christic@labrea.Stanford.EDU (06/07/91)
/* Written 3:54 pm Jun 6, 1991 by codehuca in cdp:carnet.alerts */
/* ---------- "MASSACRES AT AGUAS CALIENTES HOND." ---------- */
ACUR 12-91 HONDURAS MAY 10, 1991
C91-147/H9
MASSACRE at 'AGUAS CALIENTES'
According to information received from CODEH (Committee for
the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras), 5 campesinos were
massacred and 8 more were wounded, 2 of whom remain in serious
condition, and one of whom is an 8 year-old boy..
Due to the massacre, 21 children are now orphans.
INTRODUCTION
With this urgent action, CODEHUCA wants to draw to the
reader's attention the following aspects that show the INTEGRALITY
of human rights (political, economic, social and civic) and their
link to the various struggles for social justice:
- violations of the right to life and personal security of the
campesinos;
- the systemic violation of economic and social rights in Honduras;
- repression against non-government, civic organizations that
struggle for the guarantee and protection of all of their human
rights;
- the Agrarian Reform policy in Honduras, that never has been
carried out; and
- the impunity of the security forces, and their involvment, as
large land-owners, in the national economy.
FACTS
On May 3, 1991, in the area of Aguas Calientes, Arizona,
Depto. de Atlantida, five campesinos were massacred. Their names:
FELIPE DE JESUS HUERTE PEDRANO, CIRIACO HUERTE CASTRO, CARLOS
SALOMON GONZALEZ FIGUEROA, MARTIR REYNIERI HUERTE, and CRUZ CHACON.
Amongst the wounded there is a boy of 8 years age. All of the
victims belong to the cooperative "El Caral", and are members of
the campesino organization "El Hastillero".
Castulo Garcia recounts: "The sun was just coming up. Some 60
campesinos were sleeping or just waking under an improvised lean-to
(champa), that we had built with nylon and rope, in the middle of
the 25 manzana piece of land that we had recovered. A shout awoke
the early morning - "What do you want, life or death?"
"It was Francisco Lopez, who works under Col. Leonel Galindo,
arriving with civilian and military personnel. Lopez was at the
head of the civilians. The military were flanking them in camoflage
clothing, trying to hide in the trees and bushes."
"Felipe Huerte, the oldest person in the group, (60 years) who
had more experience than anyone else in the historical struggle for
land, gave his cup of coffee to a friend, stood up, walked a few
steps forward, and said "we want to talk".
"The response came very quickly. A machine-gun sounded. A
bullet caught Felipe Huerte, who was also a lay-worker in the
church. Shaking and bleeding, Felipe Huerte shouted "No, don't kill
us. We are going to leave ... He then fell to the ground, dead. The
rest of the campesinos fled into the fields, or had already lain
down on the gorund. The armed men advanced, shooting their AK-47s
and their FALs. These are weapons used by the armed forces. ...
Alex Jose Garcia, a brother of Carlos Salomon, said "anyone
who tried to stand up, would be shot at. First it was Don Felipe
that was killed. When he fell to the ground, his son Ciriaco got up
to go and help him. They killed him. My brother Carlos and Cruz
Chacon ... took off running, but they too were immediately shot."
(This information from the "El Tiempo" newspaper, May 6, 1991, pp
3,8).
Previous Death Threat
A few days before the land recuperation, Ciriaco Huerte, one
of the victims, had told the other campesinos that as he was
walking down the road, three agents of the Forces of Public
Security (FSP) surrounded him. They stuck a pistol into his mouth,
and had another one pointing at his back, and they threatened him
with death.
Burial in a Mass Grave
During a ceremony, burying the 5 victims in a common grave,
the surviviors, of the El Astillero group, indicated that this spot
would be, from then on, an alter of the Church of the Martyrs.
During the service, the campesinos (labriegos) were singing that
they would continue ahead with their struggle to obtain their land.
