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US investigating allegations Honduran military had hitlist of activists to target
Source: The Guardian
US investigating allegations Honduran military had hitlist of activists to target
State department review of Guardian allegations comes as a group
of Congress members renew call to suspend all US aid to Honduran
police and military
Ed Pilkington and Nina Lakhani
Friday 8 July 2016 11.35 BST
The US government is investigating allegations that a hitlist of activists was circulated to special forces units of the Honduran military with instructions to eliminate the targets, including Berta Cáceres, the celebrated environmental campaigner who was later gunned down in her home.
US officials have been in contact with counterparts in the Honduran government, as well as individuals and groups that monitor human rights in the country, to look into the allegations of a hitlist that were first reported in the Guardian.
The US ambassador to Honduras, James Nealon, told the Guardian: “We take allegations of human rights abuses with the utmost seriousness. We always take immediate action to ensure the security and safety of people where there is a credible threat.”
The state department review of the Guardian allegations comes as a group of prominent Congress members renew their call for the Obama administration to suspend all US aid to Honduran police and military units. Writing in the Guardian, the representatives, led by Hank Johnson of Georgia and John Conyers of Michigan, argue that the human rights record of the Honduran government is so woeful that there should be no funding by any US agency.
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State department review of Guardian allegations comes as a group
of Congress members renew call to suspend all US aid to Honduran
police and military
Ed Pilkington and Nina Lakhani
Friday 8 July 2016 11.35 BST
The US government is investigating allegations that a hitlist of activists was circulated to special forces units of the Honduran military with instructions to eliminate the targets, including Berta Cáceres, the celebrated environmental campaigner who was later gunned down in her home.
US officials have been in contact with counterparts in the Honduran government, as well as individuals and groups that monitor human rights in the country, to look into the allegations of a hitlist that were first reported in the Guardian.
The US ambassador to Honduras, James Nealon, told the Guardian: “We take allegations of human rights abuses with the utmost seriousness. We always take immediate action to ensure the security and safety of people where there is a credible threat.”
The state department review of the Guardian allegations comes as a group of prominent Congress members renew their call for the Obama administration to suspend all US aid to Honduran police and military units. Writing in the Guardian, the representatives, led by Hank Johnson of Georgia and John Conyers of Michigan, argue that the human rights record of the Honduran government is so woeful that there should be no funding by any US agency.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/08/honduras-military-hitlist-activists-us-investigation
Related Good Reads thread: Death Squad Revelations and the New Police in Honduras
