Honduras : Stop the violence in Agúan – protect human rights defenders: No more trade with Corporación Dinant!

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are writing to you today to express our deep concern about the ongoing human rights violations associated with the palm oil production of Corporación DINANT in Honduras. At the same time, we call on you to take action.

The expansion and operation of DINANT's oil palm plantations in the Agúan Valley has always been accompanied by serious human rights violations. For decades, there have been reports of land grabs, the targeted intimidation, persecution and murder of members of peasant and social organisations and the use of violence by security forces and irregular armed groups suspected of having close links to DINANT. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has repeatedly drawn attention to the serious abuses. In February 2022, the Xiomara Castro government pledged to investigate and resolve land conflicts in Agúan through a tripartite commission. However, this promise remains unfulfilled. Despite the warnings and international attention, the situation on the ground has not improved. On the contrary, violence and repression against smallholders and rural communities are on the rise. The conflict has been escalating massively again since December 2024. The violence is directed against those who are defending their land against DINANT's oil palm plantations:

● On 24 December 2024, the Los Camarones cooperative was forcibly evicted by heavily armed criminal groups. Since then, 160 families of the Camarones cooperative have found themselves in an extremely precarious humanitarian situation.

● On 2 January 2025, Arnulfo Díaz, a member of the Brisas del Aguán cooperative, was murdered.

● Since 27 January, the Tranvío and El Chile cooperatives have been the subject of further intimidation and attempts of forced evictions. On that day, armed groups attacked both cooperatives, injuring one member and kidnapping another, who was tortured but could be freed later by the police.

● On February 2nd 2025 José Luis Hernandez Lobo and his partner, Suyapa Guillén, were assassinated. Both were active members of the Gregorio Chávez Cooperative and leaders of the campesino movement.

● For weeks, a defamation and criminalisation campaign has been intensifying in the media and social networks against the smallholders' and human rights organisations Plataforma Agraria and Coordinadora de Organizaciones Populares del Aguán (COPA). Leaders of the organisations are in acute danger.

As a company, you share responsibility for ensuring that your supply chains are free from human rights violations and environmental degradation.

We call on you to end all direct and indirect business relationships with Corporación DINANT until violence and intimidation cease and the land rights of local cooperatives are respected by the company.

With the suspension, you are sending a strong signal in favour of the protection of human rights and the promotion of sustainable and ethical business practices.

Yours sincerely,

Christliche Initiative Romero e.V., Ökumenisches Büro für Frieden und Gerechtigkeit e.V. Forschungs- und Dokumentationszentrum Chile-Lateinamerika e.V., Plataforma Agraria, Asociația Mai Bine, Interessengemeinschaft Nachbau, Biofuelwatch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), BRF, Jugend im Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUNDjugend) e.V., CADEHO, Naturfreunde Deutschland, CAFOD, Netzwerk Solidarische Landwirtschaft, Asociatia Clujul Sustenabil, Nicaragua-Forum Heidelberg, CNCD-11.11.11, Pax Christi International, Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V., Peace Watch Switzerland (PWS), Earthcare Witness - Quäker:innen für Klimagerechtigkeit, Rettet den Regenwald e.V., Focus Association for Sustainable Development, Rights Action, France Amérique Latine, ROBIN WOOD e.V., Global Justice Ecology Project, Solidar Suisse, Honduras Forum Schweiz, Südwind Verein für Entwicklungspolitik und globale Gerechtigkeit, Hondurasdelegation, World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), Infogruppe Lateinamerika