[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5070]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HONDURAS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, yesterday I made a statement about the 
situation in Honduras, where the March 3 assassination of environmental 
activist Berta Caceres remains under investigation. I also mentioned 
the brutal killing last week of Lesbia Janeth Urquia. In that 
statement, I said that Ms. Urquia was a member of the organization 
COPINH, which stands for the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous 
Organizations of Honduras. According to information I received today, 
she was not a member of COPINH. However, it is my understanding that 
she had been active with other supporters of COPINH in opposing the 
construction of a hydroelectric project along the Chinacla River.
  Whether Ms. Urquia's environmental activism was related to her death 
is a question that remains unresolved. Three suspects in the case were 
arrested in the past 24 hours, one of whom is reportedly her brother-
in-law. According to press reports, the murder of Ms. Urquia may have 
been the result of a family dispute over inheritance, but the 
investigation is only in an early stage.
  This case reminds us, again, of the unacceptable amount of violence 
in Honduras and the history of impunity in that country. This is a 
pervasive problem in each of the Northern Triangle countries, as well 
as Mexico. Homicides rarely result in conviction or punishment, unless 
there is international attention. Corruption is pervasive within the 
police and other public and private institutions. The courts are not as 
immune from political pressure as they should be. These are problems 
that will take years to effectively address, as they require, among 
other things, building professional, accountable police forces and 
ending the role of the military in civilian law enforcement, 
strengthening the Office of the Attorney General, and reinforcing the 
independence of the judiciary.
  It also requires strong support by governments of the rights of civil 
society and particularly journalists, human rights defenders, and 
social activists who peacefully protest government policies they 
disagree with. This support has been notably absent in the past, and it 
is fundamental to any democracy.
  The United States has a strong interest in helping Honduras and the 
other Central American countries address the culture of lawlessness 
that has engulfed them and in reversing the migration to the United 
States of desperate people fleeing violence. I welcome the assurances 
of top officials in those governments of the seriousness of their 
commitment to confront these challenges. I also know that what matters 
is performance.
  I supported the $750 million that Congress approved last year to 
implement the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America and look 
forward to receiving the multiyear spend plan required by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, spelling out with sufficient 
detail and clarity the administration's plans for using those funds.

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