HISTORY OF THE CAMPESINOS STRUGGLE TO OBTAIN LAND
The INA (National Agrarian Institute) was created to implement
the agrarian reform. With respect to the land in dispute, in 1975
the INA (National Agrarian Institute) decided that the lands were
for the campesinos, but the legal transactions were never
completed, and the land was never handed over. (On many occassions
in the past, this legal procedure has not been completed)
Due to the lack of resolution, the lands were handed over to
other individual owners. Finally, col. Galindo took possession of
the lands. It is for this reason that Col. Galindo was directly
involved in the massacre. Some people have suggested that the INA
did not fulfill the transaction in this case due to fear of Col.
Galindo.
In 1990, a document attesting to the adquisition of the lands,
was sent by the INA to the Chief of the Armed Froces, to the
National Congress, and to the Church. This document contains, as
well, a denunciation made by the labriegos who claimed that persons
who worked with the Col Galindo had fired upon them when they tried
to take possession of the land.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHTS, AND THE ARMED FORCES.
The question of agrarian reform is particularly serious in
Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the Americas, where
thousands of campesinos are waiting to receive land. The INA, and
the Agrarian Reform law are the instruments designed to rectify the
unequal land distribution. Over the history of land reform there
have been two major problems:
1- the land reform act has never been complied with, as explained
out above. In 1990, no land was handed over to campesinos; and
2- increasingly, military personnel are becoming large landowners.
In this way, while being members of the Armed Forces they also now
have a stake in the unjust distribution of the land.
It is this second aspect that is the underlying problem. They
now use the military to protect their privately owned land, thus
affording to themselves the impunity of the armed forces.
Thus, one sees the inter-relatedness of the impunity of the
armed forces, the unjust land distribution in Honduras, and
violations of economic and political rights.
OTHER MASSACRES
This 'Aguas Calientes' massacre adds itself to a long list of
campesino massacres: Jutes, in the 1960s; Talanguera, in the 1970s;
and Los Horcones, Guadelupe and Las Pinuelas, in the 1980s.
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
The following articles of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights were violated: Art. 3: "Everyone has the right to life,
liberty and the security of person"; Art 17(1): "Everyone has the
right to own property alone as well as in association with others";
Art 11(2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights says: "The State Parties to the present
Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of
living, ... including food, clothing, housing. ... The States shall
take the appropriate steps .. which are needed (a) to improve
methods of production, conservation and distribution of food by ...
reforming agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most
efficient development and utilization of resources;"
CHILDREN
This most recent massacre also resulted in the violation of a
number of rights specific to children. Honduras ratified the
recently completed Convention on the Rights of Children, which has,
as its principle objective, the duty of protecting the security and
well-being of children. The Convention states the right to life of
all children, and that the state has the duty to protect this.
CONCLUSION
CODEHUCA asks the international community to send
communications concerning the following:
1- that the massacre be fully investigated and that the guilty
parties -the material and intellectual authors- be tried properly
according to national and international law;
2- that actions be taken to oblige the INA to comply with its
mandate and respond to the needs of the needs of thousands of
campesino families;
3- that a full and just agrarian reform be carried out;
4- that indemnization be given to the family members of the
massacred campesinos; and
5- that special attention be paid to the situation of the
children.
ADDRESSES
Besides sending your communications to the following
addresses, please send them to your own government, to banks and to
companies (especially military) in your own country that have
international dealings with Honduras. Pressure is needed both
inside and outside of Honduras. To a greater or lesser degree, it
is due to external economic and military relations that the status
quo remains as it is in Honduras, and other countries in Central
America.
Presidente Callejas, Palacio Nacional, Tegucigalpa, telex-1129, fax
379656; Cmdte de las Fuerzas Armadas, Cnel Luis Alonso Discua,
Cuartel General, Tegucigalpa; Presidente del Congreso Nacional,
Rodolfo Irias Navas, Palacio Nacional, Tegucigalpa, fax 226249;
Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Mario Carias Zapata, Palacio
Nacional, Tegucigalpa.
Publish paid announcements in El Tiempo, A.P. 450, San Pedro Sula,
Honduras, tel 530215, 532087, telex 5623.
Thank-you, CODEHUCA, AP 189-1002, SAN JOSE COSTA RICA, TEL 506-
245970, FAX-506-342935.