute visit, she saw his injuries, including several bruises and a blood spill in his left eye. We are urging authorities in Oaxaca to: 1) conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the harsh treatment of Fredy García, publish the results, and bring the perpetrators to justice , and 2) take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Fredy Garcia, in accordance with international standards (United Nations’ Set of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Prison, 1988)
News Article
July 30, 2020
“The recent kidnapping of four Garífuna leaders, reportedly by Honduran police officials, reflects the continued determination of the country’s politically powerful to prevent progress in the fight for equal justice in Honduras. The Honduran government owes the international community an explanation as to what role state officials had in these egregious violations of human rights against the Garífuna community. It must ensure immediate, independent investigations into this kidnapping and answer for the repeated and ongoing attacks against community leaders, human rights defenders, and journalists."
News Article
July 27, 2020
OFRANEH (Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras) outlines several threats to the Garífuna communities of the Atlantic coast: 1- the government’s Model Cities (ZDEs) legislation that encourages land grabs of communal Garífuna territories; 2- the lack of prior consultation with communities before economic development projects are started (this is a violation of international law); 3- tourism industry; 4- industrial agriculture (palm oil), 5- climate change, 6- coastal erosion, 7- State violence as weapon of social control, 8- assassinations of community leaders, 9- exodus of young people , many fleeing to the US
News Article
July 24, 2020
"EU funding is not investing in security, justice, respect for the human rights of the Honduran people or guarantees for their defense, in addition to failing to comply with the commitments made in terms of foreign policy and gender equality. On the contrary, the evidence shows us that a repressive system is being strengthened against Lenca and Garífuna communities that are self-organising in defense of the environment, their territories and fundamental rights. In this regard, we would like to express our concern at the lack of attention and involvement of the European Union in the face of the violations of rights in Honduras and in particular of the communities, women and men who defend them."
RRN Letter
July 24, 2020
On June 19, the body of Antonio Bernárdez, a 71-year-old leader of the Garífuna community of Punta Piedra, was discovered with bullet wounds and signs of torture. This was six days after he was disappeared. The Punta Piedra has been plagued by violence stemming from a land conflict since non-Garífuna families started settling there in 1992. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has criticized the government for not adhering to its mandates to protect Garífuna ancestral lands and adequately investigate the murders of Garífuna community leaders. As recently as May 2019, the Court acknowledged that Garífuna community members are still experiencing "direct death threats," "blackmail, increased robbery," and "profiling of leaders." The forced disappearance of at least four Garífuna men from Triunfo de la Cruz on July 18 is evidence of the ever-present dangers faced by the Garífuna communities along the Atlantic coast (cf our letter July 20, 2020). We are demanding that authorities in Honduras 1- carry out a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the assassination of Antonio Bernárdez, publish the results, and bring the perpetrators to justice; 2- develop protection mechanisms for Garífuna communities and their leaders, in strict accordance with their wishes; and 3- adhere to all resolutions and judgments issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to protect Garífuna ancestral lands, community residents and leaders.
RRN Letter
July 23, 2020
Environmental leader Jani Rita Silva's life is being threatened in Putumayo, Colombia. We sent letters to the director of the National Protection Unit and other officials in Colombia about acts of intimidation, surveillance, and a recently revealed plan to assassinate Jani Rita Silva. She is the legal representative of the Association for the Integral and Sustainable Development of the Amazon Pearl (ADISPA). She has been a vocal advocate for full implementation of the Peace Agreement of 2016, promoting reforestation initiatives, and denouncing the socio-environmental effects of oil extraction operations, including those of Amerisur, whose partners include Houston-based Occidental Petroleum. On May 26 we wrote that the Inter-Church Justice and Peace Commission (CIJP) disclosed information from an anonymous source about a plan to assassinate her. This month, CIJP learned from a confidential informant that there is indeed an assassination plan being conducted by the criminal group “La Mafia.” Organized criminal groups are putting heavy pressure on farmers to grow coca for the cocaine trade. It is presumed that Jani Silva is considered an enemy because of her active promotion of the crop substitution program (PNIS) in Putumayo.