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PBI-Colombia expresses sadness at the death of Dilan Cruz; national strike protests continue

By
Brent Patterson
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On the morning of November 26, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Projected tweeted, “We regret the death of the young Dilan Cruz who in the exercise of his right to social protest to claim his rights was the victim of a violent attack. Violence can never be justified or used to resolve conflicts. Solidarity and love for your family.”

The Associated Press reports, “Students, women’s activists and indigenous people marched through the center of Colombia’s capital Monday [November 25] in a fifth day of protests against the government as the country recorded the first death of a demonstrator.”

“Dilan Cruz, an 18-year-old high school student, died two days after being hit in the head by a projectile reportedly fired by riot police during a protest. His case has resonated in Colombian society, touching off a debate about excessive use of force and making him a symbol for many young protesters.”

This video catches the terrible moment that Dilan was shot and the response by the police.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Agencia EFA adds, “Thousands of people returned to the streets of Bogotá and other cities [on November 25] to join their claim with the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.”

“They called attention to the high number of femicides that so far this year amounts to 799 cases in the country, according to data from the National Institute of Legal Medicine.”

National Strike demands

That Agencia EFE article also explains, “The ‘national strike’ [on November 21] that led to daily mobilizations was convened by the Unitary Central of Workers (CUT), the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the Confederation of Workers of Colombia (CTC).”

“The unions reject labour, tax and pension system reforms that they claim the government prepares and that it denies, as well as a privatization plan, the lack of commitment to the peace agreement with the FARC and measures against the killing of leaders social, among other causes.”

The Associated Press article continues, “They have also called for more funding for public universities and are demanding a ban on fracking, a method for drilling oil which Duque has said he is open to.”

National Dialogue

The Associated Press adds, “In response to the growing unrest, Colombia’s president launched a ‘national dialogue’ Sunday to address such issues as rural violence, environmental policy and ‘growth with equity’.”

“Duque met with recently elected governors and mayors Sunday night and held talks with business leaders and some unions Monday. [National Strike] leaders said Duque had only offered to spend one hour with the group, and they refused to attend.”

El Tiempo adds, “The dialogue will remain in effect until March 15, although Duque gave relatively few details on how exactly citizens would be involved.”

Opposition to fracking

As noted in the Associated Press report and other news article, opposition to fracking has been one of the key concerns being expressed during the protests.

On November 25, El Tiempo published their interview with Isabel Cavelier, the director of Visión de Transforma, about the upcoming United Nations COP25 climate summit in Madrid.

Cavelier says, “Neither fracking nor exploration to find new reserves are reasonable investments, because both imply greater emissions and put us all at risk.”

It is expected that fracking will begin in Colombia in 2020 with Canadian companies likely to be involved in those pilot projects. Representatives from the Colombian human rights groups CREDHOS and CCALCP recently took part in an advocacy tour in Canada organized by Peace Brigades International to highlight their concerns about fracking.

Canada

It does not appear that the Government of Canada has commented yet on the national strike protests beyond a Canadian embassy tweet, “Protests may continue in the next few days and happen without notice. There have been clashes between protesters and public forces, which have caused victims. Avoid manifestations.”

The Government of Canada has also posted, “Labour unions called for a nationwide general strike on November 21, 2019. Large demonstrations have taken place in several cities across the country. Clashes between protesters and security forces have occurred, resulting in casualties. Police have used tear gas to disperse crowds. Protests may continue in the coming days. They could happen without notice and suddenly turn violent. Local authorities may impose curfews without notice.”

Shortly after this article was posted, the Canadian Embassy in Colombia tweeted: “We deeply regret the death of young Dilan Cruz and express all our solidarity with his family. Canada recognizes the exercise of the right to peaceful protest and calls for it to be respected and exercised in peace.”

To see the latest updates on the national strike on Twitter, see the hashtags #ParoNacional #ParoNacional26N #HuelgaGeneral #ParoNacionalIndefinido #DilanCruz

Photo by Comisión de Justicia y Paz, which has been accompanied by Peace Brigades International-Colombia since 1994.

