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A younger
Randy Jorgensen in 1993. |
Randy
Jorgensen and friends:
How the Canadian mafia steals Garifuna lands, 8/2017
Randy Jorgensen,
according to a review article in the
Toronto Star, has been known as "the
Canadian Porn King" since 1993 when he was so named by McLean's Magazine.
Starting in 2007,
he joined a long line of white supremacists seizing lands from indigenous people, acquiring
Garifuna ancestral lands in Honduras through bribes, threats, and outright theft. A
chronology of the major events can be found in
El canadiense: Una cronología de usurpación de tierras Garífunas por Randy
Jorgensen 12/13/2015 Criterio.
OFRANEH is the lead organizer against
his depredations and has provided consistent and principaled strategies
throughout this long process.
Jorgensen's friends
and allies include Canadian Patrick Forseth of Carivida Villas
(died 5/2019 in a plane crash) and
Honduranean Ramon Lobo, whose brother, Porfirio, was president from 2010
to 2014. Jorgensen, Forseth, and another Canadian, David Browne, who left
Honduras after being shot at, worked on related projects. Jorgensen and
Browne have been independently accused of pedophelia and pimping underaged girls of color.
Honduras is well known as a
haven for sex tourists and has repeatedly
failed to enact laws to protect minors, likely in order to defend this revenue
stream. Indeed, the coup mongering Cardinal
Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa is on the "dirty dozen" list of
pro-pedophile cardinals.
"Jorgensen and his
father, Roy Jorgensen, fought charges of "proxenetismo de menores" or
prostitution of minors, all the way to the Honduran Supreme Court.
There are concerns of corruption related to how the charges were
ultimately dropped." --
Randy Jorgensen, the Canadian “Porn King”, To Appear in Honduran Courts for
Illegal Possession of Garifuna Lands for Tourist Projects 10/23/2015 Aqui
Abajo
Ramon Lobo has a
sinister reputation and his nephew Fabio was actually deported to the US
for drug trafficking in 2015 and convicted in 2016, a rare event for the Honduran elites who
usually operate with impunity:
"Fabio Lobo,
the son of former Honduran President Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, was
arrested in May of this year by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency on
drug trafficking charges in connection to the drug cartel operating in the
Trujillo area, known as “Los Cachiros.” Lobo was extradited to stand trial
in the U.S."
Fabio's trial included testimony directly
implicating President Lobo in narcotics trafficking.
The use of infrastructure projects to launder drug
money is not unknown in Honduras, where the very white elites are awash in
narcotraficking profits
as, according to the US State
Department, 80% of the drugs entering US southern borders
pass through what is essentially a narco state.
If Jorgensen received any investments from Honduran sources, we might
question the actual provenance.
The lands these
people are seizing appear to have unexploited mineral riches:
"Apparently
Ramón Lobo sold him [Jorgensen] two non-metallic mining concessions for
the exploitation of iron oxide. One of them, denominated
Montecristo, registered in the name of Vision of Life, is within the
title of the community of Crystals and Black River, and has an extension
of 600 hectares." -- El rey del Porno, la usurpación del territorio Garífuna de Trujillo y la
inaplicabilidad de la ley en Honduras.& 5/19/2017 El Pulso
And this about Jorgensen's funding sources, Canadian mining
interests:
"The
Porno King has received a huge amount of support from Mr. Ramón Lobo Soso,
the brother of President Porfirio Lobo, which has allowed him to cut
through any red tape and avoid the opposition mounted by Garífuna
communities against the pressure upon them and dispossession of their
lands. On June 21 of this year, Jorgenson received a ‘special
award’
from Lobo during a ministerial cabinet session in Trujillo.
The Canadian
received financing from the
Canadian Shield Fund,
the controversial mining company
Barrick Gold,
and the company Canadian Oil and Gas, which provided funds to
Life Vision Properties,
the company under which the Porno King hides his name."
--
Honduras: Garifuna Communities Take Legal Action Against Canada's 'Porn
King' 1/11/2012 Intercontinental Cry
Another funding source is said by a knowledgeable person to be José
María Aznar, the former right wing president of Spain who is bent on
recreating the Spanish imperial realm.
In a related development in March, 2017, the Garifuna
mayor of Santa Fe, Noel Ruiz, once a popular
agronomist, took the side of Forseth and Jorgensen and threatened Garifuna
leaders with death if they continued to oppose his pet money making
projects. The typical pattern in Honduras is for a mayor to be allied with
gangsters and, working through the police, send gangsters to assassinate
inconvenient people. The gangsters are being squeezed by their police
masters, so their heart is not always in it.
OFRANEH has had some successes in this struggle,
but the Canadian gang is fighting back and, with their allies in the
Honduran government, they are trying to criminalize the OFRANEH
leadership and anyone who looks like they want to thwart their ambitions. Such
criminalization efforts are very familiar to anyone who has studies
the history of white supremacy in the Americas.
We have a message for the Canadians Randy
Jorgensen, Patrick Forseth and their cohorts: if you succeed in
locking up the Garifuna leadership, there are plenty of others to
pick up the torch, you will be defending yourselves from legal
problems for the rest of your lives.
- Mike Pérez, 8/2017
Communities affected:
Guadalupe, Colón
Santa Fe, Trujillo Bay, Colón
Trujillo:
Cristales, Río Negro, Colón *
Puerto Castilla, Colón
|
Patrick Forseth did on May 2019:
Canadian pilot Patrick Forseth killed in Honduras plane crash: B.C. sister 5/20/2019 Vancouver
Sun. Prior to this he was a predator of the Garifuna people/
Patrick liked to come on as an
honest businessman, an experienced pilot. He however associated with thugs and gangsters such as
Luis Enrique Garcia aka "Negrito," his confidant and informant. Since Enrique is
based out of Sambo Creek, this leads us to wonder what Patrick planned to do
there. I have sources who tell me Forseth has been distributing
crack among the Garinagu he defrauded in Santa Fe, that sort of business is one
of Enrique's specialties.
