In Los Limones, Honduras there are 74 Peasant families, members of the Tierra Nusetra Peasant movement, who are currently faced with an imminent forced removal from their homes. Since 2005, Tela Railroad Company (A subsidiary of Chiquita) has wanted to remove the families so they can plant Afican Palms.

Tierra Nusetra has so far resisted the forced removal — suffering all kinds of intimidation, violence, and murders by the private security forces hired by the company.

From fian.org – The “Los Limones” community has been living since 1951 on the land – 21 hectares situated in the confines of the banana growing farms of the Tela Railroad Company. The members of the community have lived there all their lives, as they have been workers of the banana company or are descendents of persons employed by the company. Some of them received the houses as part of their working contract. The peasant movement at present comprises 74 families, i.e. 178 persons, amongst them 45 girls and boys.

In 2005, the Tela Railroad Company wanted to transfer them to other lands , because it wanted to plant African palm trees. Some of the inhabitants accepted the offer, the other part did not agree with the conditions of the proposal, because the company did not want to accept the conditions for the removal which they proposed. Since that date the peasants have been victims of different forms of violence and intimidation:

According to testimonies of the peasants, in 2005 the security agents of the company destroyed with tractors the houses of the peasants and the fruit trees. In August 2005, the water and electricity supply was cut off. At present, they have one water tube which scarcely supplies the whole community, the electricity has not been connected again until now. They reported, that in one night of February 2006, 15 guardsmen and 30 helpers destroyed the social center of the community. Three days later, they were able to impede the destruction of the school with the pacific resistance of the whole community. In November of 2006, the peasants were prevented from taking their fruits to the market. Lately, 17 members of the peasant groups have been accused of illegal seizure of land, even though they have been living for years in the very same place.(source)

FIAN currently has an ongoing letter campaign calling upon the Government of Honduras to investigate the acts of violence and to protect the peasant families… Please take a moment to sign the letter