Jose Angel Flores, president of Honduras' Movimiento Unificado Campesino, or Unified Farmer Movement, a farmers' rights group, was shot dead Tuesday night along with fellow activist Silmer Dionisio George. The killings were condemned by Amnesty International, the United States and the European Union. Photo courtesy of Movimiento Unificado Campesino
TOCOA , Honduras, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Amnesty International, the United States and the European Union on Wednesday condemned the killings of Honduran environmental activists Jose Angel Flores and Silmer Dionisio George, who were shot dead by hooded gunmen on Tuesday.
Flores, 64, was president of the Movimiento Unificado Campesino, Unified Farmer Movement in Spanish, a farmers' rights group that fights for land it says was fraudulently taken from local farmers and given to international corporations.
He and George, another community leader, were shot dead by hooded men armed with rifles in the northern city of Tocoa following a meeting. They both had previously been threatened.
"Honduras has turned into a 'no-go zone' for anyone daring to campaign for the protection of the environment," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International's Americas director, said in a statement. "How many more activists have to be brutally murdered before the authorities take effective action to protect them, or even be willing to talk about this crisis?"
Worldwide killings of land and environmental activists increased by 20 percent from 2013 to 2014, mostly in Central and South America. Honduras is the most dangerous country for activists per capita, with 101 deaths between 2010 and 2014.
"Authorities in Honduras must take immediate action to effectively protect those who work to promote and defend the basic human rights of all in the country," Guevara-Rosas added.
James Nealon, U.S. ambassador to Honduras, said the United States "calls for a prompt and thorough investigation and for the full force of the law to be brought to bear against those found responsible."
The European Union's delegation to Honduras also condemned the killings through a statement released on Facebook.
"Again Honduras is shaken by the violent death of human rights defenders," the delegation said in a statement. "We hope that national authorities act firmly to clarify what has happened and bring to justice the perpetrators and those responsible for this crime, as well as other pending cases."
