Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo

During recent weeks there have been reports of attacks by police agents against human rights defenders working on issues relating to the protection of natural resources.

On 7 January 2012, Mr Gonzalo Cruz, an active member of La Coordinadora Integral del Taragual (The Integral Coordination of Taragual) and La Red en Defensa de los derechos de los Bienes Comunes (The Network in Defence of the rights of Community Property) was shot at by police agents in Iguala Lempira.

On 26 December 2011, Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo, a human rights defender and priest working in defending natural resources was attacked and beaten by police agents in Intibucá.

On 7 January 2012, at approximately 8:00 pm, Gonzalo Cruz of the community of San Antonio, Taragual, Iguala Lempira, was shot at by two plain clothes police agents, Messrs Amado Jovel Díaz and Danilo Jovel Díaz. The policemen were drinking and asked Gonzalo Cruz, who was passing by, to bring them more alcohol to drink. When he did not comply with their request they shot at him repeatedly before fleeing the scene on a motorbike. Gonzalo Cruz was brought to the Hospital of Santa Rosa where doctors confirmed that he had received 14 injuries to various parts of his body and that one of his lungs was severely damaged by the gunshots.

In December 2011, the same police agents had reportedly been seen taking photographs of the houses of active members of the community of San Antonio, in particular of those individuals who they had identified as being members of the Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular (National Popular Resistance Front).

On 26 December 2011, at approximately 8:30 pm, Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo, parish priest of the Catholic church of Macuelizo Santa Bárbara and two of his brothers, were attacked by eight police agents on the side of the road leading to the estate of El Rosario in the department of Intibucá. The priest and his companions had decided to rest by the roadside having driven for a number of hours. One of the brothers got out of the car to put a stone under the wheel to prevent it from sliding when the police agents began to attack him. Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo, who got out of the car to see what was going on, was handcuffed, thrown to the ground and hit and kicked by the police officers.

The police officers then took the belongings of the men as well as some food and money which they had. They ordered them to get into their car and they removed the stone from under the wheel causing the car to roll into a ditch. The police then took the men out of the car and handcuffed them to the patrol car before bringing them to the Hospital de la Esperanza in Intibucá. It was reported that Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo lost consciousness as a result of the attack and required 16 stitches on his head. His younger brother's rib was fractured in the attack.

Father Lorenzo, who works on environmental issues from a social organisation based in the church of Macuelizo Santa Bárbara, reported the events to the regional human rights public office in San Pedro Sula on 3 January 2011.

Front Line Defenders sees these recent events as forming part of a pattern of attacks against human rights defenders working on environmental and land issues in Honduras. Front Line Defenders is concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Gonzalo Cruz and Father Marco Aurelio Lorenzo in light of the recent attacks against them and believes that they may be directly linked to their human rights activities and in particular their work in defence of natural resources.