PBI-Colombia says peaceful protest is a human right as national strike protests continue

By
Brent Patterson
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On November 23, the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project posted, “Social and peaceful protest is a human right, above all, disproportionate repressions cannot be justified against the civilian population, we ask for guarantees and respect for life.”

That same day, The Bogota Post reported, “An 18-year-old student [Dylan Cruz] is in critical condition tonight after being shot by ESMAD [the Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron] riot police on the third day of the national protests.”

“The most recent medical report at the time of writing (9.30 pm) stated that Dylan had suffered a penetrating head trauma and his neurological status is still uncertain due to secondary effects following resuscitation.”

“According to media reports, Dylan had recently graduated from Colegio Ricaurte and was marching for the right to access an ICETEX loan so that he could go on to study administration at university. That dream may now never be realised.”

“Various videos on social media show police shooting the young man from the other side of the road, in what appears to be an indiscriminate act. His friend told Semana that they were trying to get away from the tear gas when it happened – about 4pm today.”

Canal Citytv also tweeted this short video clip of ESMAD firing teargas on activists singing the Colombian national anthem.

Al Jazeera adds, “Javier Diaz was among a group of peaceful protesters gathered in Bogota’s National Park on Saturday [November 23], wearing a rainbow indigenous handkerchief tied around his neck.  He, like many other protesters, was calling for an end to the killing of indigenous and social leaders, corruption, possible economic reforms and the surge of violence in Colombia’s rural zones.”

That article continues, “Shortly after telling Al Jazeera he hoped to continue protesting peacefully in the ‘cacerolazos’, he and hundreds of other peaceful protesters were charged and tear-gassed by police in riot gear.”

This El Tiempo video gives an example of a cacerolazo in the La Macarena neighbourhood in Bogota.

The Delegation of the European Union to Colombia (which includes the embassies of Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy) has issued this statement:

“The vast majority of citizens of Colombia who took to the streets have been peacefully exercising their legitimate right to protest, giving samples of citizenship and respect in the expression of their demands and aspirations.”

“We deplore the loss of human lives and firmly reject acts of violence that tarnish the legitimate right to peaceful protest and generate fear, chaos and disorder.”

It does not appear that the Government of Canada has commented yet on the national strike protests beyond a Canadian embassy tweet, “Protests may continue in the next few days and happen without notice. There have been clashes between protesters and public forces, which have caused victims. Avoid manifestations.”

To follow the latest developments on Twitter, go to #ElParoSigue #ParoNacional #DylanCruz #ParoNacionalColombia

Protests continue in Colombia, curfew imposed on Bogota as human rights concerns mount

By
Brent Patterson
-

Twitter photo of protest in Barrancabermeja on November 22 via Twitter.

On November 23, The Guardian reported, “After more than 250,000 people marched on Thursday to express growing discontent with president Iván Duque’s government, another large crowd gathered on Friday afternoon in Bogotá’s Bolívar Plaza.”

“The crowd, which included the elderly and families, was dispersed by police firing tear gas, sending protesters running up the steep, narrow streets of the historic district.”

“Bogotá’s mayor, who earlier banned alcohol sales, said there would be a 9pm curfew in force for the whole city with the exception of the Bosa, Kennedy and Ciudad Bolívar neighbourhoods, where the curfew was to begin at 8pm.”

“The protests have flared amid rumours about possible economic reforms and anger at what protesters say is a lack of government action to stop corruption and the murder of human rights activists.”

Front Line Defenders has reported that 126 human rights defenders were killed in Colombia in 2018. Indepaz says that 738 human rights defenders were killed between January 1, 2016 and July 20, 2019.

Al Jazeera adds, “The president said he was stepping up the police presence and ordering the ‘deployment of joint patrols of police and army in the most critical places.’”