Forseth's resume lists:
Carivida Resorts, the company that is developing stolen
Garifuna lands.
business-humanrights.org/en/carivida
General Manager
Trujillo, Honduras www.carivida.com
Aeos Airlines
Pilot, General Manager
Trujillo, Honduras
West Wind Aviation
Airline Pilot
"West Wind Aviation is proud to be First Nations and Employee-owned. Athabasca
Basin Development, who represents the seven communities in the Athabasca Basin,
is the majority shareholder with 65% of the organization. The Prince Albert
Development Corporation has held 22% of the organization since 2002." --
www.westwindaviation.ca/about-us/
"Athabasca Basin Development is owned by the seven
communities in the Athabasca area. The company was established to maximize local
community participation in the opportunities in the mining industry...
The region is also the home of seven communities. These communities are
largely Dene First Nations communities and include Fond du Lac, Stony Rapids,
Black Lake, Hatchet Lake, Wollaston Lake, Camsell Portage and Uranium City."
--
athabascabasin.ca/about-us/ownership/
West Wind Aviation can be contacted at:
information@westwindaviation.ca.
As West Wind does not appear to fly to Honduras, it is not clear if Forseth
still works there.
3A Hangar Road
John G. Diefenbaker Airport
Saskatoon SK S7L 5X4
Phone: 306.652.9121
Toll Free: 1.866.636.9121
Fax: 306.244.8602
Articles on/Articulos sobre Forseth
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (I) 9/4/2019 Paso de animal
grande: “Los garífunas no son un pueblo originario”, dijo el Estado en un
juicio."
Canadian pilot Patrick Forseth killed in Honduras plane crash: B.C. sister 5/20/2019 Vancouver
Sun: "Jenna Forseth said her brother was “well-loved” in the area, saying “the
whole town is in mourning.” It remains unclear if Patrick was flying the plane
at the time of the crash or if he was a passenger, as local reports have said
another pilot was on board as well… The U.S. State Department also confirmed the
deaths of four American citizens."
Urgent Action: ‘Canadian tourism mafia’ file trumped up charges against Garifuna
leader Miriam Miranda in Honduras’ corrupted legal system 11/17/2017 Rights
Action: "A member of the ‘Canadian tourism mafia’ along Honduras’ north coast,
that includes Patrick Forseth and Randy “the porn king” Jorgensen, filed trumped
up charges against indigenous Garifuna leader Miriam Miranda and three other
women, in Honduras’ corrupted legal system. The four must go to court, November
24, to respond to these “charges”. They potentially face up to 2-3 years in
jail, and now must spend time and resources (of the few they have) to defend
themselves from these manipulative charges."
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (II) 10/27/2017 UNE
TV: "También, el MP ha presentado una acción penal contra el señor Jorgensen,
tiene auto de prisión, una de estas es la prohibición de salir del país, dijo la
abogada y periodísta Cálix. El MP investiga a Jorgensen porque supuestamente se
apropió de una cantidad superior de terreno a la que se había acordado con
miembros de la comunidad. Aunque hayan sido territorios vendidos por miembros de
la comunidad garífuna, lo que el MP ha establecido en forma clara es que ese es
un territorio ancestral altamente tutelado por tratado y convenciones
internacionales, declaró la portavoz. Guillén Mejía contó que durante una
asamblea comunitaria, Forseth llegó violentando todas sus ceremonias de reunión
con prepotencia y actitud de superioridad, como si fueran una raza superior. Ese
día el mensaje era ¿Que por qué no queremos el desarrollo? Queriéndo imponer su
visión de desarrollo por encima de la cosmovisión garífuna."
OFRANEH members denounced for defamation by Canadian tourism investors Patrick
Daniel Forseth (Carivida Villas) and Randy Jorgensen (Life Vision Developments) 10/2/2017 Rights
Action: "The proliferation of tourism and holiday-residential projects near
Trujillo Bay on the Honduran Atlantic Coast, is causing high levels of tension
between tourism entrepreneurs, mostly Canadian, and sectors of the Garifuna
communities in the area who denounce the pillage of community lands and the
increasing criminalization of social protest and the defense of territories."
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (III) 9/19/2017 Kaos en la
Red: "«Los canadienses y los garífunas no somos iguales ante la ley, aquí la ley
cobija a los que tienen más por dinero, raza y por la condición económica»,
indicó. Por ejemplo, «la orden de captura contra Randy Jorgensen estuvieron un
año y medio para que se pudiera presentar sabiendo la policía donde estaba y más
bien la policía lo cuidaba y nosotros librase la orden de captura y el mismo día
vinieron»."
Persecución contra la OFRANEH instigada por mafia Canadiense y CONATEL 9/5/2017 Ofraneh: "El
día de hoy aproximadamente a las 12:30 del mediodía se apersonaron a nuestras
oficinas ubicadas en la comunidad de Sambo Creek, para requerirme supuestamente
por una denuncia contra mi persona, 2 miembros de la DPI, uno de ellos portando
un arma automática. Aparentemente existe una persecución judicial en contra mi
persona, que todo indica ha sido por las denuncias interpuestas por Patrick
Forseth, Randy Jorgensen y CONATEL, creando el pretexto para que se me persiga."
Tourism company Carivida files defamation lawsuits against Garifuna leaders
defending ancestral land 8/29/2017 Business Human Rights: "The tourism &
hospitality company, Carivida, filed defamation lawsuits against 4 Garifuna
leaders part of the Fraternal Garifuna, Black Organization of Honduras, OFRANEH.
For years, the Garifuna communities have been defending their ancestral land
rights from tourism companies. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre invited
Carivida to respond; the response is available here."
Canadian tourism operator (Patrick Forseth of Carivida Villas) using corrupt
Honduran legal system to “criminalize” Miriam Miranda and Indigenous Garifuna
people on their lands 8/9/2017 Business Human Rights: "Once again, the
Honduran criminal law system is being used against community defenders, with
complaints of defamation and slander lodged against the Indigenous Garifuna
community defenders Miriam Miranda (coordinator of the Fraternal Garifuna, Black
Organization of Honduras, OFRANEH), and Madeline Martina David, Neny Heidy Ávila
and Lety Hernández from the Guadalupe Community in Trujillo, Colón, Honduras."
