[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [sf-core] Fwd: CLR: Alert: Activist Killed on Honduras

Sun Mar 28 20:49:13 CST 2004

A propos of thinking about what's happening/needed in Honduras:

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Belden Fields <a-fields at uiuc.edu>
> Date: March 28, 2004 3:47:13 PM CST
> To: sf-core at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [sf-core] Fwd: CLR: Alert: Activist Killed on Honduras
>
>
>> List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:labor-alerts-off at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> List-ID: <labor-alerts.campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> Sender: "Labor Alerts" <labor-alerts at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> To: "Labor Alerts" <labor-alerts at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> From: "Campaign for Labor Rights"
>>  <list-owner at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> Subject: CLR: Alert: Activist Killed on Honduras
>> Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 08:38:17 -0800
>> X-Original-Message-ID: <web-16477964 at vidacom.org>
>>
>> Chiquita Subsidiary Paramilitaries Kill Activist in Honduras! Send  
>> your
>> urgent appeals to authorities in Honduras and the US!
>>
>> [Material for this alert came from Rights Action.]
>>
>> On Saturday, March 13, 2004, at approximately 3:30pm, CESAR VIRGILIO
>> PINOT, member of the activist cooperative Martires de Guaymas, and  
>> various
>> community members were attacked by "security" forces of Agro Oriental,
>> subsidiary of Tela Railroad Company for the production of palm oil,  
>> in the
>> African palm plantations of Toloa Empalme.
>> Virgilio died as a result of the bullet wounds. JOSÉ NEPTALY LÓPEZ,  
>> also a
>> member of the Martires de Guaymas, was wounded and subsequently  
>> captured.
>>
>>
>> The Tela Railroad Company, subsidiary of the US-based transnational
>> Chiquita Brands International Inc, is itself the direct descendant of  
>> the
>> infamous United Fruit Company.
>>
>> The root of this brutal act of repression is the organization of  
>> various
>> communities (Kilómetro 32, La Unión, Villafranca and La Tomasa, all
>> belonging to the municipality of Tela, department of Atlántida) into  
>> an
>> Association of Independent Palm Producers.  Now that palm growers have
>> their own marketing association, Agro-Oriental no longer receives the
>> profits it obtained from these farmers.
>> In response, the company's "security" guards, armed with AK47s, have  
>> been
>> persecuting community leaders. Numerous community leaders active in  
>> the
>> Association have been accused of 'illegal association,' under the  
>> reformed
>> Article 332, known as the 'anti-gang law,' currently being challenged  
>> for
>> its violation of various articles and guarantees of the Constitution.  
>> They
>> have been accused of belonging to a group of car thieves.
>> Along with Neptaly, various community members also belonging to the
>> Martires de Guaymas are currently in jail in Tela: OSMAN ALEXANDER  
>> BLANCO
>> DUARTE, WILTON RENE BLANCO DUARTE, ANTONIO BAQUEDANO RAMOS and JOSE
>> MEDARDO REYES MENDOZA. Police, acting in collaboration with the  
>> company
>> paramilitary forces, have entered five houses by force, holding  
>> children
>> and elders at gunpoint.
>> The transnational fruit company's paramilitary forces act with  
>> complete
>> impunity. In court, the company's "security" forces have not even been
>> required to testify. Instead, agents of the DGIC -- the General  
>> Direction
>> of Criminal Investigation -- reported that they had spoken with the
>> guards, who were not even identified except for by nicknames, and  
>> relayed
>> their responses.
>> In the case of the assassination of Cesar Virgilio Pinot, authorities
>> accepted the guards' explanation that they murdered Virgilio in
>> self-defense, in response to the latter's attack against them. No one
>> called on the numerous community members who witnessed the attack.  
>> Neither
>> has there been any file opened for the case. Nor has the location of
>> Virgilio's body been revealed.
>> These grave violations are only the latest in a long history of  
>> repression
>> and political persecution, accompanied by the complicity of State  
>> authorities.
>> DEMONSTRATE YOUR SOLIDARITY
>> Please take the time to send your urgent appeals to authorities in the
>> United States as well as to those in Honduras to demand:
>> - a complete and serious investigation into the assassination of Cesar
>> Virgilio Pinot - that the company security guards responsible for the
>> murder be tried for their crimes - that the five prisoners be freed  
>> and
>> that an investigation be carried out to determine the source of the  
>> false
>> accusations against them - that the repression against the  
>> communities of
>> Kilómetro 32, Villafranca, La Unión and La Tomasa, as well as against
>> members of Martires de Guaymas, cease - that the public authorities  
>> in the
>> municipality of Tela break their ties with the company paramilitary  
>> forces
>> and act independently
>> PLEASE SEND COPIES OF URGENT APPEALS TO MARTIRES DE GUAYMAS/COPINH:  
>> -by
>> email: marcelinomartinezespinal at yahoo.es AND copinhonduras at yahoo.es  
>> -by
>> fax: (504) 783-0817 -by mail: Consejo Cívico de Organizaciones  
>> Populares e
>> Indígenas de Honduras COPINH/Barrio Lempira/La Esperanza,  
>> Intibucá/Honduras
>> APPEALS IN THE US: Ambassador Mario M. Canahuati Embassy of Honduras  
>> 3007
>> Tilden Street, NW Suite 4M Washington, DC 20008 Tel: (202) 966-7702  
>> Fax:
>> (202) 966-9751 Email: embassy at hondurasembassy.org
>> Chiquita Brands International, Inc. 250 East Fifth Street Cincinnati,  
>> OH
>> 45202 Tel: (513) 784-8000
>> TO MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES IN TELA: Court authorities in Tela - tel/fax
>> (504) 448-2089
>> Public Prosecutor's Office in Tela - tel/fax (504) 448-1758
>> TO NATIONAL AUTHORITIES: Porfirio Lobo Sosa, National Congress  
>> President -
>> fax (504) 238-6048
>> Vilma Cecilia Morales, Supreme Court President - fax (504) 233-6784  
>> or 7921
>> Ovidio Navarro, Attorney General - fax (504) 221-5666
>> Ricardo Maduro, President of the Republic - fax (504) 221-4552
>> Oscar Álvarez, Minister of Security - fax (504) 220-4352
>> Larry Palmer, US Ambassador to Honduras - fax (504) 237-1792
>> #############################################################
>> This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to
>>  the mailing list <labor-alerts at campaignforlaborrights.org>.
>> To unsubscribe, E-mail to:  
>> <labor-alerts-off at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to
>> <labor-alerts-digest at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to
>> <labor-alerts-index at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>> Send administrative queries
>> to  <labor-alerts-request at campaignforlaborrights.org>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor  
> ---------------------~-->
> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
> Printer at MyInks.com.  Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US &  
> Canada.
> http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
> http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/XgSolB/TM
> --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> ~->
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>      http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sf-core/
>
> <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>      sf-core-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com
>
> <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
>      http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 7219 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/mailman/archive/peace-discuss/attachments/20040328/d3665d23/attachment.bin