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News > Latin America

Honduras: Three Indigenous Fishermen Reportedly Killed by Military

  • Honduran soldiers search a suspect for gang-related tatoos in Tegucigalpa, 2001.

    Honduran soldiers search a suspect for gang-related tatoos in Tegucigalpa, 2001. | Photo: Reuters

Published 22 May 2018
Opinion

The perpetrators remain absconding and according to local sources, speculations have been raised that military elements could be behind the killing. 

At least three Indigenous Miskitu fishermen belonging to the Warunta community in AhuasHonduras, have been found murdered – allegedly by the military, local media reports. 

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Eyewitnesses said the perpetrators opened fire on the fishermen unprovoked. At least four military officers are now being investigated, according to the Public Ministry and the National Police. Their identities have not yet been released.

The victims have been named as Patricio Pravia, 33, originally from the community of Acatipi and a resident of Warunta; Orban Coban, 26, from the Krata community, and Darlin Soto, 23, also a resident of Warunta. 

Ahuas was the site of a massacre in 2012 when agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raided a village and killed four people, including a pregnant woman and a 14-year-old boy, injuring four others. 

According to a report published by Insight Crime, the official version of events was vastly different from the version given by locals. 

According to the official version, "the shooting was initiated after a boat driven by a local businesswoman, working with the traffickers, allegedly rammed another cocaine-laden vessel already under the control of two Hondurans and one US DEA agent.

"This prompted the three agents to call for assistance from one of the four helicopters in the area, which opened fire on the boat and its 16 passengers, killing two. 

"The locals denied any connection between the boat passing through the area and the drug traffickers, and rejected the idea that any of the boat's passengers, most of whom were asleep, had engaged the government agents."

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