28 Members of the European Parliament from 4 political groups signed a joint letter addressed to Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vicepresident (HR/VP) of the European Commission, expressing their concern about the murder of Honduran environmental activist Juan Antonio López on September 14, 2024, and the escalation of violence against Guapinol defenders.
Diana Riba, a Member of the European Parliament from Greens/EFA group and President of DCAM, comments:
“Mr. López was part of the “Guapinol activists” movement, which was a finalist for the 2020 Sakharov Prize—the EU’s highest recognition for human rights. Mr. López also served as the coordinator of the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT), that has been advocating for the protection of the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers since 2013, that are essential to about tens of thousands of people.” Mr. López dedicated his life to protect the Carlos Escaleras Mejía Botaderos Mountain National Park from extractive activities of Emco Holding and its subsidiaries.
The demands of Guapinol activists brought them to the European Parliament in 2022, where they expressed deep concern over the growing threats against environmental defenders in Honduras. Over the past two years, violence against activists and their families has increased dramatically, including severe reprisals such as the tragic murders of the two brothers of Reynaldo Domínguez Ramos in 2023 and Mr. López in September of this year. Adding to these terrible events is the recent decision by the La Ceiba Court of Appeals to reopen a 2019 criminalisation case against five Guapinol defenders, including Mr. López and Mr. Domínguez.
On December 5, 2024, the European Union, Spain, Germany, and France awarded the “2024 EUROPA Human Rights Prize in Honduras” to the CMDBCP of Tocoa. This recognition highlights the EU’s ongoing commitment to human rights and environmental protection in Honduras. However, the recently ratified EU-Central America Association Agreement, along with the policies of the Green Deal, provide an opportunity to renew dialogue on human rights and promote concrete protections for environmental defenders in cases like Guapinol. In the aforementioned letter, the HR/VP is urged to take urgent measures in this direction.
Contacts for press:
Diana Riba
diana.ribaiginer@europarl.europa.eu
Sergi Zorilla Cubells
sergi.zorrillacubells@europarl.europa.eu
Read the full letter here.
