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Take URGENT Action to Show Your Solidarity with Honduran Peasant Leaders

This week, our colleague, Rafael Alegría, began receiving death threats from landholders and members of the national police in Honduras. Rafael is a member of the International Coordinating Committee for the Via Campesina, one of our long time partners, and has recently led peasants in Honduras in the Struggle for Land. His life is being threatened simply because of his work defending peasants’ rights to land and food.

As a State Party to the International Covenants of Human Rights, Honduras has an obligation to respect and protect human rights defenders like Rafael.

Send the message below, which will be delivered to both the President and the Secretary of Security, to let top Honduran officials know that the world is watching.

November 20, 2008

Subject:

Excelentísimo Sr. Presidente,

Por medio de la presente, me dirijo a Usted para manifestar mi indignación por el asesinato de varios dirigentes del movimiento campesino organizado de Honduras en el área de  la ciudad de Trujillo, Colón.  Además manifiesto mi grave preocupación acerca de la amenazas de muerte recibidas por varios dirigentes campesinos Hondureños entre ellos  el Sr. Rafael Alegria quien es también un dirigente internacionalmente reconocido de la Vía Campesina.

Entiendo que estas violaciones atroces a los derechos humanos  has sido perpetradas tanto por elementos privados  como por oficiales locales relacionados con el conflicto agrario sobre las tierras del antiguo Centro regional de Entrenamiento Militar, CREM.

Honduras es Estado parte de los Pactos Internacionales de Derechos Humanos, por lo que ha asumido la obligación de respetar, proteger y garantizar los derechos reconocidos en estos pactos, en particular el Derecho a la Vida y el Derecho a la Alimentación, y atender de manera especial la situación de aquellas y aquellos quienes al defender estos derechos, sufren intimidaciones y violencia.
En este sentido le solicito Sr. Presidente, adoptar las medidas necesarias para garantizar:

•	la mayor protección posible al Sr. Rafael Alegría y a los defensoras y los defensores de derechos humanos, en particular de la dirigencia campesina, sindical e indígena, que debe incluir mecanismos especiales de protección requerida debido a las recientes amenazas  de muerte y hostigamientos en su contra.
•	la investigación del crimen con apoyo de más alto nivel, para que reúna en el tiempo más corto posible todas las informaciones necesarias para descubrir los autores materiales e intelectuales del asesinato;
•	el debido proceso criminal contra los supuestos asesinos, para que la muerte de Irene Ramírez y José Arnulfo  Guevara no queden en impunidad;
•	la atención inmediata a la pronta solución del caso ex-CREM en el sentido de la transferencia efectiva de todos los terrenos del antiguo Centro Regional de Entrenamiento Militar a favor de los grupos del Movimiento Campesino de Aguán, en  el marco de la aplicación contundente del Decreto 18-2008.

Atentamente,

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English translation:

Subject:

Protect the Human Rights of Campesino leaders

Honorable Mr. President,

I would like to express my deep concern about the murder of various peasant leaders of Honduran organized peasant movements in Trujillo, Colón. I am also deeply concerned about the death threat received by other Honduran peasant leaders, among them Mr. Rafael Alegria who is also an internationally recognized leader of the Via Campesina.

I understand that these egregious violations of human rights have been perpetrated by both private parties and local officials connected to the land conflict over the former land areas of School of the Americas Regional Center for Military Training, CREM.

Honduras is State Party to the International Covenants of Human Rights and therefore has the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the rights enshrined in theses covenants, particularly the right to life and the right to food, and to take special care of the persons that are subject to intimidation and violence for defending these rights.

I would therefore like to ask you, Mr. President, to take the measures necessary to guarantee:

*Highest protection possible for Mr. Rafael Alegria and the human rights defenders , for peasant, union and indigenous leaders, including special protection mechanisms required due to death threats and harassment.

*Maximum support for the investigation of these crimes, so that the necessary data are gathered in the shortest period of time possible and the material and intellectual authors of the murder are found.

*Prosecution of the alleged murderers, so that the assassinations of Irene Ramírez, Jose Arnulfo Guevara do not remain unpunished.

*Immediate attention for a quick resolution of the case of the former CREM with regard to the effective transfer of the lands of the former Regional Centre of Military Training in favor of the groups of the Peasant Movement of Aguán, in the framework of the expeditious implementation of decree 18-2008.