Why a Georgia Congressman is Fighting to Stop Security Aid to Honduras

[Judi Lynn]

August 11, 2016

Why a Georgia Congressman is Fighting to Stop Security Aid to Honduras

Rep. Hank Johnson talks about the struggle for human rights and the future of U.S.-Honduras relations.

BY Parker Asmann

Environmental rights activist Berta Cáceres feared for her life and for the lives of her fellow activists in Honduras. She traveled to Washington, D.C., in April of last year to voice those concerns, and pleaded her case to various lawmakers, including Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson. Less than a year later, her fears became a reality.

Forces stormed Cáceres’ home in the Lenca community of La Esperanza on March 3 and shot her. Cáceres and her colleagues were outspoken about their opposition to a hydroelectric dam being built on the Gualcarque River, sacred land to the Lenca people, by private energy company Desarrollos Energéticos SA (DESA). News of her death was widely condemned throughout the international community, prompting some lawmakers to take action.

In June, Johnson introduced the “Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act,” calling for the suspension of U.S. security assistance to Honduras until the government there investigates reports of human rights violations and opens an independent investigation into Cáceres’ death. The bill is supported by some 40 organizations and has garnered more than 30 co-sponsors in the House so far.

More:
http://inthesetimes.com/article/19382/why-a-georgia-congressman-is-fighting-to-stop-security-aid-to-honduras/

[forest444]

1. Good for Congressman Johnson. Reminiscent of Ted Kennedy and Doug Fraser's efforts in the late '70s.

And of course of the many congresscritters who instead preferred to coddle dictators for the sake of nickel-and-dime arms deals.