Six Garifuna´s cooperatives that have recovered their land are facingat this moment the threat of paramilitaries who move around on motorcycles and 4x4 vehicles with heavy weapons and could massacre the Garifuna inhabitants who are resisting the dispossession of their ancestral territories.
Although these cooperatives have land titles in their favor in the Icotea community, Vallecito, Colon department (Honduras), these lands have been invaded by large landholders advised by Miguel Facusse, with the complicity of Cesar Ham, Minister of National Agrarian Institute (INA). Miguel Facusse is called "the oil palm planter of death" by the peasants of Bajo Aguan, who blame him for usurping their land and countless human rights violations.
The Honduran Black Fraternal Organization, OFRANEH and the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras, COPINH denounce the dangerous situation that the Garifuna´s communities are facing nowafter having recovered their land and call for urgent action:
We urge the national and international community and in particular organizations that defend human rights to send messages to the Honduran government to stop what could be a new bloodbath. We ask the national and international media to collaborateby disseminating this urgent news.
We hold the large landholders and military regime led by Porfirio Lobo Sosa for whatever happens to the Garifuna people organized in OFRANEH.
Honduran Black Fraternal Organization (Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña), OFRANEH
Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones Populares de Honduras), COPINH
Please send messages to:
President of Honduras, Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa: pepe@pepelobopresidente.com
Ethnic-Minister, Mr. Luis Green: luisgreen65@yahoo.es
Attorney-General of the Republic, Mr. Luis Alberto Rubi: lrubi@mp.hn, gsuazog@mp.hn
Minister of the National Agrarian Institute, Mr. Cesar Ham: cham@ina.hn, hrodriguez@ina.hn
Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Ms. Ana Pineda: info@sjdh.gob.hn, i.quintanilla@sjth.gob.hn
President of the Supreme Court, Jorge Rivera Aviles: presidencia@poderjudicial.gob.hn
For further information see:
http://copinhonduras.blogspot.com/2012/08/hondurasalerta-contactos-dirigencia.html
http://ofraneh.org/ofraneh/index.html
http://nicaraguaymasespanol.blogspot.com/2012/08/honduras-garifunas-bajo-asedio-en.html
