The Network Against Anti-Trade Union Violence has posted on social media:
“Juan will always be Juan, the seed of the Aguán! Nineteen months on from the murder of our comrade JUAN LÓPEZ – coordinator of the Tocoa Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods, and a councillor for the same municipality – we remember part of his struggle for life and his trade union commitment in the Aguán. #NetworkAgainstAnti-tradeunionViolence”
Infobae has reported: “López was killed on September 14, 2024, inside his vehicle after leaving a church in the city of Tocoa, despite having precautionary measures granted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). …[The Municipal Committee] pointed out that López was killed for his active role in the defense of the Montaña de Botaderos Carlos Escaleras National Park, a protected area ‘threatened’ by the mining and energy project promoted by Emco/Pinares/Ecotek.”
“A tireless fighter for workers’ rights”
The Latin American Coordination of Banana Unions (COLSIBA) has stated: “Juan López was a tireless fighter for workers’ rights and his murder has been interpreted by the trade union movement as a direct attack on freedom of association and workers’ organization in Honduras.”
The Railroad Company Fabric Workers Union (Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Tela Railroad Company – SITRATERCO) in Honduras is among the unions demanding justice for Juan López. The Tela Railroad Company is a subsidiary of Chiquita brands. The union represents workers in the banana industry.
Emco Holding Group
Criterio.hn has noted that Inversiones Los Pinares is a subsidiary of the Emco Holding Group. An investigative report by Contra Corriente and Drilled reveals that U.S.-based Nucor maintained a relationship with Inversiones Los Pinares, the company behind a controversial mining megaproject in Honduras, at least until September 30, 2023, despite having claimed to have ended their ties in October 2019. Investors in Nucor have included the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (an institutional investor that manages the Québec Pension Plan), the Royal Bank of Canada, the Bank of Montreal, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Photo: On October 30, 2024, PBI-Canada visited Guapinol and saw the pelletizing plant associated with the Los Pinares megaproject.
Accompaniment
Peace Brigades International has accompanied Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT) processes and Guapinol River defenders since January 2019.
