On August 14, PBI-Honduras posted:
“Today, 11 months after the murder of human rights defender Juan López, we are accompanying the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) in a hearing against the alleged perpetrators of the crime. According to the CMDBCP, the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office has all the necessary evidence to arrest and prosecute the masterminds behind the crime. At PBI, we reiterate that in order to achieve justice, it is necessary to secure the conviction of all those responsible for the murder, as well as adequate protection for the Carlos Escaleras Botaderos Mountain National Park and the people who continue to defend the territory and Juan’s legacy.”
That same day, La Vanguardia reported: “The hearing scheduled for Thursday [August 14] against the three alleged perpetrators of the murder eleven months ago of Honduran environmentalist Juan Lopez has been postponed to the 21st of this month, an official source in San Pedro Sula, northern Honduras, reported.”
That article adds: “The court decision led to a protest in front of the courts by members of environmental groups.”
Criterio.hn also reported: “For the third time, the preliminary hearing against three of the alleged perpetrators of the murder of the socio-environmental leader, Juan López, was suspended. The action, which was scheduled for next Thursday, August 21 at 9:00 a.m., occurs a month before the first anniversary of the crime.”
That article also notes: “Juana Zúniga, coordinator of the CMDBCPT, said that eleven months after the murder of Juan López they continue to demand comprehensive justice and the capture of the intellectual authors of the crime.”
Zúniga says: “The State of Honduras has not filed any accusation against the intellectual authors who planned, financed and ordered this crime to order.”
Emco Group
Yesterday, Hondudiario further reported: “The Committee linked López’s murder to his strong opposition to extractive projects by the Emco Group that they warned threaten the communities of Tocoa.”
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.