“But that did not stop hundreds of people from showing up outside Duque’s house in Bogota, singing the national anthem while banging pots and pans in a form of protest that is common in parts of Latin America. The protesters dispersed peacefully about one hour after the 9pm (02:00 GMT on Saturday) curfew began, AFP news agency reported.”

“Earlier in the day, thousands had gathered in Bogota’s Bolivar Plaza for a renewed anti-government protest. The recent demonstrations have brought together protesters from nearly all sectors of society, with qualms ranging from recently proposed labour reform and an uptick in the number of killings of indigenous and social leaders to structural problems and corruption that have been part of Colombia for generations.”

On November 22, Amnesty International issued this statement: “The Colombian authorities must put an end to the repression of social protests and the excessive use of force against those who manifest themselves, guaranteeing the human rights of all people and ensuring that any action they develop is in accordance with the international law of the human rights.”

For the latest updates on social media, you can follow these hashtags on Twitter: #ElParoSigue #23NParoNacional #ParoNacionalColombia #ParoNacional

PBI-Guatemala accompanies Nuevo Dia talk on a landmark court ruling on the right to food

By
Brent Patterson
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On November 22, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted, “Yesterday we accompanied Nuevo Dia in Chiquimula for the presentation of the report on compliance with Camotán’s sentences ‘Without horizons of human development’. The act claimed the right to food as a fundamental human right.”

In July 2013, a judge declared the Guatemalan state responsible for a breach of economic, social and cultural rights by failing to ensure the right to food of five undernourished children from four families living in the villages of Camotán, Guatemala.

The court ordered the state to implement specific measures to ensure the enjoyment of their rights, especially the right to adequate food.

In March 2014, Vice reported, “Six-year-old Bryan couldn’t tell you who the president of Guatemala is, but three years ago he took his government to court and won.”

“Alongside four other emaciated children, Bryan was part of a lawsuit that Nuevo Día, a local NGO, launched against the Guatemalan state in 2011 for failing to protect its kids against malnutrition. The judge found the government guilty in a landmark ruling in Latin America, but that doesn’t mean the president’s party cares.”

“With the aim of producing long-term change, the judge ordered various ministries to create food and employment programs to stop Mayra [a four-year-old child who was also part of the lawsuit] and Bryan’s conditions from continuing as the norm.”

“Both the families and the surrounding communities were ecstatic. Nothing much has happened, however. The only major change is that each of the children now receives an extra bag of rice or packet of beans.”

In relation to the presentation on November 21 accompanied by PBI-Guatemala, Nuevo Dia posted, “Four sentences in favour of the restoration of the human right to food, were appealed by the State of Guatemala… The State, despite the efforts of its operators, does not comply with the actions dictated in the sentences.”

The Borgen Project has noted Guatemala “has the highest prevalence of chronic malnutrition in Latin America and the fourth highest in the world.”

“In rural and indigenous areas, 55 to 69 percent of people are facing malnutrition, and in the highlands, 70 percent of children are suffering from starvation.”

The World Food Programme adds, “Guatemala is one of the most unequal countries in Latin America. While two thirds of the overall population live on less than US$ 2 per day, poverty affects indigenous people disproportionately: 80 percent of them experience deprivation in multiple aspects of their lives, including food security, nutrition, health and education.”

The WFP also highlights, “Guatemala is among the 10 countries that are most vulnerable to natural disasters and the effects of climate change. Over the past three years, extended dry seasons have had a severe impact on the livelihoods of subsistence farmers, who rely on rain-fed agriculture, especially in the Dry Corridor.”

Nuevo Dia is an Indigenous Maya Ch’orti’ campesino/peasant farmer organization. PBI-Guatemala Project has accompanied Nuevo Dia since 2009.

PBI-Colombia celebrates its 25th anniversary!

By
Brent Patterson
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On November 20, the staff and volunteers from the Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project gathered together with many of the human rights defenders they accompany to celebrate the 25th anniversary of PBI in Colombia.

