Another Campesino assassinated by gunmen in Aguán; several murders in recent days.
Sixto Ramos (45), a member of the campesino cooperative Nueva Suyapa, of the Peasant Movement of Aguán, MCA, was murdered at eight a.m. on Wednesday, 18 May, by shots fired by gunmen in a passing car, as he was making his way to his organization.
This is the latest in a string of murders in recent days. On May 9, Roney Diaz (34) was killed and Manuel Vasquez was injured when they were violently evicted from the cooperative Despertar, by military and police forces. Both were leaders of the Movimiento Auténtico Reivindicador Campesino, MARCA peasant movement. On May 10, Pablo Lemus , 44, was gunned down; he was a member of the Brisas del Eden Company of the Aguan Peasant Movement, MCA.
Another incident is the disappearance of Francisco Lopez Pascual, 38, who has been missing since May 15 when he was herding cows near the Rigores settlement in Aguan. Friends and relatives have searched for his body in several areas but he remains missing.
According to a statement released by FIAN-Honduras on May 16, blood, bullet shells and bullet holes in nearby trees were found in the area where he was last seen. However, the police refused to follow the trail after several hundred meters because they “did not believe it prudent to continue the search on private property” and advised the farmers to request authorization from the Public Ministry.
In March of this year, an international mission including Cofadeh, Fian-Honduras and the Center for Women’s Rights, visited the area and documented serious human rights violations.