The Faith Organizations, through the Root Causes Initiative, raise our voices for the murder of Juan Lopez in Tocoa (Honduras). We stand in solidarity with the community of Tocoa, with the family, friends, and Juan’s colleagues in his struggle for justice. We express our concern about the lack of respect for the life and human rights of community members who defend natural resources in Honduras.
We demand that the Honduran authorities conduct a proper investigation into the murder of Juan, defender of the natural resources of our Common Home. We request the urgent intervention of President Xiomara Castro to ensure and guarantee the safety and rights of those who continue to defend their territory, rivers and mountains, as well as the prompt result of the investigation of this atrocious murder.
We ask the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for its pronouncement on the lack of regard for the precautionary measures that Juan López enjoyed and that the Honduran State was responsible for guaranteeing.
Given this act of violence against a defender of natural resources, an alderman in his community and an active member of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Trujillo, we believe it is urgent to install the International Commission against Corruption and Impunity (CICIH), a recommendation that we made as the Root Causes Initiative in a previous statement.
The Root Causes Initiative is a network of faith-based and grassroots organizations and religious leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the U.S. working to resolve the underlying conditions forcing people to migrate from Central America. The Root Causes Initiative’s Platform for sustainable and equitable development, human rights, and humane treatment of migrants is supported by 340 organizations and religious leaders across the region.