The gathering took place at the Museo Nacional de Colombia in Bogota.

As noted in the book Unarmed Bodyguards: International Accompaniment for the Protection of Human Rights, the first PBI team arrived in Bogota in October 1994 and by January 1995 had established a presence in Barrancabermeja after an invitation by CREDHOS, the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights.

More about those early months can be read at PBI-Colombia and CREDHOS, 25 years of accompaniment and defending human rights.

While Ivan Madero, the president of CREDHOS, along with Julia Figueroa and Andrea Nocove of CCALCP were recently in Canada on an advocacy tour, PBI-Canada helped organize a gathering in Toronto of past PBI volunteers to Colombia, Board members, friends and allies to mark the anniversary (see photo below).

In this short video from several years ago, Madero talks about the significance of PBI-Colombia’s accompaniment of CREDHOS.

And CCALCP, which was present at the gathering on November 20, tweeted, “We recognize the hundreds of volunteers who have done, are part and will be part of Peace Brigades International. On behalf of everyone, thank you.”

PBI-Canada sends its best wishes, love, respect and solidarity to PBI-Colombia on the occasion of its 25th anniversary!

PBI-Colombia accompanies human rights defenders participating in the National Strike

By
Brent Patterson
-

The Peace Brigades International-Colombia Project accompanied three human rights organizations participating in the November 21st national strike.

PBI-Colombia tweeted that it accompanied David Ravelo (a founding member of CREDHOS) in Barrancabermeja, the Committee in Solidarity with the Political Prisoners (CSPP) and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers’ Collective Corporation (CCAJAR).

Ivan Madero of CREDHOS and Julia Figueroa and Andrea Nocove of CCALCP, who recently participated in an 8-day cross-country advocacy tour in Canada, also participated in today’s national strike.

Al Jazeera reports, “Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through the dense city streets of Bogota and other cities across Colombia as the country joined a wave of others in South America experiencing anti-government demonstrations.”

That article adds, “Duque’s slightly-more-than-a-year in office has been marred by deep political divides, tethered especially to the government’s failure to comply with the country’s peace process, corruption and the killings of social leaders.”

It also notes, “Those tensions have only deepened in recent weeks with a massacre of indigenous people by criminal groups in the Cauca and the resignation of Duque’s defence minister after a bombing targeting dissidents of the demobilised Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, killed at least eight children.”

More than 100 organizations backed the national strike, including numerous environmental organizations.

Semana Sostenible explains, “Stopping the killing of environmental and social leaders, stopping deforestation, prohibiting fracking and the use of glyphosate, protecting the moors and respecting popular consultations, are some of the reasons why environmentalists took to the streets to make themselves felt.”

AFP adds, “Spokesmen for several organisations backing the protests said more than one million people had marched nationwide, while Interior Minister Nancy Patricia Gutierrez counted some 207,000 protesters by the middle of the afternoon.”

And Colombia Reports noted a cacerolazo took place.

It reports, “While the [banging] of pots and pans have been used in anti-government protests elsewhere in Latin America, social media users said Colombia had never seen, or heard rather, a noise protest of this magnitude.”

By the evening, PBI-Colombia tweeted, “We request guarantees in the right to social protest, we are currently accompanying the CSPP, disproportionate violence against the civilian population cannot be justified.”

This was in response to the Bogota-based Campaña Defender la libertad (the Campaign to Defend Liberty) tweeting that the National Police and ESMAD (Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron) were “throwing stones and other unidentified objects in an attempt to dissipate the protestors who are still there.”

Telesur adds, “Since Monday, citizens have also expressed their surprise and anxiety over the presence of soldiers armed with combat weapons in Bogota, the capital of the country.” That article also notes criticism by human rights defenders that the police raided the homes of social leaders in Bogotá, Medellín and Cali prior to the national strike.

