Murdered for Defending their Territory in Honduras
Murdered for Defending their Territory in Honduras
By Curtis Kline • Aug 28, 2013 •
While carrying out peaceful actions to defend their territory from the illegal exploitation of natural resources and forest clearing, three Indigenous Tolupan from Yoro district in Honduras, María Enriqueta Matute, Armando Funez Medina and Ricardo Soto Funez, were murdered on Sunday.
At the time, the Tolupan community of San Francisco de Locomapa was carrying out a peaceful demonstration to protest the installation of a mine in their territories. Exercising their legitimate right to the protection of their environment and their livelihoods, the community organized a roadblock, preventing all vehicles from gaining access to any minerals.
According to The Broad Movement for Dignity and Justice (Movimiento Amplio por la Dignidad y Justicia, MADJ), The National Preventive Police Force along with government officials in Yoro were informed ahead of time that the Tolupan were receiving death threats and that armed men were brazenly walking around Locomapa, provoking fear in the residents of the area.
However, in January of 2013 the Honduran government passed a mining law that blatantly gutted the right of consultation and consent held by Indigenous Peoples. This law added to and even legitimized the attitude of impunity towards Indigenous Peoples of Honduras. Days before these murders, eight Indigenous protesters were charged and prosecuted for defending their forests four years ago.
More:
http://intercontinentalcry.org/three-indigenous-murdered-for-defending-their-territory-in-honduras-20069/