Women defenders of the Nueva Esperanza community

Organization
COPINH

Activity
Defense of land, territory and natural resources

Attacks experienced
Criminalization

THE FACTS – At 5 o’clock in the morning, Tuesday, July 9th, State security forces burst into the Nueva Esperanza community on the pretext of enforcing an alleged complaint of “land usurpation.” They detained 15 people including 7 women: Maria del Rosario Ruiz Ulloa, Silvia Cristina Canales, Reina Alicia Silva Hernández, Analí del Cid Guzmán, Isolina Guzmán Ramos, Rebeca Suazo Guzmán and Lorena García, who is six months pregnant.

COPINH denounces the use of force against one of the persons detained, 78 year-old Francisco Solano López, by police agents aiming to oblige all detainees to spend the night in the Comayagua police station, where they await transfer to court.

It is important to note that community members have lived on the same terrain for 10 months. More than 190 families work there every day while engaged in a land recuperation process. The community has also filed for legal standing in order to obtain their communal land title.

We of IM-Defensoras and the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders in Honduras demand the immediate release without charges of all those detained and hold the Honduran government responsible for any acts against their physical and moral integrity.

Once again we repudiate the use of the justice system to criminalize persons exercising their legitimate right to defend land and gain a decent life.