And the Associated Press reports that “the government deployed 170,000 officers to enforce security [and] closed border crossings…”

You can find more on Twitter by searching the hashtags #ParoNacional21Nov #ParoNacional #RazonesParaMarchar #100RazonesParaMarchar

Mexican human rights lawyer Arnulfo Cerón Soriano found murdered

By
Brent Patterson
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47-year-old Mexican human rights lawyer and social activist Arnulfo Cerón Soriano went missing on October 11 in the city of Tlapa in the state of Guerrero.

On November 20, news came of his murder.

The Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Centre reports, “His body was found near Colonia el Aguaje, in the area known as Los Tres Postes in Tlapa, Guerrero.”

The Associated Press adds, “The body was found along a road…Tlachinollan said Ceron had been buried about 3 meters deep in a clandestine grave.” And El Sol de Mexico notes, “After research work with machinery in this area, the body was found in a state of decomposition and later identified by his relatives.”

Tlachinollan “condemns the disappearance and murder of Arnulfo and demands the full clarification of the facts, the prosecution and punishment of the material and intellectual perpetrators of this crime.”

Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project has commented, “We express our condolences to the family of Arnulfo Cerón and our deep concern about the situation of human rights defenders of the State of Guerrero, and in particular of the Mountain Human Rights Centre and the Popular Front of the Mountain.”

During the search for Arnulfo, his wife Gabriela Pablo described his work in this petition: “Arnulfo for several years accompanied social movements, such as the families of the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa. Recently he was supporting street merchants in the city of Tlapa, who were abused by the municipal president of this town.”

The Associated Press reports, “Guerrero Attorney General Jorge Zuriel de los Santos Barrila [says] two people detained in recent weeks have been charged, and four others under arrest are being investigated as suspects.”

PBI-Mexico has accompanied Tlachinollan since 2003.

PBI-Canada observes the 20th anniversary Transgender Day of Remembrance

By
Brent Patterson
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Peace Brigades International-Canada affirms that trans rights are human rights.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an internationally recognized annual observance that has been held on November 20th since 1999. It celebrates and honours the lives of trans, non-binary and two-spirit people whose lives have been lost due to acts of anti-transgender violence.

Bessy Ferrera

This year, we take particular note of the murder of trans rights defender Bessy Ferrera who was murdered on July 8 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Bessy worked with the Asociación Arcoiris (Rainbow Association), which has been accompanied by the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project since July 2015.

The Yogyakarta Principles

PBI accompanies human rights defenders around the world, including those engaged in struggles related to the right to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Yogyakarta Principles were unanimously adopted in 2006 by a group of human rights experts and then updated in 2017. Those principles affirm that “sexual orientation and gender identity are integral to every person’s dignity and humanity and must not be the basis for discrimination or abuse.”

Principle 27 calls on all states to, “Ensure the protection of human rights defenders, working on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity, against any violence, threat, retaliation, de facto or de jure discrimination, pressure, or any other arbitrary action perpetrated by the State, or by non-State actors, in response to their human rights activities.”

PBI has undertaken that work in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.

Honduras

On May 17, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project accompanied the advocacy group LGBT Arcoiris (Rainbow Association) at the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia march in Tegucigalpa.

Between 2009 and mid-2018, 296 members of the LGBTQI+ community in Honduras were murdered. Honduras also had the highest per capita number of transgender murders in the world between 2008 and 2014, according to a report by Transgender Europe.

From June 2015 to March 2016, six members of Arcoíris were killed. Other Arcoíris activists have survived assassination attempts. Many others have faced intimidation, harassment and physical attacks.

Arcoíris coordinator Donny Reyes says, “The biggest problem that we face is the violence of the state security forces towards the LGBT+ community: the armed forces, the police, the criminal investigation police, military police, municipal police.”

Dina Meza, an independent investigative reporter who is also accompanied by PBI-Honduras because of the risks she faces, says that reporters who cover violence against the LGBTQI+ community have been physically assaulted by security forces, expelled from public events, and have been the subject of smear campaigns.