Honduras: racismo, aplicación de justicia y persecución a Garífunas. 8/8/2017 OFRANEH: "La
actitud de los funcionarios públicos en el país hacia los Garífunas está marcada
por el desprecio. Basta recordar las palabras proferidas por el diputado Miguel
Angel Gamez, a finales de marzo de 2006, cundo manifestó abiertamente “a mi me
caen mal los negros”. Gámez preside en la actualidad la Alianza Publico
Privadas”, ente encargado de las Zonas de Empleo Desarrollo Económico (ZEDE)
conocidas también como las “ciudades modelo”, las que abarcan en su última
versión mas de 20 comunidades Garífunas."
Letter to Sr. Juan Orlando Hernández, President of Honduras 5/25/2017 Inter
Religious Task Force: "We are seriously concerned about the arrest, detention
and travel ban of César Geovanni Bernardez, director of the Black Fraternal
Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH). Since 1978, OFRANEH has worked for the
promotion of the Afro-Caribbean Garífuna people's right to self-determination
through programs that support their political, social, economic and cultural
advancement. Their traditional lands have been plundered through fraudulent and
corrupt processes involving state agents and notary offices. The land is being
falsely registered in the name of people other than the real owners and
subsequently sold to foreign businesses who want to establish tourism projects
in the region. OFRANEH is currently in a legal battle to secure the right of the
Garífuna communities to maintain their lands."
Defensor territorial Garífuna detenido por usurpación de su territorio ancestral 5/19/2017 OFRANEH: "Esta
tarde fue detenido el dirigente comunitario y miembro de la Coordinación General
de la OFRANEH, el compañero César Geovany Bernardez acusado de usurpar un
terreno que se encuentra dentro del título comunitario otorgado a la comunidad
de Guadalupe. El canadiense Patrick Forseth demandó a miembros de la comunidad
Garífuna aduciendo la propiedad sobre un terreno que forma parte del patrimonio
colectivo de la comunidad de Guadalupe."
One land defender's story of repression, criminalization and arrest: Young
Garifuna woman arrested for reclaiming ancestral land 2/8/2017 Aqui
Abajo: "On November 11, 2016, Garifuna leader Medalime David Fernandez was
arrested and tortured by Honduran police and soldiers from the U.S.-trained navy
based in Puerto Castilla. The arrest occurred in the community of Guadalupe, one
of six Garifuna communities in northern Honduras in the Trujillo Bay region. At
the time, Medalime was being charged with illegal possession of land
(usurpation) by Canadian tourist company CARIVIDA. After Medalime was violently
detained, the charges were dropped shortly after in a judicial process supported
by the Garifuna organization, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras
(OFRANEH)… The lands where CARIVIDA hopes to build a resort and villas, was
purchased in 2013 by the company’s general manager, Canadian citizen Patrick
Daniel Forseth. The lands are located in Guadalupe, the most western Garifuna
community on the bay. Guadalupe is located in the municipality of Santa Fe in
the department of Colon."
Noel Ruiz, gangster mayor of
Santa Fe
May 2017 Honduras coup update 6/4/2017 Honduras Sunday: "On 18.5.17 in the
afternoon, a community leader and member of general coordination of Ofraneh
(Honduran Black Fraternal Organisation) as well as a Garifuna correspondent for
Radio Progreso, Cesar Geovany Bernardez,
after leaving an Ofraneh directive committee meeting, was arrested accused of
usurping a land. The land he is accused of usurping is ancestral collective Garifuna
land for which there was an illegal sale to the Canadian company Carivida
(represented by Patrick Forseth) by the Santa Fe municipality council in 2013. In these times, an
ecotourism project managed by Garifuna women of the
Guadalupe community was establishing, but which had trouble establishing itself
because of a wave of violence then by a group of fugitives who established
themselves nearby and committed a series of killings. In 2012 when Ofraneh heard
rumours of land sales, Ofraneh sent a statement to the Santa Fe council requesting that any
admin processes for such sales be stopped - this was ignored. The Garifuna
people have since 2008 placed charges against the Santa Fe council and in 2013
against mayor Noel Ruiz for sponsoring illegal sales of land to
"involved
canadians", prosecutors never followed up on these charges, but they are
prosecuting Cesar Geovany Bernardez, who has been a major voice against the
installation of Carivida's tourism project on their Garifuna community land.
And, the community was of course never consulted about supposed development
plans."
Detienen a corresponsal de Radio Progreso 5/19/2017 C LIBRE: "Según la
OFRANEH, el pueblo Grífuna ha venido presentando denuncias desde el año 2008 en
contra de la Corporación Municipal de Santa Fe y en el año 2013 en contra del
alcalde Noel Ruiz “por auspiciar ventas ilegales tierra a canadienses
involucrados”."
Criminalizan a dirigente Garífuna de OFRANEH acusandolo de usurpación de tierras 5/19/2017 Hola
Roatan: "OFRANEH denunció en 2013 a Noel Ruiz Alcalde Santa Fe, Colon por
auspiciar ventas ilegales tierra a canadienses involucrados mafia rey Porno"
Amenazas proferidas por Noel Ruiz, Alcalde de Santa Fe, Colon, contra dirigente
Garífunas 5/19/2017 OFRANEH: "Amenazas proferidas por Noel Ruiz, Alcalde de
Santa Fe, Colon, contra dirigente Garífunas"
“Rey del Porno” logra orden de captura contra otro dirigente garífuna 11/15/2016 Criterio,
HN: "Apuntó que lastimosamente la alcaldía de Santa Fe está jugando un triste
papel porque entrega documentos “leoninos” a favor de los extranjeros y en
detrimento de los nativos de la comunidad. En ese orden denunció que el alcalde,
Noel Ruiz, tiene intereses de proteger a los canadienses porque hace negocios
con ellos mediante la venta de materiales de construcción a través de una
empresa de su propiedad. Es así como “él está más a favor de los canadienses que
de su propio pueblo”, cuestionó."
