PBI-Honduras observes with COFADEH the exhumation of Rinel Argueta Oliva who was killed by the police this past June

On September 23, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project posted on their Facebook page: “Yesterday we observed, together with the Committee of Relatives of Detained Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH), the exhumation of the body of Rinel Argueta Oliva, who lost his life at the hands of police agents on June 21. So far, the Public Ministry has charged four agents for this crime. The objective of the exhumation is to obtain new evidence to aid in the investigation of the case.”

Defensores en Línea adds: “Argueta Oliva lost his life after his vehicle was shot at by police officers, who carried out an operation near the community of Corral Viejo, jurisdiction of the municipality of San Esteban.”

“Seven police officers assigned to the National Police and the elite squad of the Intelligence Troop and Special Security Response Group (Tigres) participated in the operation.”

“For the crime of Argueta Oliva, the Public Ministry only accused four agents… COFADEH, on behalf of the victim’s family, asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to broaden the prosecution requirement against the other three agents who participated in the operation, because they are also responsible for the death of Argueta Oliva.”

In another article, Defensores en Línea notes: “According to the circumstances of the fact it can be proven that [Argueta Oliva’s] car had already passed [the police operation] when the police officers began to shoot.”

Karol Cárdenas, the legal representative of COFADEH, says: “This is a clear fact of the human rights violations that are produced by police agents, in a clear position of power and advantage, and in an arbitrary manner when shooting Rinel Argueta, causing his death.”

Rinel Eclicerio Argueta Oliva