Twenty-four year-old Eric was participating in his Tegucigalpa neighborhood’s protest last night when the nonviolent gathering was attacked by police. He was beaten with police batons before being detained for two hours along with a nineteen year-old compañero.
Police continued to beat Eric after he was detained. “They made us put our hands flat on chairs so they could beat them,” he said. He heard police talking among themselves about killing them.
Eric and the other young man were released after one officer recognized Eric, as he had been the officer’s teacher in a computer course.
The pictures below show the baton marks on Eric’s back, his swollen hands and taped finger, and a wound on his knee from when the police pushed him to the ground.
Eric’s story is not atypical under the current state of siege in Honduras. The curfew has been lifted from 10am to 5pm today, Wednesday 23 September, so people are able to circulate, but it seems that the continued strategy of the coup regime is strong violent repression in hopes of crushing the people’s resistance. Nevertheless, people continue marching.
Abrasion on arm // Lesion en el brazo
Back with marks // Espalda golpeada
Severe bruising on back // Golpe fuerte en la esplada
Beaten hand // Mano golpeado
Abrasions on legs from being pushed down // lesiones en las piernas de haber sido empujado