Pedophile victims group slams so-called ‘dirty dozen’ cardinals — including
Timothy Cardinal Dolan — who they claim covered up sex abuse 3/6/2016 NY
Daily News: Oscar Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiagia from Honduras is on the list.
THE SEX TOURISM INDUSTRY SPREADS TO COSTA RICA AND HONDURAS: ARE THESE COUNTRIES
DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION 6/1/2014 Digital
Commons: "Child advocacy organizations blame the government's failure to enact
adequate legislation on the fact that sex tourists are bringing a huge source of
revenue into the impbverished country.' Further, one should note that Honduran
officials who pass strict legislation in response to the growth of this industry
face the likelihood of being run out of office by those who profit from the
industry."
Catholic Church Accused of Covering Up Pedophilia: Blame the Jews 6/5/2010 Huff
Post: "That man is Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Meridiaga, who is the
archbishop of Honduras. Cardinal Rodriguez who was in the running for Pope
Benedict’s job and who remains a leading candidate to replace him, is an overt
anti-Semite and is not ashamed of it. For years, he has been telling anyone who
is willing to listen that “the Jews” are to blame for the scandal surrounding
the sexual misconduct of priests toward young parishioners!"
Cardinal blasts US media for sex coverage 6/8/2002 UPI: "In the advance
copy obtained by United Press International, Rodriguez Maradiaga specifically
mentioned Ted Turner, the media tycoon who founded CNN, and the New York Times,
the Washington Post and the Boston Globe as being unfairly aggressive in their
coverage of the scandals."
Canadian Oil & Mining Interests in
Honduras
Canada Has Second-Worst Mining Record in World: UN 10/27/2017 Desmog
Canada: "Canada has more mine tailings spills than most other countries in the
world, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), which urges governments and the mining industry to improve safety,
accountability and oversight. During the last decade there have been seven known
mine tailings spills in Canada, only one less than reported in China, which tops
the list, says the report."
Aura Minerals (Canadian company) digging up cadavers in Honduras, to get at more
gold - Update 9/7/2017 Rights Action: "On September 5, 2017, Toronto-based
Aura Minerals – supported by the Canadian government, Honduran government and
military – began digging up the first of hundreds of cadavers, to entirely empty
out this most sacred of places."
Hudbay lawsuits in Canada: Timeline & summary of key issues 4/1/2017 RightsAction: scroll
down - "Mining repression and impunity in Guatemala: Killers go free, Victims
are accused"
Canada’s Controversial Engagement in Honduras 8/11/2014 Honduras - Country
in Pain: "Since Hurricane Mitch struck Honduras in 1998, Canada has cast an
increasingly long shadow over the small Central American country’s economy and
policy; a presence that has grown stronger since Honduras’ controversial 2009
coup. The self-proclaimed peacekeepers have since built a stronghold over
Honduras via investment in industries and support for the illegitimate
government created in the wake of the coup. Canada’s relationship with Honduras
is emblematic of its shifting position within the international community, as an
imperial presence, establishing and expanding industries in the less developed
country at the expense of local citizens and the environment."
Canadian Aid, Honduran Oil 3/12/2014 Media Coop: "The Canadian Department
of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) has been financing technical
assistance to the hydrocarbon sector in Honduras as part of a $9.5-million
Sustainable Energy Access project managed by the Latin American Energy
Organization (OLADE). During the first part of the five-year (2012–2017) project
originally approved by the Canadian International Development Agency, OLADE
initiated a review of the regulatory framework in Honduras and examined the oil
and gas potential in the country."
Canada backs profits, not human rights, in Honduras 8/16/2011 Toronto
Star: by Todd Gordon - "Canada is one of the largest foreign investor nations in
the country, with over $600 million in investment, according to Ambassador
Cameron Mackay. Canadian companies play leading roles in mining, maquilas and
tourism, and are central actors in the recent announcement of plans for a
tourism-focused model city, the first such city announced. When I was in
Honduras in June, I spoke with activists organizing against Canadian companies
in all these industries. They spoke of being displaced from their land,
environmental destruction and exploitative working conditions. Some alleged they
had received death threats for their opposition to Canadian company practices."
Military Coups are Good
for Canadian Business, by Todd Gordon 3/1/2011 Quotha: by Todd Gordon -
"And now Canada is about to sign an agreement with Honduras, whose citizens
still live under the large and menacing shadow of the military coup against
left-of-centre president, Manuel Zelaya. Concluding a trade agreement with
Honduras is an important achievement for the Canadian state – payoff for the
strong support it has given the Honduran coup forces centred among the country's
political, military and economic leaders."
Imperialism and Resistance: Canadian mining companies in Latin America 12/3/2007 Third
World Quarterly: by Todd Gordon & Jeffery Weber - "The creation of new spaces of
accumulation is not an innocuous process; it inevitably involves the forceful
and violent reorganisation of peoples’ lives as they are subordinated to the
whims of capital. Strategies of accumulation by dispossession by capital
therefore commonly spawn popular resistance from the affected communities. The
Canadian mining industry is the largest in the world, and much of its outward
investment targets Latin America. The Canadian company share of the larger
company exploration market in Latin America (and the Caribbean) has grown
steadily since the early 1990s, up to 35% by 2004, the largest by far among all
its competitors, with seven Canadian companies among the top 20 mineral
exploration investors in the region from 1989 to 2001. This paper charts these
trends of Canadian mining expansion in Latin America and then focuses on the
community, environmental and worker resistance it is generating in the cases of
Chile and Colombia."
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (I) 9/4/2019 Paso de animal
grande: “Los garífunas no son un pueblo originario”, dijo el Estado en un
juicio."
Le exigen a JOH detener la represión contra los campesinos del Aguán 6/3/2019 Paso
de animal grande: La Plataforma Agraria, que aglutina a diversas organizaciones
campesinas del Bajo Aguán, le ha exigido al gobierno de Juan Orlando Hernández,
detener la represión que el ejército y la Policía Nacional, mantienen en la
Comunidad Guadalupe Carney, en Trujillo Colón."
