PBI-Honduras accompanies National Union of Rural Workers at court hearing for three criminalized farmworkers

Photo by COFADEH.

On August 19, PBI-Honduras posted: “PBI accompanies the CNTC [National Union of Rural Workers] La Paz to the audience for individualizing the penalty of leaders of the farmworkers at ’11 de Marzo’, El Porvenir in the municipality of Siguatepeque.”

Their post adds: “The Committee of the Families of the Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) requested the Judgment Court suspend the penalty for fulfilling the requirements laid down in the previous Criminal Code, which was admitted by judges and were finally released from criminal proceedings.”

PBI-Honduras comments: “Peasant people in Honduras face constant criminalization proceedings for the defence of land and territory and human rights.”

COFADEH adds: “COFADEH achieves minimum penalty in favor of farmworkers convicted of usurpation [two years in prison] and COFADEH lawyer Karol Cárdenas requested the Supreme Court suspend the sentence which was admitted by judges.”

On August 3, Defensores en Lina reported: “The Sentencing Court decided to acquit a crime and sentence for another three peasants criminalized for land tenure.”

“[A trial] that concluded on July 21 [had found them guilty of] the alleged crime of usurpation and acquitted for the crime of breaking land to the peasant leaders of the EAC [Empresa Asociativa Campesina] ‘11 de Marzo’ of El Porvenir, Siguatepeque: Vicente Castro (62), Juan Mejía (62) and Evelio Vásquez (54).”

“The hearing for the individualization of specific punishment will be on August 18 at 9 a.m. [and the] penalty ranges between 3 and 5 years in prison.”

That article highlights: “The Defenders of the Land were condemned for walking a machete, when they were captured (an agricultural tool that was not exhibited in court), ‘as we all know, the work of the peasants is of necessary use,’ the [COFADEH] lawyer said.”

Defensores en Lina further notes that the three men were on the land said to be that of logger Marco Antonio Valeriano Barahona.

PBI-Honduras has accompanied the CNTC since May 2018.