Honduras

 

With Ana María Pineda, of FIAN Honduras

“We’ve gained international visibility for the situation

in Bajo Aguán”

 

Archivo Fotográfico del Aguán

Vida

Invasión

Desalojo

Movilización

Washington

      

A delegation of the Bajo Aguán International Mission traveled to Washington to present its preliminary report at the 141st Session of Public Hearings of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and was judged very positive results by participants. SIREL interviewed Ana María Pineda, of FIAN Honduras, about the leading results.

 

 

-What were the expectations of the delegation that traveled to Washington?

-For us it was important to give international visibility to the serious situation of human rights abuses in Bajo Aguán, as a continuation of the investigation efforts conducted some weeks ago by the International Mission and several national organizations.

 

-What were the main results of your efforts?

-It was a very successful experience. We delivered the preliminary report to Felipe González, the Rapporteur for Honduras appointed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and he expressed his concern over the situation in Bajo Aguán.

 

We also discussed possible future actions, such as, for example, the need for the IACHR to continue monitoring the situation closely, and to issue a call to attention to the Honduran state.

 

The IACHR must demand that the government report on what it is doing to prevent abuses and to protect individuals, because what we have found in our on site investigation is that there is complete impunity for human rights violators.

 

-What other spaces were you able to present the Bajo Aguán issue at?

-We participated in an IACHR public hearing on the situation of human rights activists in Honduras.

 

We gave a detailed presentation of the Mission’s leading findings, explaining the great concern of the international and national organizations that participated in the Mission, and the recommendations issued to the state of Honduras and the international community.

 

This helped us put the Bajo Aguán problem at the center of the IACHR’s discussions and activities, clearly explaining the complexity and severity of a situation that is the result of an rural conflict caused by an exploitative production model, a land-hoarding process, and the coup.

 

-How did the Honduran state refute the claims presented?

-It was incredible, because the Honduran state delegation had absolutely no arguments to refute any of our claims, and could only excuse themselves saying they didn’t know the Bajo Aguán situation would be on the agenda.

 

It’s obvious that it’s something they have no justification for and they preferred not to say anything. They contradicted themselves throughout the entire hearing, and that led the IACHR members to issue strong recommendations to the state.

 

-You also had some meetings at the World Bank...

-We met with representatives of the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) to request that it conduct an investigation of the situation in Bajo Aguán and suspend the palm oil project for which in 2009 the International Financial Corporation (IFC) - a member of the World Bank Group - granted Miguel Facussé’s Corporación Dinant a loan for.

 

Lastly, we were part of a delegation that met with the OAS diplomatic representatives of Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela, and we submitted the Mission report to them.

 

-What is your evaluation of the delegation’s efforts in Washington?

-The visit was extremely positive and the results were much better than we expected. But the efforts don’t end here, as this has opened up many possibilities to follow up on in the future.

From Washington, Giorgio Trucchi

Rel-UITA

March 30, 2011

 

 

 

 

Photo Giorgio Trucchi 

 

 

galería fotográfica  

más información

 

 

Volver a Portada

  

  UITA - Secretaría Regional Latinoamericana - Montevideo - Uruguay

Wilson Ferreira Aldunate 1229 / 201 - Tel. (598 2) 900 7473 -  902 1048 -  Fax 903 0905