HONDURAS

HONDURAS

Honduran Protests Mount with Death

Tegucigalpa, Aug 28 (Prensa Latina) The protests in Honduras against the socio-economic situation and in defense of natural resources took a more serious turn Tuesday following the death of local teacher Wilfredo Lara. In addition to protesting drinkable water, mining and foresting legislation, women's murders, lack of protection for indigenous people and integral agrarian legislation, the demonstrators will go to the streets seeking justice for Lara's murder.

Angel Gutierrez, a leader of the western Honduran unions, announced highways would be taken by demonstrators on Tuesday in El Nispero and Cucuyagya, Copan, where Lara will be buried.

During the first day of the protest, organized by NGOs Coordinadora Nacional de Resistencia Popular and Bloque Popular, the police from La Entrada, Copan, captured Manuel Andres Chinchilla, suspected of driving the murder car from which the shots were fired.

Chinchilla has been charged solely as driver of the vehicle, but Lara's comrades claim three men in the vehicle, two as yet not apprehended, were shooting. Teachers participating in the movement also criticized authorities because the possible killer son of a hotel entrepreneur in the zone, was housed in the police dormitories, and not confined to a cell.

See MAC previous posts on this issue:

Protest against Open Pit Mining: 12 injured and 72 arrested

http://www.minesandcommunities.org/Action/press1582.htm

Police attacking protestors short video:

http://www.revistazo.com/Articulos/video_policia.html