Felix Vasquez, a long time environmental activist from the Lenca Indigenous group was shot by masked men in front of relatives on Saturday, 29 December, 2020, in his home in Santiago de Puringla. Four men burst into the family home and beat up several family members before shooting Vasquez dead.
Vasquez, who was seeking the nomination of the opposition Libre party to run for congress, had fought hydroelectric projects and land abuses for years.
Vásquez was also an environmental defender, concerned about land grabbing by large landowners in natural reserve areas, such as the El Jilguero hydrographic basin, where environmental damage threatened the livelihoods of more than 300 indigenous families.
Honduras’s National Human Rights Commission condemned the killing and said it would investigate. It confirmed that Vasquez had reported threats and harassment. The Commission had requested protective measures for Vasquez in January 2020, but they were never implemented.
This was confirmed by Rafael Alegria, coordinator of the nongovernmental organisation Via Campesina in Honduras. He said that Vasquez had been filing complaints and reporting threats since 2017, but the government never acted.