La consulta previa y su secuestro ideológico a manos del Estado de Honduras 8/15/2018 Criterio: "Como
muestra de la ausencia de apego a la jurisprudencia sobre la Consulta y el deber
del estado de respeto dicho derecho, el Alcalde de la Ceiba, el Sr. Jerry Sabio,
convocó 6 de julio a un cabildo abierto para tomar la decisión sobre la
instalación de una planta termoeléctrica de 87 megavatios entre las comunidades
Garífunas de Corozal y Sambo Creek, a pesar que las comunidades comunidades
exigieron el CPLI. Miembros de las comunidades interpusieron la respectiva
denuncia ante la Fiscalía de las Etnias, sin embargo las maquinarias continúan
trabajando en la edificación de la termoeléctrica."
Last
Resort 8/7/2018 Pulitzer Center: "In 2016, Medalime David and several other
Garifuna began sleeping on the land to prevent Carivida from developing there.
David was gathering wood to cook dinner one afternoon in November when police
stormed the property and arrested her for land usurpation. A group of Garifuna
still maintains a near-continuous presence in provisional housing on the Wamua
land, with plans to build around 40 more permanent homes. Carivida has filed
charges against several of their leaders, including David, who faces defamation
and usurpation lawsuits, and is barred from leaving the country or visiting the
site. “I feel like a prisoner,” she says. But she is undeterred. “Any conflict,
we’ll be there with our drums and maracas, because guns we don’t have—just our
culture, our hearts, and our ancestral instruments.”"
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (II) 10/27/2017 UNE
TV: "También, el MP ha presentado una acción penal contra el señor Jorgensen,
tiene auto de prisión, una de estas es la prohibición de salir del país, dijo la
abogada y periodísta Cálix. El MP investiga a Jorgensen porque supuestamente se
apropió de una cantidad superior de terreno a la que se había acordado con
miembros de la comunidad. Aunque hayan sido territorios vendidos por miembros de
la comunidad garífuna, lo que el MP ha establecido en forma clara es que ese es
un territorio ancestral altamente tutelado por tratado y convenciones
internacionales, declaró la portavoz. Guillén Mejía contó que durante una
asamblea comunitaria, Forseth llegó violentando todas sus ceremonias de reunión
con prepotencia y actitud de superioridad, como si fueran una raza superior. Ese
día el mensaje era ¿Que por qué no queremos el desarrollo? Queriéndo imponer su
visión de desarrollo por encima de la cosmovisión garífuna."
“Little Canada” Honduras Neocolonists Denounce Garifuna Defenders 10/4/2017 Wilder
Utopia: "“The titles to these lands are ancestral titles,” said Carmen Álvarez
said to the Sierra Magazine in Trujillo across from the cruise ship terminal.
“The lands belong to us as Garifuna peoples. Sadly, we lost a lot of land, and
we are struggling to recuperate it. I was arrested in 2014 for fighting for this
land. Since we know they are our lands, we keep fighting. And we’ve recuperated
this land here. We won this battle. Last year, they came twice to try and kick
us off the land. . . . We didn’t let that happen.”"
OFRANEH members denounced for defamation by Canadian tourism investors Patrick
Daniel Forseth (Carivida Villas) and Randy Jorgensen (Life Vision Developments) 10/2/2017 Rights
Action: "The proliferation of tourism and holiday-residential projects near
Trujillo Bay on the Honduran Atlantic Coast, is causing high levels of tension
between tourism entrepreneurs, mostly Canadian, and sectors of the Garifuna
communities in the area who denounce the pillage of community lands and the
increasing criminalization of social protest and the defense of territories."
Apartheid garífuna en el caribe de Honduras (III) 9/19/2017 Kaos en la
Red: "«Los canadienses y los garífunas no somos iguales ante la ley, aquí la ley
cobija a los que tienen más por dinero, raza y por la condición económica»,
indicó. Por ejemplo, «la orden de captura contra Randy Jorgensen estuvieron un
año y medio para que se pudiera presentar sabiendo la policía donde estaba y más
bien la policía lo cuidaba y nosotros librase la orden de captura y el mismo día
vinieron»."
Persecución contra la OFRANEH instigada por mafia Canadiense y CONATEL 9/5/2017 Ofraneh: "El
día de hoy aproximadamente a las 12:30 del mediodía se apersonaron a nuestras
oficinas ubicadas en la comunidad de Sambo Creek, para requerirme supuestamente
por una denuncia contra mi persona, 2 miembros de la DPI, uno de ellos portando
un arma automática. Aparentemente existe una persecución judicial en contra mi
persona, que todo indica ha sido por las denuncias interpuestas por Patrick
Forseth, Randy Jorgensen y CONATEL, creando el pretexto para que se me persiga."
Canadian tourism operator (Patrick Forseth of Carivida Villas) using corrupt
Honduran legal system to “criminalize” Miriam Miranda and Indigenous Garifuna
people on their lands 8/9/2017 Rights Action: "Once again, the Honduran
criminal law system is being used against community defenders, with complaints
of defamation and slander lodged against the Indigenous Garifuna community
defenders Miriam Miranda (coordinator of the Fraternal Garifuna, Black
Organization of Honduras, OFRANEH), and Madeline Martina David, Neny Heidy Ávila
and Lety Hernández from the Guadalupe Community in Trujillo, Colón, Honduras.
Criminal complaint have been filed against each of them by the Canadian
businessman Patrick Daniel Forseth (Carivida Villas, www.carivida.com). "
Miriam Miranda, Dirigenta de OFRANEH y Tres Defensoras Garífunas Más Son
Querelladas Por Empresario Canadiense 8/6/2017 Rights Action: "Una vieja
estrategia del uso del derecho penal a través de las querellas de difamación y
calumnias se inició contra las defensoras garífunas Miriam Miranda, Coordinadora
de la Organización Fraternal Negra de Honduras, OFRANEH, Madeline Martina David,
Neny Heidy Ávila y Lety Hernández , estas últimas tres de la comunidad de
Guadalupe en Trujillo, Colón Honduras. Todas ellas han sido querelladas por el
empresario canadiense Patrick Daniel Forseth, en una acción judicial que se
venía promoviendo en el Tribunal de Sentencia de esa localidad desde mayo de
2017."
