It's been nearly seven years since the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) found the State of Honduras responsible for violating the legitimate land rights of the Garífuna communities of Triunfo de la Cruz and Punta Piedra. Indigenous rights defenders have publicly denounced that since the ruling, the systematic and violent dispossession of their communities has only intensified.

 

In 2019, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH) reported the death of 16 Garífuna leaders, including six women. The following year, four Garífuna men from Triunfo de la Cruz, including community leader Alberth Sneider Centeno, were abducted at gunpoint by men wearing the uniforms of the U.S.-trained Police Directorate of Investigations (DPI). They have not been seen since and SUNLA, the independent investigative commission representing the affected families, has been excluded from the State's investigation into the forcible disappearances.

 

In March, U.S. Representative Cori Bush along with a number of other Congresspeople traveled to Honduras where they met with Garífuna leaders and community members. In an important act of solidarity, Rep. Bush with support from Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning the violent and illegal appropriation of Garífuna territory and calling on the State of Honduras, the State Department, and multilateral development banks to fully comply with the IACHR rulings.