By Thelma Mejía
TEGUCIGALPA, Jan 6 2000 (IPS)

Local rights groups accused the Honduran government Thursday of financing death squads to kill supposed gang-members.

Andrés Pavón, president of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH), said his group had evidence that death squads were operating along the Atlantic coast and in central Honduras, and that they were being financed by businessmen “obsessed with eliminating alleged criminals.”

“We have proof, and we know that many of these operations are planned at a very high level of government,” said Pavón. He added, however, that “we are waiting for the right time to identify those responsible for actions that are reviving the climate of terror and citizen insecurity of the 1980s.”

A 1994 report by the governmental Human Rights Commission acknowledged that 183 people had become the victims of forced disappearance for political and ideological reasons in the mid- 1980s by death squads largely made up of “off-duty” members of the armed forces.

While Central America’s civil wars have become a thing of the past, crime has been soaring in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, where vigilante justice and “social purging” by paramilitary groups have been denounced.

The rights activists said sources close to the Office of Criminal Investigation warned that the life of the director of that police division, Wilfredo Alvarado, was in danger “because he has detailed information on the manner in which these death squads operate.”

“We fear for the life of Alvarado, an honourable man who has demonstrated his interest in fighting delinquency and organised crime, but who has apparently discovered that behind the death squads are people linked to the government and businessmen with economic clout and power,” he added.

Pavón, who three months ago began to insist that paramilitary groups were being organised from the house of government, said crime had practically taken over the country, and “the groups in power have organised themselves in small mafias to defend themselves and attack each other.”

The activist said he had identity cards that proved that many people with links to the death squads had obtained identification from one of the offices in the seat of government itself.

“When the time is right, we will present this evidence,” he added.

Bertha Oliva, coordinator of the Committee of Families of the Detained-Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH), said Thursday that Pavón’s claims were not “as far-fetched as they seem.” She added that “we also have evidence that the government is apparently behind the creation of irregular [armed] groups.”

She pointed out that seven months ago, COFADEH denounced that a group carrying out electronic surveillance of community organisations, reporters, human rights activists, politicians and members of the business community worked out of the seat of government.

President Carlos Flores, however, refuted the charges, and said the doors of the seat of government were open to any investigation.

Reports in the possession of human rights groups indicate that the office carrying out the wire-tapping was being assisted by military advisers from another Latin American nation. It has not yet been revealed which country, however.

Oliva told IPS that the death squads not only had orders to kill alleged criminals, but also had the mission of “terrorising and even attacking people who do not agree with, or who question, the current style of government.”

She reported that COFADEH had sent at least three messages to the Minister of Security, Elizabeth Chiuz, providing information on the supposed operations of such groups and denouncing the participation of police and military agents.

“We have documented at least six cases of police agents involved in murders of gang-members, charges have been filed in the courts, and arrest warrants issued, but the Ministry of Security has done nothing,” said Oliva.

“Instead of bringing the agents to court, it covers for them and transfers them to other regions, even though warrants for their arrest have been issued. We are returning to the worst levels of impunity regarding human rights” seen in the past few decades, she warned.

But the Minister of the Presidency, Gustavo Alfaro, denied the allegations of the rights groups, which he described as “irresponsible” and “out of step” with the democratic process underway in Honduras.

The post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces was eliminated about a year ago, and its powers transferred to a civilian authority.

Referring to that and other reforms approved in late 1998, Attorney-General Edmundo Orellana said at that time that “Hondurans are used to knocking on the doors of the barracks to resolve our problems. That is finished, which is good for democracy.”

According to Alfaro, “the government will never repress anyone. On the contrary, it is respectful of human rights. But we will investigate these reports in order to demonstrate that they are unfounded rumours.”

Since it took office nearly two years ago, the Flores administration has drawn fire from human rights activists and opposition politicians for being intolerant of criticism and exercising tight control over a large part of the press, through payments and favours.

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