“They captured me for defending our collective rights.” 6/13/2017 Sierra: "In
recent years, under OFRANEH’s guidance, the Garifuna have been challenging the
land sales in court, arguing that the titles used to sell parcels of land were
falsified. At the same time, the Garifuna have engaged in direct action to
reclaim their lands. OFRANEH has helped organize land reoccupations during which
Garifuna families build adobe homes by hand and replant fields to re-establish
their claims to the land. These largely subsistence communities stand in sharp
contrast to the cruise-ship terminals, expensive hotels, and restaurants that
serve international tourists. The Garifuna’s struggle to secure their land
rights has led to repression. Garifuna communities are routinely subject to
police raids during which community members are sometimes arrested and charged
with trespassing. Often the police and other armed men act with violence;
OFRANEH members have been beaten and kidnapped. "
May
2017 Honduras coup update 6/4/2017 Honduras Sunday: "On 18.5.17 in the
afternoon, a community leader and member of general coordination of Ofraneh
(Honduran Black Fraternal Organisation) as well as a Garifuna correspondent for
Radio Progreso, Cesar Geovany Bernardez, after leaving an Ofraneh directive
committee meeting, was arrested accused of usurping a land. The land he is
accused of usurping is ancestral collective Garifuna land for which there was an
illegal sale to the Canadian company Carivida (represented by Patrick Forseth)
by the Santa Fe municipality council in 2013. In these times, an ecotourism
project managed by Garifuna women of the Guadalupe community was establishing,
but which had trouble establishing itself because of a wave of violence then by
a group of fugitives who established themselves nearby and committed a series of
killings. In 2012 when Ofraneh heard rumours of land sales, Ofraneh sent a
statement to the Santa Fe council requesting that any admin processes for such
sales be stopped - this was ignored. The Garifuna people have since 2008 placed
charges against the Santa Fe council and in 2013 against mayor Noel Ruiz for
sponsoring illegal sales of land to "involved canadians", prosecutors never
followed up on these charges, but they are prosecuting Cesar Geovany Bernardez,
who has been a major voice against the installation of Carivida's tourism
project on their Garifuna community land. And, the community was of course never
consulted about supposed development plans."
“Hay una mafia canadiense que se ha apoderado de nuestra tierra” 6/2/2017 Pasos
de Animal Grande: "César Geovany Bernárdez, miembro de la coordinación general
de la Organización Fraternal Negra de Honduras, Ofraneh, y corresponsal de Radio
Progreso, ha sido acusado por el canadiense Patrick Forseth, de usurpar un
terreno que se encuentra dentro del título de la comunidad de Guadalupe en Santa
Fe, Colón."
The New
(Canadian) Imperialism, in Honduras: Ideology, the News Media, Pedagogy and Pop
Culture 5/23/2017 The Bullet: "Canada prefers a government like the one
that took over after the coup, which cracked down on popular protest, lifted the
moratorium, and invited Canadian mining companies to help write the new mining
code. Not surprisingly, that new mining code didn't protect labour or the
environment, making it easier for Canadian companies to steal land, build mines
that poison the water supply, and take all those profits back to Bay Street
without paying taxes to support the Honduran state infrastructure."
Cesar Geovany Bernardez arrested 5/22/2017 Front Line Defenders: "On 19 May
2017, human rights defender, Cesar Geovany Bernardez, was transferred from La
Ceiba police station to Trujillo, where he appeared in court. Although the judge
ordered his release from detention, the human rights defender was placed under a
travel ban. Cesar Geovany Bernardez is the director of Organización Fraternal
Negra Hondureña – OFRANEH (Honduran Black Fraternity Organization). Since 1978,
the organisation has worked for the promotion of the Afro-Caribbean Garifuna
people's right to self-determination through programmes that support their
political, social, economic and cultural advancement."
El rey del Porno, la usurpación del territorio Garífuna de Trujillo y la
inaplicabilidad de la ley en Honduras. 5/19/2017 El Pulso: "Los múltiples
atropellos sufridos por el pueblo Garífuna en Honduras, forman parte de la
antología de despojos territoriales que afectan a los pueblos indígenas del
continente. En nombre de un supuesto desarrollo el saqueo se ha intensificado en
este milenio, al mismo tiempo que la aplicación de justicia se ha debilitado. En
el caso de la Bahía de Trujillo, el empresario canadiense Randy Jorgensen, se
apropió de los hábitats funcionales de las comunidades de Guadalupe, Santa Fe e
incluso de la misma ciudad de Trujillo; además de haber demolido parte de la
comunidad Garífuna de Río Negro, para lo cual contó con el apoyo irrestricto de
la municipalidad de Trujillo."
Honduras: Government-supported tourism pushes Garifuna maroons off their land of
200 years 12/30/2016 SF Bay View: "Well east of Triunfo, near Tela, the
Barra Vieja community is struggling to stay on the remainder of their land.
Community members told our “Root Causes of Migration” delegation that this would
be the third displacement for them as a people."
¿Justicia
en Honduras? Sobreseimiento a Medeline David y ratificación propiedad a mafia
canadiense 12/17/2016 OFRANEH: "En medio de la ofensiva territorial que se
viene contra los pueblos indígenas en Honduras, el Juzgado de Letras de la
ciudad de Trujillo, emitió un sobreseimiento definitivo a favor de Medalime
Martina David Fernández por el supuesto delito de usurpación, al mismo tiempo
que el Juez Fredy Cenen Caballero Nuñez acreditó legítima propiedad del terreno
comunitario a Sociedad Mercantil CARIVIDA, registrada a nombre del Sr. Patrick
Forseth, ciudadano canadiense ligado a Randy Jorgensen conocido como “el rey del
porno”."
