PBI-Honduras observes sit-in at Public Ministry demanding prosecution of criminal structure behind murder of Juan López

Published by Brent Patterson on February 26, 2025February 26, 2025

PBI-Honduras has posted:

“Today we observed a sit-in by the Municipal Committee in Defence of Public and Common Goods (CMDBCP), demanding justice for Juan López. Before the media present, the CMDBCP highlighted the alleged existence of a criminal structure that would have penetrated state institutions in order to advance the implementation of the mining-energy project Inversiones Los Pinares-Ecotek in the Montaña de Botaderos Carlos Escaleras National Park. According to the CMDBCP, the murder of defender Juan López took place within the framework of the operation of this criminal structure.”

Intimidating actions by police

Guapinol Resists highlighted: “National Police arrive at press conference to monitor, note and photograph the defenders who demand justice for Juan López and the Carlos Escaleras National Park. …We demand that these arbitrary and intimidating actions by the National Police be investigated and that the State immediately fulfill its responsibilities to protect defenders and the environment.”

The demand to prosecute the “criminal structure”

EFE now reports:

“The Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa, in the Caribbean of Honduras, demanded on Wednesday that the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) investigate and prosecute the “criminal structure” responsible for the murder of environmentalist Juan López, on September 14, 2024.

The demonstrators consider that although so far three people have been arrested, including the alleged perpetrator of the murder of Juan López, the intellectual authors are missing.

The Catholic Church, environmental and human rights organizations, among others, believe that executives of the mining company Pinares Ecotek and the mayor of Tocoa, Adán Fúnez, also from the LIBRE party and very close to former President Zelaya, overthrown on June 28, 2009, are involved in the murder of Juan López.”

Edy Tábora speaks at press conference

The EFE article continues:

“Edy Tábora, legal representative of the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa and Juan López’s family [says]  the damage that has been caused to natural resources since 2013 in the sector of Tocoa, department of Colón, involves “high-level personalities, former secretaries of state of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Institute of Forest Conservation, deputies and many more people.“

EFE video of Tábora.

Proceso Digital also reports:

“For his part, lawyer Edy Tábora, commented that the Public Ministry notified them that it will not accept any request for an abbreviated procedure from the person who shot and took the life of the environmentalist.

“The process is moving forward, there is a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 4,” said the legal professional and then stressed: “They are anxious for the start of the trial.””

We continue to follow this.

PBI-Canada visited Tocoa and Guapinol, Honduras on October 29-30, 2024, and saw the pelletizing plant associated with the controversial Los Pinares megaproject.

Criterio.hn: “Communities of Tocoa, Colón, organized in the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods, demand from the Public Prosecutor’s Office an impartial investigation that allows those responsible for the murder of environmentalist Juan López to be brought to justice, who was killed on September 14, 2024. López was a beneficiary of precautionary measures granted to him by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). They also requested an investigation into the irregular installation of the Pinares-Ecotek mining-energy megaproject.”