On Thursday, in Tocoa, in the Aguán valley in northeastern Honduras, the brother of an environmental activist who was murdered on January 7 was shot dead, as a land defense committee denounced. The Municipal Committee for the Defense of the Commons of Tocoa, a non-governmental organization, lamented in a statement “the murder of Oquelí Domínguez, younger brother of Alí Domínguez, who was killed on January 7.”
Juan López, a member of the committee, told AFP that Oquelí, 42, was at home on Thursday when “two individuals arrived on a motorcycle and shot him directly.” “In that family there are already two murdered, Alí on January 7 and Oquelí” this Thursday, he lamented.
He added that Oquelí’s mother, Catalina Ramos, was also shot but is out of danger. According to the statement, Oquelí is also the brother of Reynaldo Domínguez, leader of the Municipal Committee.
The communiqué warned that the murders are taking place “in the context of the struggle for common and public goods” and that criminality is seriously affecting the moral heart of Guapinol. Guapinol is a community near Tocoa where environmental activists are fighting against a mine that exploits an iron oxide deposit in a reserve zone and which they claim is contaminating the river of the same name.
The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) and other organizations, including members of the Observatorio por la Justicia de los Defensores del Ro Guapinol, have expressed deep concern about the violence in this region of Honduras and have demanded an independent investigation into the crimes.
Drug cartels also operate in Aguan, and a land conflict between landowners and peasants is ongoing, which has left more than 160 people dead since 2010.