Government Pledges to Address Land Rights Murders

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October 29, 2008
Murder, Threats, and Now—Hope?

(Translated from an article posted on Revistazo.com)

Responding to the murder of three leaders in the struggle for land rights and death threats against four of their colleagues, a commission of residents from the northern Honduras town of Cofradía succeeded in extracting promises from various government bodies in the capital: the Property Institute promised to present within 10 days a plan for straightening out serious kinks in the titling process in Cofradía; the Ministry of Security promised to issue an official report within 24 hours; the Ministry of Public Proseuction and the National Human Rights Commission pledged their support. The World Bank, however, refused to receive the commission.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Terrorized residents of Cofradía engaged in a head-on struggle against local “landowners” today made the rounds of various state institutions here in the capital, demanding that the government of President Manual Zelaya speed up the land-titling process in order to bring an escalating wave of violence against community leaders under control.

The series of visits was organized by the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Cofradía and the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ, by its Spanish initials). (The neighborhood association, or “patronato,” is the most local form of elected representative government in Honduras.) The activities began with a 10:00 a.m. visit to the Property Institute and culminated with a visit to the National Human Rights Commission. The Cofradía residents and ASJ representatives also met with the Vice President of the Republic and with representatives of the Ministry of Public Prosecution and of the Ministry of Security. All these institutions are related in some way to the problem of land rights in Cofradía, but according to residents their efforts have not been sufficient to solve the problem.

Despite the urgency of the situation, the local office of the World Bank rejected the group’s request for a meeting; it was the only institution that did not deign to meet with the group.

In just the first two weeks of October, three leaders of the land-rights struggle in Cofradía—Fredis Osorto on the 2^nd, Elías Murcia on the 9^th, and Ubence Aguilar on the 14^th —were murdered in broad daylight. These murders remain unpunished. Meanwhile the relevant government bodies have not given even a minimal explanation of why their response has been so tardy, much less discovered hard information regarding the crimes’ motives.

Moreover, four community activists who are seeking solutions to the land disputes that plague Cofradía—Gabriel Zambrano, Carminda Pérez, Carlos Murillo and Danilo del Arca—have received death threats.

Making the Rounds
Neither the cold nor the threat of rain could dampen the desires for justice of Cofradía residents who traveled some 250 kilometers (155 miles) south to Tegucigalpa, committed to speaking out against the authorities’ apathy and to obtaining meetings with officials who have kept them waiting for months.

At the Property Institute

In this meeting Sauceda promised to present, within 10 days, a complete plan for a solving land-rights disputes and speeding up the titling process in the entire region of Cofradía and Villanueva. This plan will be presented on November 7 in the office of the Property Institute.

With the Vice President

At the Ministry of Security

Suazo also left open the possibility of making a visit to Cofradía this weekend upon returning from the Garífuna community of San Juan, which is experiencing similar land-rights problems.

Nery Velásquez

He said that he was most worried by the possibility that the threatened leaders could be killed for having reported the situation in Cofradía to various government offices. If that happened, the government could be held responsible for not having provided adequate protection.

With prosecutor Enamorado

World Bank
Given its role as a major funder of the titling process, the commission intended to present the situation to the World Bank and invite it to take a closer interest in the operations and institutions that its funds sustain. However, this was not possible, since the commission’s request for a meeting was rejected.

Nonetheless, the commission will continue trying to obtain a meeting with the World Bank in the coming days.

The commission will also request a meeting with the President of the Republic, Manuel Zelaya.

Cofradía residents said they were satisfied with the results of the visits, and said they would stay alert to whether the government makes good on its promises. In the coming days and weeks the residents will continue to carry out an advocacy plan to ensure the government protects the leaders who have received death threats, investigates and arrests the criminals who cut short the lives of Osorto, Murcia, and Aguilar, and speeds up the titling process in neighborhoods that have been expropriated.