El Rey del Porno Canadiense, Randy Jorgensen, amenaza con desalojar comunidad
Garífuna de Guadalupe de su territorio ancestral 12/13/2016 Pasos de Animal
Grande: "Una vez más las comunidades Garífunas en la Bahía de Trujillo se ven
acosados por extranjeros que aducen ser propietarios de terrenos comunitarios.
En este caso, en la comunidad de Guadalupe, Colón, un grupo de abogados,
acompañados de miembros de la Policía Nacional, acosaron a Garífunas que hacían
presencia en un terreno en el cual se encontraba construido un proyecto de
turismo comunitario, según una publicación de la Organización Fraternal Negra de
Honduras, OFRANEH difundida este 13 de octubre de 2016."
La mafia canadiense del rey porno y la persecución a garífunas en la bahía de
Trujillo en Honduras. 12/5/2016 África Fundación Sur: "La persecución
judicial en contra de Medeline David por parte de los canadiense asociados a
Randy Jorgensen, es consecuencia directa de la cuestionada Ley de Propiedad,
promovida por el Banco Mundial (BM) a través del Proyecto de Administración de
Tierras de Honduras (PATH), cuyo marco jurídico es la Ley de Propiedad (2004),
la que en su artículo 100, da luz verde para que lo patronatos rescindan de la
propiedad colectiva."
The Canadian porn king and the Caribbean paradise 11/20/2016 Toronto
Star: "Randy Jorgensen made a fortune in the last millennium, selling sex when
videotape was cutting-edge technology. He then reinvented himself as a land
developer and seller of snowbird fantasies. But his Canadian retirement dream
is, for indigenous people in Honduras, a nightmare."
“Rey del Porno” logra orden de captura contra otro dirigente garífuna 11/15/2016 Criterio,
HN: "Apuntó que lastimosamente la alcaldía de Santa Fe está jugando un triste
papel porque entrega documentos “leoninos” a favor de los extranjeros y en
detrimento de los nativos de la comunidad. En ese orden denunció que el alcalde,
Noel Ruiz, tiene intereses de proteger a los canadienses porque hace negocios
con ellos mediante la venta de materiales de construcción a través de una
empresa de su propiedad. Es así como “él está más a favor de los canadienses que
de su propio pueblo”, cuestionó."
Honduras: Inversiones turísticas que cercenan territorios y fagocitan derechos
ancestrales 11/13/2016 Alba Sud: "Este artículo se realiza en el marco del
proyecto "Turismo responsable, derechos humanos y trabajo decente" ejecutado por
Alba Sud con el apoyo del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona - Programa Barcelona
Solidaria convocatoria 2015."
OFRANEH 1/21/2016 YouTube: "The
Garifuna in Honduras are an indigenous people who have lived off the land for
over two centuries along the Caribbean coast. Since 2007 Garifuna communities
along the Trujillo region have been displaced from their ancestral lands through
illegal expropriation and repression in order to make way for mega tourism
projects. The Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH by its Spanish
acronym) has denounced Canadian investor, Randy Jorgensen’s two companies; Life
Vision Developments (gated community projects) and Banana Coast (owns cruise
ship terminal) tourism-related projects accused of illegal land purchases
belonging to Garífuna communities."
El canadiense: Una cronología de usurpación de tierras Garífunas por Randy
Jorgensen 12/13/2015 Criterio: "Defensores y líderes Garífunas que reclaman
las tierras comunitarias enfrentan amenazas y ataques. El 27 de noviembre del
2015, Vidal Leiva, presidente del Comité de Defensa de Tierra de Cristales y Río
Negro sufrió un atentado en el patio de su casa, recibiendo tres balazos.
Sobrevivió y se está recuperando de las graves heridas en su torso, pero otros
defensores de tierra en la zona han recibido amenazas."
Canadian
Porn King on Trial for Tourism Projects in Honduras 11/15/2015 Los
Despojados: "On November 13th, 2015, Canadian tourism developer Randy Jorgensen,
aka “The Porn King”, appeared in court on charges of illegally appropriating
ancestral Garifuna lands. The court ruled partially in Jorgensen’s favour,
choosing not to go to a full trial for the time being, but local communities
smell corruption and vow to appeal this ruling in Honduran courts and keep on
fighting all the way to international tribunals, meaning that Jorgensen’s and
others’ investments remain in legal limbo and could still be in jeopardy."
“Rey del Porno” canadiense comparece en audiencia acusado de usurpación del
territorio Garífuna 11/13/2015 OFRANEH: "Después de varios años de espera,
finalmente el canadiense Randy Jorgensen comparecerá el día de hoy ante el
Juzgado de Trujillo, sindicado de usurpar tierras pertenecientes a la comunidad
Garífuna de Cristales y Río negro en Trujillo"
The Canadian "Porn King”, Tourism and the Corrupted Administration of Justice in
Honduras 10/27/2015 Rights Action: "Lands of Garífuna communities of
Trujillo Bay, on the north coast of Honduras, have been seized by Canadian
investor Randy Jorgensen, known in Canada and in Honduras as the "Porn King.""
Randy Jorgensen, the Canadian “Porn King”, To Appear in Honduran Courts for
Illegal Possession of Garifuna Lands for Tourist Projects 10/23/2015 Aqui
Abajo: "It is likely that many, if not all of these tourism-related investments
are in serious risk, given that most, if not all recent tourism investment
projects, going back to before the 2009 military coup, and particularly since
the coup, are being constructed on Garifuna lands and territories that have been
illegally acquired, in one fashion or another. Garifuna community and human
rights defenders believe, and hope, that the usurpation charges against Randy
Jorgensen are only the first of many legal challenges to come."
