PUBLIC DECLARATION FROM COPINH

By Honduras Accompaniment Project,

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH)

 

COPINH, the Municipal Resistance Front, the Catholic church, and members of various communities of the municipality of Colomoncagua would like to communicate the following:

  1. We condemn the attitude demonstrated by the municipal mayor, Dr. Anael Martínez Hernández, in violating the agreement made on the 1st of November and signed by the municipality and representatives of organizations and indigenous communities regarding carrying out an open community forum regarding water concessions and hydroelectric projects in the municipality on the 1st of December, which he refused to carry out.

  2. We condemn the boycotting of the open community forum while inviting representatives from transnational companies to carry out propaganda campaigns in favour of the hydroelectric projects.

  3. We condemn the politicized actions of handing out “bonuses” on this date in order to confuse the population and selecting members from his party to help destabilize the signed agreement.

  4. For these reasons the people of Colomoncagua will continue its struggle and actions against the abuses of power that continue to violate the rights of the people of Colomoncagua.

  5. We declare that we will not permit the entry of authorities or unauthorized individuals to carry out studies or try to initiate projects to exploit our natural resources.

  6. We declare that the municipalities of Colomoncagua, Concepción, San Marcos de la Sierra and other affected municipalities are on alert and will continue to repudiate and to exercise popular power.

 

“With the ancestral power of Lempira, Iselaca, Mota and Etempica we raise our voices of life, liberty, justice, dignity and peace.”