Mexico

On July 6, the Peace Brigades International-Mexico Project accompanied the XII Pride March in the city of Chihuahua.

In October 2018, El Universal reported that Mexico has the second highest number of murders of transgender and transsexual people in the world every year.

PBI-Mexico has highlighted that according to a survey conducted by the National Council to Prevent Discrimination (CONAPRED) and the State Commission of Human Rights (CNDH), the state of Chihuahua has the second highest number of homicides against members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Guatemala

And on July 20, the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project observed the XIX Parade of Sexual Diversity and Gender Identity in Guatemala City.

El Periodico has reported, “Between January and June 2019, the murders of 28 gays, lesbians and trans were reported. This figure doubled compared to the cases recorded last year, according to a report by the Organizing Committee of the Parade.”

And PubliNews has reported, “There is no moment to mark the beginning of the LGBTIQ movement in Guatemala, but it is recognized that during the armed conflict, which lasted 36 years, the police and military authorities committed thousands of harassments against people who identified themselves as diverse.”

#TDOR #TDoR2019

30th anniversary of PBI volunteer Karen Ridd’s remarkable act of courage

By
Brent Patterson
-

November 20th is the 30th anniversary of an extraordinary act of courage by Karen Ridd, a Peace Brigades International volunteer from Canada.

The news magazine Maclean’s sets the context: “Following a two-week trip to Nicaragua in 1986, Ridd decided to put her beliefs in social justice to work in Central America. She joined Peace Brigades International, going first to Guatemala in 1988 and, [then in] February [1989], to El Salvador.”

“As a volunteer, she received free room and board and about $60 a month for the often dangerous work of keeping watch over Salvadoran trade unionists and others whom the government and right-wing death squads consider subversive.”

“Suspected by Salvadoran authorities of aiding leftist rebels against the U.S.-backed right-wing government, the 28-year-old human rights activist from Winnipeg was abducted, along with six other foreigners, by national guardsmen and later physically and verbally abused by the Treasury Police, known widely for their brutality.”

The book Unarmed Bodyguards notes that those arrested included “Zea Melendez, a Guatemalan; Josephine Beecher, a U.S. religious worker and five Peace Brigades International volunteers.”

That book continues, “At the National Guard barracks, Spanish PBI volunteers Ester Domenech, Francesc Riera, and Luis Perez were handed over to their embassy. The other two PBI volunteers, Canadian Karen Ridd and Colombian Marcela Rodriguez, were loaded into a truck with Beecher and Melendez.”

“Karen and Marcela were interrogated for several hours about their alleged connections with the FMLN [rebel guerilla movement].”

Karen recalls, “I remember have something run across my throat and being told, ‘next time that will be a knife.’ Shoved around. Hit a bit, not real hard. Back of the hand, in the ribs. The handcuffs were too tight. I asked that they be loosened, and they were. Marcela asked the same, and they refused.”

“The most frightening moment was when they took me aside and told me to pull my shirt up and my pants down. They claimed they had to check for battle wounds and register any marks so we couldn’t blame them later, but the sexual threat was obvious.”

“The whole interrogation took about five hours. As curfew hour approached, they were suddenly in a big hurry to get me out of there. In their hurry, they took my blindfold off at a place where I was able to see that Marcela was still there in the hall. It was really horrible to see her blindfolded and facing a wall with her hands behind her back. But it was good to know where she was.”

The Winnipeg Free Press adds, “The Canadian embassy obtained Ridd’s release, but she promptly went straight back into the prison to demand — and get — the release of her friend, Marcela Rodriguez Diaz.”

Unarmed Bodyguards notes, “Karen told her embassy official she wouldn’t leave without Marcela. The Canadian official, worried about the approaching curfew, was angry with her, but she insisted.”

Karen recalls, “As I walked back towards the jail, I felt a sense of triumph. But back in the interrogation room reality hit with a thump. What would be next? Torture? Then they handcuffed me again and took me to a different hallway which was full of people in various states of post-torture. I could see it under the blindfold.”

