PBI-Honduras accompanies CMDBCP as it demands independent investigation into the murder of Guapinol River defender Juan López
PBI-Honduras has posted:
“Today we are accompanying the press conference of the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods. The Committee demands that justice be done and that those responsible for the vile murder of the defender Juan Lopez be punished. From PBI we make an urgent call for justice to be done.”
This post can also be found on Instagram and Facebook.
The video of the press conference can be seen here.
Juan López
Environmental defender Juan López, who was 46 years old, of the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP).
Photo: Juan López working at his home in Tocoa in September 2021. Photo by Orlando Sierra/AFP via Getty Images.
Photo by Santiago Navarro F in Avispa.
López was shot to death on the evening of Saturday September 14 in Tocoa, Colon. His funeral took place on Sunday September 15.
Photo by Libération.
López was opposed to the EMCO-Los Pinares megaproject led by Lenir Pérez and Ana Facussé that includes two iron oxide mines established within a national park, a petroleum coke-powered thermoelectric plant that requires water from the Guapinol River and its tributaries, and a pelletizing plant.
The press conference
The CMDBCP press conference that PBI-Honduras accompanied made the following demands:
1- Independent and exhaustive investigation: We reject the participation of the Tocoa Prosecutor’s Office and the UMVIBA [the Specialized Unit for the Investigation of Violent Deaths in Bajo Aguán] in the investigation of the murder of Juan López, given their role in the persecution and criminalization of the defenders of the CMDBCPT. We demand an impartial, independent investigation in coordination with the CMDBCPT, which excludes any local representatives involved in power structures that perpetuate the risk to defenders in the area.
2- Immediate protection of defenders: We demand that the State comply with its obligation to protect the defenders of the CMDBCPT and its legal team. Likewise, we demand that Precautionary Measures MC 137-2023, of which Juan López was a beneficiary, be implemented immediately; this to guarantee the safety of the other members of the CMDBCPT, their families and close ones.
3- Definitive cancellation of the Emco Holdings/Los Pinares/Ecotek megaproject: We demand the immediate cancellation of all components of this megaproject, which has violated the environmental and human rights of local communities.
4- We demand the immediate implementation of Decree 18-2024, which protects all protected areas in Honduras from mining, and whose defense cost the life of our colleague Juan López.
5- State responsibility: We demand that the State of Honduras assume its responsibility for the failure to implement protection measures that could have saved the life of our compañero Juan López, and for the unjust criminal persecution of which he was a victim. And take responsibility for the integral protection of his family.
6- Justice and sanctions for those responsible: We demand the immediate punishment of all those responsible, both in the public and private spheres, for their involvement in the crimes against Juan López and other defenders. This sanction must include public officials who, by action or omission, have allowed the escalation of violence and criminalization in the Municipality of Tocoa, Colón.
7- No to the stigmatization, intimidation and persecution against Carlos Orellana, pastor of the Catholic Church who has demanded justice for Juan Lopéz.
The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has accompanied the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT) processes and Guapinol River defenders since January 2019.
#JusticiaParaJuanLopez
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