Members of COPINH detained in protest in San Pedro Sula

COPINH: "Enough colonialism." We mobilize in San Pedro Sula

The following members of COPINH were detained in San Pedro Sula along with others during recent protests for the re-foundation of Honduras and against the coup regime's "Honduras is Open for Business" conference:

1.-José Alexis Gomez (17 años)

2.- Maria Leocadia Hernandez (40 años)

3.-Yovana Isidora Cabrera (23 años)

They report that other members of COPINH saw the police beat these three members of COPINH. Latest reports indicate at least the two women have been released.

CIVIL COUNCIL OF POPULAR AND INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS OF HONDURAS (COPINH)

Down with the regime!!

Down with colonialism and modern day slavery!

We continue on our feet in struggle!

Enough colonialism!

Enough selling off of Honduras!

URGENT PRESS RELEASE.

In the face of the continual sale of our country and all of its natural goods like water, metal and mining resources, the land, territories, the beaches, the oxygen, the forests, native millenarian seeds, the intellectual property of the indigenous, black and general population of Honduras, a disastrous occurrence reimposed in the nefarious event called "Honduras open for business," we emit the following communiqué:

1.- We condemn the regime continuing the coup d'etat that systematically and in flagrant violation of Covenant 169 of the ILO, the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People the Declaration of Human Rights and other national and international legal instruments, imposes projects of privatization of the rivers, such is the case of the hydroelectric complex on the sacred Patuca River with an irreversible impact destroying the existence of the Tawahaka People and other peoples and their Biospheres, the construction of more than 40 private hydroelectric dams that are accelerating the militarization and the violence in indigenous, black and peasant communities in Honduras, wind power projects with a terrible environmental impact, such as the project Hula HIll, concessions for mining, tourist and oil exploitation and others.

2.- We denounce that the event "Honduras Open for Business" is nothing more than the consolidation of colonialism and capitalist plunder, worse even than the signed Free Trade Agreements, with which the regime tries to accelerate even more the hand-over of the country to foreign corporations for the leasing and exploitation of natural resources, creating in addition a fiscal paradise in which narco-trafficking has a privileged position.

3.- We warn the local oligarchy and the transnationals that we will deepen our historic resistance in defense of life and mother earth and that in our vision of development a fundamental spiritual value is life in harmony with nature, which is to say respect of mother earth, which means no matter what we will now allow the promotion of avarice, destruction and death.

4.- We mobilize today in San Pedro Sula together with other social organizations to unite our voices, thoughts and actions against these acts with which the regime offers Honduras up for sale.

With the ancestral force of Iselaca, Lempira, Mota and Etempica we raise our voices filled with life, justice, freedom, dignity and peace!

San Pedro Sula, Cortes

May 5th, 2011