Marcela remembers, “At one point I heard Karen’s voice and then steps approaching me. …They took off my handcuffs and I took Karen’s hand. I was still blindfolded. They opened a door and told us to walk straight ahead without turning to look back.”

Pushed out the door blindfolded, Karen thought they were being moved to another cell.

Karen notes, “Then they pulled the blindfold off, and I looked up and I could see all these stars. We were out. We walked back across the parking lot holding hands.”

The book continues, “Karen and Marcela were driven to the Camino Real hotel in a military convoy and handed over to Canadian embassy officials. Within a few days, the entire PBI team was in ‘exile’ in Guatemala.”

In Toward a Pedagogy of Radical Love, Karen comments, “In that Salvadoran jail, I faced and learned many things. I learned the importance of what I call the ‘futile gesture’: the small, hopeless act of returning to the jail for my friend combined with calls and messages Peace Brigades International supporters around the world sent to the Salvadoran government on our behalf, led to our release.”

On November 21, 1989, NDP Member of Parliament (Winnipeg Transcona) Bill Blaikie rose in the House of Commons and expressed his respect for Karen and the work of Peace Brigades International.

Daniel N. Clark, one of the founders of Peace Brigades International on Grindstone Island in Canada in 1981, notes, “Karen’s courageous and successful refusal to be released without Marcela is one of the most moving stories in PBI’s history.”

Today, Karen is an Instructor in Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies at Menno Simons College in Winnipeg. Marcela teaches at a university in Bogota.

PBI-Honduras accompanies CNTC at media conference on transfer of 4 billion lempiras in agricultural funding to the military

By
Brent Patterson
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On November 19, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project posted, “On November 6 we were present at a press conference in which different farmers’ organizations, including the National Union of Rural Workers (CNTC), an organization accompanied by PBI, expressed its pronouncements on the decision of President Juan Orlando Hernandez of the Armed Forces manage more than four billion of lempiras to intervene in the agricultural sector.”

Four billion lempiras translates into about $215 million Canadian dollars.

To read more about this media conference, please see Dina Meza’s article Via Campesina: The militarization of the agricultural sector will create food crisis.

On November 13, Via Campesina went before the Supreme Court of Justice calling the direction of these funds to the Honduran Armed Forces (FFAA) unconstitutional.

Criterio reports the legal rationale for their assertion of unconstitutionality highlights that “Executive Decree PCM-052-2019 clearly usurps the functions of the institutions of the agricultural public sector and puts under the command of the Armed Forces, the direction, administration and execution of agricultural policies, functions that have neither a constitutional mandate nor secondary laws.”

That article also notes, “There is illegality in the Executive decree because it violates general principles of public administration, because theoretically and constitutionally the Armed Forces are limited to work related to war.”

In an article about the militarization of Honduras after the coup in 2009, the Council on Hemispheric Affairs has commented, “Honduran military officers have also been implicated in the murders of land rights and environmental activists since the coup and have systematically ignored the pleas of environmental activists while prioritizing the privatization of land without regard for the environmental and health consequences.”

That article also states, “The Honduran military has also been accused of waging an all-out war against peasant communities who live in Bajo Aguán, a rich agricultural region. Many of these campesinos have been murdered or forced to flee their land to make room for large corporate palm oil plantations.”

PBI-Honduras has previously noted, “The CNTC, created in 1985, is a small-scale farming and trade union organisation, which fights for the distribution of land. It is affiliated to the Unitary Confederation of Honduran Workers (Confederación Unitaria de Trabajadores de Honduras – CUTH) and is part of the Vía Campesina.”

“Its aim is to support affiliated small-scale farming families so that they have access to land and resources and can carry out productive agricultural, fishing, forestry and agro-industrial activities, contributing to their social and economic development.”

PBI-Honduras has accompanied the CNTC since May 2018.

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