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Juana Ramona Zúñiga: “In Honduras, there is a pattern of criminalization against those who defend water against extractivism”

Juana Ramona Zúñiga: “In Honduras, there is a pattern of criminalization against those who defend water against extractivism”

On November 15, PBI-Honduras tweeted: “More than 1,005 land and environmental defenders killed since COP21 in 2015. The final Agreement of #COP26 does not refer to those who protect the land from the front line. It is urgent to protect those who protect the earth. The climate crisis is a crisis of #DDHH [human rights].”

The quote below says: “In Honduras, there is a pattern of criminalization against those who speak out for defending the territory and water sources against extractive projects.”

Juana Ramona Zúñiga is a member of the Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Assets (CMDBCP). She lives in the village of Guapinol in the municipality of Tocoa in the department of Colón.

Her husband José Abelino Cedillo is currently in prison with seven other defenders for their role in peacefully defending the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers from contamination by the Inversiones Los Pinares iron oxide mine.

The venue for the trial of the Guapinol 8 who have been imprisoned for almost two years is scheduled for December 1-14, 2021. On November 11, Guapinol Resiste noted has been moved from Trujillo to La Ceiba to prevent peaceful protests that could occur.

Zúñiga participated in the PBI-convened webinar on COP26 this past Saturday, November 6. You can watch her intervention (in Spanish) on that webinar here (starting at the 15:30 mark).

Follow this struggle at @GuapinolResiste.

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