Dear Ariel Jahner, U.S. Embassy, Honduras:
We are members of U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities, a solidarity NGO based in various communities across the U.S. and El Salvador. Many of the Salvadoran communities we work with suffered some of the most horrific human rights abuses during the Salvadoran Civil War at the hands of the U.S.-backed military. As members of an organization who has worked closely with Central American communities for over 35 years and who clearly understand the repeated U.S. foreign policy failures to support human rights in the region, we would like to express our concern about the Guapinol case, which has concluding remarks taking place this Friday in Tocoa, Honduras.
The eight water defenders from Guapinol, sector San Pedro and broader Tocoa region, have spent over two years in prison on questionable charges for defending the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers from a mining operation led by Honduran mining company Inversiones Los Pinares. U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities urges you to personally attend Friday’s concluding remarks at the trial. Inversiones Los Pinares needs to know there are international eyes on this situation to help ensure the defenders’ rights are respected.
We understand that the pandemic has altered how everyone does their work. However, there are strict Covid-19 measures implemented in the courthouse including limiting the number of observers, taking body temperatures upon entrance, and mask mandates.
If the U.S. Embassy seeks to support the development of the private sector in Honduras in order to curtail migration to the United States, they must insist on respect for human rights. The presence of the U.S. Embassy in Tocoa this Friday may help demonstrate this. Not attending certainly sends a message that you do not consider the case or human rights a priority.
As an organization that has accompanied Central American communities for over three decades, we have witnessed many examples of how being present to observe events first-hand can have a major impact in whether human rights are respected or not.
We are committed to supporting human rights across the region and will continue to monitor the Guapinol case and the situation of human rights in Honduras and across Central America and the role of the United States in relation to human rights in the region. We also intend to communicate with our elected representatives about our concerns.
Thank you for considering these comments and please keep us posted on your decision to attend the trial or not.
