Since December 2009, at least 44 Honduran campesinos have been killed for taking part in demonstrations demanding the return of lands stolen from them and those previously promised to them by the Honduran state.
The victims are leaders of the Unified Movement of Aguán’s Farmworkers (MUCA) and members of communities like Guadalupe Carney, Rigores and Prieta encompassing thousands of campesino families that settled the Aguán Valley under a government-sponsored program in the 1970s. Campesinos in Guadalupe Carney, Rigores, Prieta and other communities have seen land they owned stolen from them as right-wing governments have chipped away at campesino cooperatives and placed the land in the hands of wealthy businessman.
According to the human rights organization Committee of the Families of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras, no one has been arrested or prosecuted for the crimes. This is not because of a lack of evidence nor an inability to identify those responsible.
The security forces linked to the deaths are connected to the Honduran military and police and hired by Miguel Facussé, “the wealthiest, most powerful businessman in the country.” (The Nation, Oct. 21)
Miguel Facussé: drug trafficker in
collusion with U.S. imperialism
Facussé is the beneficiary of the theft and denial of lands to the farmworkers. He owns 22,000 acres in the Aguán Valley handed over as part of a series of government-sponsored transfers of land to wealthy elites starting in 1992. His corporation Dinant is a major producer of palm oil, snack foods and other agricultural products. One-fifth of the 22,000 acres is now planted with African palms, as part of an expanding biofuel empire.
Facussé is also a drug trafficker. Honduras, and the U.S. State Department, have been fully aware of this fact since 2004. (The Nation, Oct. 21)
Facussé has admitted that on Nov.15, 2010, his guards killed five campesinos from MUCA in the El Tumbador community. On Oct.11, at La Aurora, Facussé’s security guards along with Honduran police and military killed one farmworker and shot at 15 other workers. On Jan.8, journalist and activist Juan Chinchilla was kidnapped and tortured. After his escape, he noted that the captors all wore private guard, military and police uniforms. These are only a few of the attacks carried out on the farmworkers of the Aguán Valley.
Facussé is colluding with the U.S.-backed Honduran police and military forces to intimidate and assassinate the rightful owners of the land he is exploiting for the profits of himself and a few others in the Honduran ruling class.
The Honduran government has, in fact, carried out a wave of repression against not only organized campesinos but also journalists, unionists, human rights activists and others.
The Aguán Valley has been a particular area of focus for the repressive forces. Guadalupe Carney was invaded almost a year ago, and troops have remained camped there since. In April 2010, thousands of police and military occupied the entire lower area of the valley.
2009 coup in Honduras had support of U.S. government
In 2009, the legitimate Honduran government of Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a coup. Zelaya, elected in 2005, had embarked on a popular campaign for wage reform and other progressive changes as well as shutting down a U.S. base. His presidency and popular support threatened multinational companies and the interests of U.S. imperialism in a region that has seen a consistent shift toward popular resistance.
At first the coup was given tacit support and then strong financial backing from the U.S. government. Washington, however, had knowledge of the coup before it happened and strong connections to the coup plotters. The lead general, Romeo Vasquez, was trained by the U.S. government in Georgia. In 2009, the National Endowment for Democracy gave $1.2 million to John McCain's International Republican Institute for its work in Honduras. That work included establishing the Democratic Civil Union of Honduras, which then played a major role in the coup.
The cozy relationship continues. President Obama greeted his Honduran counterpart, Porfirio Lobo of Honduras, in Washington last month. As part of his greeting, he lauded Lobo’s leadership in “a restoration of democratic practices and a commitment to reconciliation that gives us great hope.” (Counterpunch, Nov. 21)
In short, the Honduran coup government that continues in power today has the direct political and financial support of U.S. imperialism. This coup government is carrying out wave after wave of repression against the Honduran people as they resist a wholesale attempt to sell their country’s people and natural resources off to multinational corporations.
The nefarious history of U.S.-backed governments in Latin America is rife with instances in which privately hired guards in collusion with state forces intimidate, torture and kill workers organizing to defend their land, their communities or their jobs. Following the 1954 CIA-engineered coup against Jacobo Arbenz, the U.S.-supported Guatemalan dictatorship was responsible for the loss of tens of thousands of lives. Between 1986 and 2002, more than 3,000 labor leaders were assassinated in Colombia. The examples continue throughout Latin American, from Haiti to El Salvador to Venezuela and Chile. (pslweb.org, July 25, 2008)
In the Aguán Valley, the situation continues to intensify. The farmworkers' movement has put out an urgent call for support in defending their communities and their lands from the onslaught. The movement needs supporters to sign an open letter to the international community. You can e-mail [email protected] to add your voice to the letter.
End U.S. support for the repressive Honduran coup government!
