arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

On July 19, 2003, two landless farmer activists (Fabian Gonzales and Jose Santos Carrio)were murdered by guards employed by Jose Leon Argueta, a wealthy land owner in La Paz, Honduras. Another farmer, Jose Natividad Gonzales remains hospitalized in critical condition from the same attack. The farmers belong to the community, "Sendero del Progreso" in the muncipality of San Jose. This community is affiliated to the National Center of Rural Workers (CNTC), and was established a month earlier on land eligible for recuperation according to Honduran agricultural reform laws. Argueta claims ownership of the land but failed to present the legal proofs required by law to dispute the small farmers' claims, preferring to try to take the land through a brutal attack by hired gunman on the landless activists.

The murders in La Paz occurred only 3 days after a violent attack July 16th on another CNTC community, "Unidos Venceramos" (United We Will Win)in the municipality of Victoria in the department of Yoro. The community was violently evicted from the land they have claimed under the Agrarian Reform Act which allows landless campesinos to cultivate and file claim to land which has been abandoned or is not being cultivated. In this case, the National Agrarian Institute had already recognized the small farmers' petition to the land. Despite this fact, 35 homes were destroyed along with 40 manzanas of cultivated corn fields (approximately 40 city blocks). Thirty residents of the community were detained by the police. 18 were released, some with serious charges still pending, while 12 remain detained. Court proceedings are scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, 2003.

The CNTC has issued a call for international support for its communities, asking for phone calls and faxes to the addresses listed below. The CNTC is demanding that the government release the landless campesino activists from jail in Yoro and drop all charges against them. They demand that murder and attempted murder charges be investigated and brought against Jose Leon Argueta and his hired gunmen, Mariano Rubio and Francis Rubio in the case of the murders and attempted murder in La Paz. In both cases, they demand that the process and decisions by the National Agrarian Institute, in agreement with the Agrarian Reform Act, be respected by the wealthy landowners and other government and police organs.

The landless and poor peasant movement in Honduras has come under increasing attacks as the Honduran government under President Ricardo Madero attempts to destroy the Agrarian Reform Act. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere. Its population continues to be predominantly rural and the transfer of fertile lands to the landless and smallest farmers is essential for their survival.

Please send faxes (in english or spanish) or call (in spanish) immediately to the following:
1. Corte Suprema de Justicia: FAX 011-504-232-8398, TEL 011-504-234-1150
2. Instituto Nacional Agrario (INA) FAX 011-504-232-8398, TEL 011-504-232-4893
3. Fax letters of support (english or spanish) to the National Center for Rural Workers in Honduras (Central Nacional de los Trabajadores del Campo-CNTC) 011-501-223-9516.