Honduras: renowned conservationist and two of his relatives murdered

An environmental activist was shot dead at his home in Honduras on Sunday with his wife and brother-in-law, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in that country said "deeply" on Monday. from Central America.

José Antonio Teruel was assassinated "with his wife Francisca Aracely Zelaya and his brother-in-law Marco Tulio Zavala" at his home in San Fernando, in the department of Olancho, in the east of this small country considered extremely dangerous, gangrenous by the violence of the "maras", terrible social inequalities and drug trafficking.

At around 6:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, two people carrying guns broke into the house where the victims were gathering with their families and shot them dead.

Police said in a statement that "personal issues" motivated the attack.

Some media claim that a fourth person was shot, but no identity has been given and the police have not said anything.

More than 130 environmental activists killed in ten years

José Antonio Teruel, 72, former teacher, member of the Honduran Alliance for the Defense and Development of Forests, was a well-known defender of biodiversity and protected areas in his country.

As in several Latin and Andean American countries, corruption allows certain families and large groups linked to power to continue their activities despite the damage to the environment.

Soils are depleted, agricultural land disappears in favor of mining concessions, rivers are diverted or dried up and water is lacking, pushing many inhabitants into exile.

More than 130 environmental activists were killed between 2009 and 2019, making Honduras one of the most dangerous countries for environmental activists, according to the NGO Global Witness.

Teruel recently took part in meetings between residents of Patuca and the Honduran Electric Company, ENEE, in conflict over a hydroelectric dam.

Respected, he also coordinated in December 2017 the action of Caritas Honduras, the body of the Honduran Church which tried to ensure the democratic process during the presidential election when violent clashes had disrupted the campaign.

Marco Tulio, his brother-in-law, was a renowned breeder.

Freelance journalist shot dead

This death is reminiscent of that of Berta Caceres, shot dead in the middle of the night at her home in 2016. This mother of four, one of the Honduran figures in the defense of the environment and indigenous populations, was regularly threatened without the police n 'investigation of the complaints it filed.

Global Witness's investigation uncovered the involvement of members of the society owning the roadblock that Caceres was fighting against and soldiers, with ramifications at higher levels.

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Also on Sunday, a Honduran journalist was shot dead by two unknown men riding motorcycles in Comayagua, 60 km north of Tegucigalpa.

Luis Almendares, 35, was a freelance journalist critical of the government.

He had filed a dozen death threats complaints with the police and an official institution for the protection of journalists, according to human rights organizations.

His death brings to 85 the number of journalists, employees or media owners murdered since 2001 in Honduras, and 90% of these crimes have gone unpunished, denounced the director of the NGO Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre).