Honduras: Indigenous environmental activist Felix Vasquez killed

[Judi Lynn]

Felix Vasquez, a defender of environmental and human rights, died on Saturday after the attack in central Honduras.

28 Dec 2020
Masked men armed with guns and machetes have killed a Honduran environmentalist activist in front of his family, police said on Monday, the latest in a string of such attacks in the Central American country.

Felix Vasquez, a defender of environmental and human rights, died on Saturday night after the attack in the village El Ocotal, in central Honduras.

A law enforcement spokesman told the news agency Reuters the killing was under investigation.

“Police authorities immediately decided to initiate a corresponding investigation … we hope to have an answer soon,” police official Kevin Hernandez told journalists.

The violent killing met widespread condemnation. Former President Manuel Zelaya, who was deposed following a 2009 military coup, tweeted “We condemn the assassination of Felix Vasquez, Indigenous leader, defender of the rivers and forests”.

More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/28/indigenous-rights-defender-violently-killed-in-honduras

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Indigenous Lenca Leader Félix Vásquez Assassinated in Honduras
Published 27 December 2020

Lenca indigenous leader Félix Vásquez was assassinated on Saturday night at his home in the village of Ocotal, in Santiago de Puringla, in the southern department of La Paz, Honduras.

The raid on his home took place at around 8:30pm with family members at home, most of whom were young people and children who reportedly depended on Vasquez since the passing of his wife last year. Four men in balaclavas entered the home armed with a 9mm pistol and machetes, shooting Vasquez and terrorizing the family.

A few months back, Vasquez reported to authorities that he and his family were victim to death threats.

Vasquez was the Secretary General of the Union of Rural Workers (UTC) in the department of La Paz and was a pre-candidate for Congress for the left-leaning Libertad y Refundación (LIBRE) party, the party of former President Manuel Zelaya. He had decided to enter electoral politics as a way to defend rights, particularly against the encroachment of big landowners in natural reserve areas.

More:
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/indigenous-lenca-leader-felix-vasquez-assassinated-in-honduras-20201227-0002.html

[mia]

1. Rest in Peace, Felix Vasquez. You fought for us all.