Monday, May 12, 1997 4:00 Eastern Time
VIOLENT MILITARY FORCED REMOVAL OF PEACEFUL INDIGENOUS DEMONSTRATION
IN HONDURAS
At 4am this morning the Honduran armed forces and police violently
removed over 3000 indigenous peoples from the Presidential Palace in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The army brutally beat many of the protesters
including pregnant women, elderly and small children. Some of the
indigenous have disappeared and are still not accounted for, and
others had to be hospitalized because of the beatings by the army and
police. All of the food and many of the belongings of the indigenous
people was confiscted.
The native peoples had gathered peacefully to protest the recent
assasinations of indigenous leaders Candido Amador Recinos
and Ovidio Perez and to demand lands that pertain to their
communities. These lands are currently occupied by large landowners.
The Indigenous leaders were ready to sign an accord with the
government following lengthy negotiations. Instead of signing an
agreement, the military brutally removed the indigenous from the
presidential palace to a vacant lot nearly a mile away.
The indigenous people have decided to remain encamped where they
are until the government agrees to sign the accord. They have
little access to food, water and shelter. To support their effort
please send donations to:
CONPAH (Confederation of Autonomous Peoples of Honduras)
Apartado 20-585, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Tel. (504) 25-2612
Telefax (504) 25-4925
Please fax President Carlos Roberto Reina at: (504) 37-8237
with a message of protest at this violent act and urge that he
sign the accord which has been negotiated with the indigenous
leaders.
Please send copies of your messages to:
conpah%conpah@sdnhon.org.hn and andres%acceso@sdnhon.org.hn
Write us for more information and/or visit the following website:
www.ibw.com.ni/~cgenica
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South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC)
P.O. Box 28703
Oakland CA, 94604
Phone: (510)834-4263 Fax: (510)834-4264
Email: saiic@igc.apc.org
Office: 1714 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor, Oakland
Home Page: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/nativeweb/abyayala/orgs/saiic/
For more information about SAIIC, send an empty email message to:
saiic-info@igc.apc.org