Municipal Committee demands the arrest of the intellectual authors of the murder of Guapinol River defender Juan Lopez
Video still: A “Great Diocesan Walk” in Tocoa on Sunday October 6 to honour the life of environmental defender Juan Lopez.
As the Walk took place, Guapinol Exige Justicia tweeted: “True justice for our comrade and coordinator Juan Lopez will come once the murderous megaproject of Emco Holding is cancelled in its entirety and the Montana de Botaderos National Park and the Guapinol, San Pedro and Ceibita rivers are fully restored.”
La Prensa reports: “Honduran security forces arrested two men on Saturday [October 5] for their alleged involvement in the murder of environmentalist Juan López on Sept. 14, Honduran Security Secretary Gustavo Sánchez said.”
Video still: Bullet holes in the windshield of the car in which Lopez was shot to death, September 14, 2024.
That article continues: “The two suspects were detained ‘for investigative purposes’ by elements of the National Police during raids in the municipality of Tocoa, department of Colón, in the Caribbean of Honduras.”
Sánchez says: “[The detainees] belong to a criminal structure dedicated to contract killing in the area and were hired to carry out this criminal offense. We will not rest until we reach all those responsible for this unfortunate event.”
Tweet by Hondudiario.com
In response to the arrests of these men, the Municipal Committee for the Defense of the Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT) continued to demand an investigation with “international technical assistance and advice. without the participation of corrupt operators of the local justice system” in order “to guarantee the capture and punishment of the material and intellectual authors of the crime.”
Their statement also highlights the ongoing concern: “As a result of our demands and those of our legal team after the murder of our colleague Juan López, we have been victims of threats and surveillance and campaigns of stigmatization and hatred have been directed against us – the same ones that Juan López and other defenders denounced before his murder without having a response from the State.”
They also clearly state their demand: “True justice for our colleague and coordinator Juan López will come once the murderous megaproject of Emco Holding, through its companies Inversiones los Pinares/Ecotek, is canceled in its entirety and the Montaña de Botaderos National Park ‘Carlos Escaleras Mejía’, and the Guapinol, San Pedro and Quebrada Ceibita rivers are fully restored. This includes the annulment of the mining concessions, the petroleum coke thermoelectric power project, the processing plant and the water concessions obtained by the company, and in turn, the comprehensive implementation of decree 18-2024 that would involve the demolition of all the structures of the mining company Inversiones los Pinares/Ecotek in Tocoa Colón.”
Photo: A mining company operating at the ‘Botaderos’ National Park, ‘Carlos Escaleras Mejía’, near Guapinol, Honduras. © OHCHR/Vincent Tremeau
Their full statement can be read at Pronunciamiento sobre las detenciones realizadas los días 4 y 5 de octubre en relación con el asesinato del defensor Juan López, coordinador de la CMDBCPT (October 5, 2024).
The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has accompanied Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT) processes and Guapinol River defenders since January 2019.
Video still: Juan Lopez at home, AFP Español. The 46-year-old was married to Telma and had two young daughters.
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