Article by PBI-Canada

On November 24, the Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project posted about a recent attack on Neptaly Ventura Orellana. The CNTC regional secretary was wounded in both legs, the bullets damaging his knees and ankles.

PBI-Honduras posted on its Facebook page: “PBI-Honduras expresses our concern about this new aggression towards defenders of the land and the territory of CNTC and we urge that what happened be investigated quickly and thoroughly.”

PBI-Honduras shared the CNTC post about this situation that states: “Neptaly Ventura Orellana, Secretary General of the Santa Bárbara CNTC Regional, suffered an attack after accompanying the La Libertad group that possesses the land in the highlands of Pinalejo Santa Bárbara, where heavily armed hitmen were waiting where fortunately they only managed to wound his legs leaving the companion very delicate in health.”

The Cross Border Network adds the context: “Santa Barbara has been hit hard by flooding from the hurricanes and is also a hotspot for the defence of land and territory from mining and agro-industry projects.”

Pasos de Animal Grande further reports: “The CNTC denounced before the national and international community the negligence of the National Police, which refused to take the complaint of an attack against the land defender, citing lack of territorial defense personnel, as evidenced by the peasant organization in a public community, this November 24, 2020.”

That article adds: “[Franklin Almendares, Secretary General of the CNTC says the CNTC] went to Peace Brigades International (PBI), which helped them to make the situation visible and accompanied in the process of filing the complaint, as well as the request for protection for the defender.”

PBI-Honduras has accompanied the National Union of Rural Workers (CNTC) since May 2018.

The Honduras Solidarity Network has set up this online donation page in which 100% of the proceeds go to Hondurans affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota.

That network has noted that the donations received so far have been put to work supporting grassroots and community-based organizations including small farmer groups with a national and regional presence like the CNTC.