07/08/2026
🗣️ WE CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH GARIFUNA COMMUNITIES OF HONDURAS!
We call on human rights organizations, Indigenous Peoples, social movements, labor unions, academic institutions, networks of solidarity, and civil society organizations around the world to join this urgent call.
Five members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH, by its Spanish acronym) were arrested during a violent eviction in the Garifuna community of San Juan, in the municipality of Tela, on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. The incident took place in early July, and even though the individuals were released, they are facing criminal charges for "aggravated usurpation" of their own territory.
This criminalization is occurring in a context of escalating violence against Garifuna communities, and it coincides with the enactment of the "Law to Strengthen and Protect the Agro-Industrial Sector, Energy Projects, Tourism, Livestock, and Small Agricultural Producers." The provisions of this law threaten the survival of communities and peoples, especially those who are defending the earth and the territory.
We call on people to express their solidarity in two ways:
1- To send an email to the Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court of Honduras, requesting the dismissal of the criminal proceedings against the members of the Garifuna community of San Juan, and reminding the Honduran State of its obligation to comply with the rulings of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights – which protect the territorial rights of the Garifuna People.
International solidarity has been key in defending human rights in Honduras. Your voice can help ensure that the State upholds its international obligations and protects those who are peacefully defending their ancestral territories.
Email your letter to: [email protected] and [email protected]
2- To sign onto the letter to Wagner Vallecillo Paredes, Presiding Justice of the Supreme Court and Head of the Judiciary of Honduras, using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdGt2CP21WaGoAkIGWDSKLvdsZGtlW19i3G572E00JT08Eb-g/viewform
