PBI-Honduras accompanies COPINH on visit to Rio Blanco; court hearing in assassination attempt against COPINH member

On February 6, PBI-Honduras tweeted:

“Today we will closely follow the conclusion hearing in the case of Allan García, a member of @COPINHHONDURAS [the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras] and an indigenous Lenca from the Río Blanco community, who in 2013 suffered an assassination attempt, allegedly by a member of the Armed forces.”

They add:

“Last Friday, we accompanied COPINH during a visit to Río Blanco where a reconstruction of the events took place. We highlight the work of defending the community against the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project on the Gualcarque river.”

COPINH has also tweeted:

“Yesterday in the #Lenca community of Río Blanco, the reconstruction of the events of the attack suffered by Allan García at the hands of Kevin Saravia, a member of the #FFAA [Armed Forces] of #Honduras that left him with serious injuries in the chest leaving the brink of death.”

On January 17, PBI-Honduras had also tweeted: “PBI accompanies COPINH at the trial of former Petty Officer Kevin Saravia for the attempted murder of Allan García. We are concerned about the levels of violence faced by Río Blanco, which continues to demand the cancellation of the concession on the Gualcarque River.”

Criterio.hn has previously reported:

“In the western department of Intibucá, in the municipality of La Esperanza, the trial against noncommissioned officer Kevin Yasser Saravia Ortiz accused of attempted homicide against Allan Evey García began on Friday [January 13].

The events occurred during a mobilization against the imposition of the Agua Zarca Hydroelectric Project in the community of Río Blanco in 2013.

In the same incident, Allan’s father, Tomás García, a Lenca leader and member of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (Copinh), was murdered, who along with his son and the Lenca people were protesting outside the campus of the company Desarrollos Energéticos S. A. (DESA), which was guarded by members of the Engineers Battalion of the Honduran Armed Forces.”

Tomás García was killed and his son Allan wounded by soldiers at a protest against the construction of the Agua Zarca dam on Lenca territory on July 15, 2013.

COPINH has demanded:

1-The State of Honduras must prosecute and convict Kevin Saravia and investigate his superiors for their responsibility in the attempted murder of Allan García and the murder of our comrade Tomás García for the defense of the rights of the indigenous community of Río Blanco.

2-The State of Honduras must make substantive progress in the fulfillment of the rights of the Lenca people and the memory of the national heroine Berta Cáceres by immediately canceling the illegal and illegitimate concession on the Gualcarque River, the origin of the waves of violence, persecution and death suffered by our organization.

3-We call on the national and international community to be observers of this trial and guarantee the fulfillment of the rights of the victims.

We continue to follow this case.

Further reading: Berta Cáceres and COPINH opposed construction of Canjel dam on Lenca territory by Canadian company.