Las ciudades modelo (ZEDE), el “Rey del Porno” y la manipulación de la
administración de justicia. 10/23/2015 OFRANEH: "El territorio de las
comunidades garífunas de la bahía de Trujillo ha venido siendo saqueado por el
empresario canadiense Randy Jorgensen, el que desde el año 2007 inició una serie
de compras ilegales de tierra, además de usurpar tierras pertenecientes a la
comunidad de Cristales y Río Negro. A pesar de haber sido notificada
oportunamente la Fiscalía de las Etnias, sobre las acciones al margen de la ley
emprendidas por el empresario canadiense conocido como el “Rey del Porno”, este
logró apoderarse de buena parte de la Cordillera Nombre de Dios y algunos
sectores de la playa de Santa fe y San Antonio. Posterior al golpe de estado,
con el apoyo de la Municipalidad de Trujillo, invocando la Ley de Expropiación
Forzosa (1913), se apropió de la comunidad de Río Negro, la que posteriormente
demolió para la construcción del fallido muelle conocido como el Banana Coast."
Son of former Honduras president Porfirio Lobo arrested by DEA in Haitian drug
bust 5/21/2015 NY Daily News: "The son of former Honduran President
Porfirio Lobo was arrested in Haiti in an apparent anti-drug operation carried
out by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Haitian authorities, the
ex-president and the Honduran government confirmed Thursday."
Canada’s Controversial Engagement in Honduras 8/11/2014 Honduras - Country
in Pain: "Since Hurricane Mitch struck Honduras in 1998, Canada has cast an
increasingly long shadow over the small Central American country’s economy and
policy; a presence that has grown stronger since Honduras’ controversial 2009
coup. The self-proclaimed peacekeepers have since built a stronghold over
Honduras via investment in industries and support for the illegitimate
government created in the wake of the coup. Canada’s relationship with Honduras
is emblematic of its shifting position within the international community, as an
imperial presence, establishing and expanding industries in the less developed
country at the expense of local citizens and the environment."
Randy
Jorgensen - Banana Coast 3/19/2014 Noticias de Cruceros: "Randy Jorgensen,
Director General de Grande Trujillo, autoridad administradora del puerto Banana
Coast (Honduras), entrevistado en el marco de la Cruise Shipping Miami."
Honduras: Mega-Tourism and Garifuna Communities Collide 12/29/2013 Wilder
Utopia: "Canadian “Porn King” Randy Jorgensen’s mega-tourism “development”
projects are stirring conflict and destroying Afro-Caribbean Garífuna
communities in Trujillo on the north coast of Honduras."
Indura
Beach & Golf Resort, un paraíso en Tela, Atlántida 11/12/2013 Canal 11
HN: "El sector privado, garífunas junto al gobierno inauguran el proyecto de
turismo Indura Beach & Golf Resort que abre operaciones en Febrero 2014, Hotel 5
Estrellas, Restaurantes, Canchas de Golf y las playas de arena blanca."
Honduras'
banana coast: ripe for development? 10/21/2013 The Real News
Network: "Garifuna communities and developers battle over mega-tourism projects"
Honduras: Garifuna Communities Take Legal Action Against Canada's 'Porn King' 1/11/2012 Intercontinental
Cry: by OFRANEH - "The Porno King has received a huge amount of support from Mr.
Ramón Lobo Soso, the brother of President Porfirio Lobo, which has allowed him
to cut through any red tape and avoid the opposition mounted by Garífuna
communities against the pressure upon them and dispossession of their lands. On
June 21 of this year, Jorgenson received a ‘special award’ from Lobo during a
ministerial cabinet session in Trujillo. The Canadian received financing from
the Canadian Shield Fund, the controversial mining company Barrick Gold, and the
company Canadian Oil and Gas, which provided funds to Life Vision Properties,
the company under which the Porno King hides his name."
Garifuna Communities of Trujillo Take Legal Action Against Canadian Porn King
OFRANEH: Garifuna Communities of Trujillo Take Legal Action Against Canadian
Porn King 12/15/2011 Friendship Office of the Americas: "On Monday,
December 13th, leaders from the communities of Cristales and Río Negro, part of
the Municipality of Trujillo, accompanied by OFRANEH, presented a lawsuit to
render null and void various fraudulent contracts for sales of community lands
held by Canadian Randy Roy Jorgensen."
Canada backs profits, not human rights, in Honduras 8/16/2011 Toronto
Star: by Todd Gordon - "Canada is one of the largest foreign investor nations in
the country, with over $600 million in investment, according to Ambassador
Cameron Mackay. Canadian companies play leading roles in mining, maquilas and
tourism, and are central actors in the recent announcement of plans for a
tourism-focused model city, the first such city announced. When I was in
Honduras in June, I spoke with activists organizing against Canadian companies
in all these industries. They spoke of being displaced from their land,
environmental destruction and exploitative working conditions. Some alleged they
had received death threats for their opposition to Canadian company practices."
Selling Snow Birds on Honduras 12/14/2010 The Tyee: ""I'd like to tell
everyone to come to Honduras and that it's a tranquil place and everything is
beautiful, but you think I'd be successful with that message?" asked deposed
tourism minister Ricardo Martínez, after showing footage of riots and repression
in Tegucigalpa during a presentation to the Central American Travel Market.
"Well, Central America is Central America," says Jorgensen, when asked about the
safety of travelling and living in Honduras. He says Trujillo is a small town,
and the "really bad guys" tend to stay away from the area."
ofraneh.wordpress.com/tag/patrick-forseth/
Groups fighting Canadian mining interests
www.facebook.com/unitedforminingjustice
rightsaction.org/
honduras2etc.wordpress.com/tag/randy-jorgensen-threatens-garifuna-communities/
Communities affected:
Guadalupe, Colón
Santa Fe, Trujillo Bay, Colón
Trujillo:
Cristales, Río Negro, Colón *
Puerto Castilla, Colón
Who to contact on this matter
Ambassador Michael Gort, Embassy of Canada in Costa Rica, Honduras and
Nicaragua, Tel: (504) 2232-4551;
Michael.gort@international.gc.ca;
tglpa@international.gc.ca
Isabelle Solon Helal, Governance Specialist, Natural Resources and Governance
Division,
isabelle.solohelal@international.gc.ca
Jason Smith, U.S. government Human Rights and Labor representative,
SmithJA6@state.gov (with copy to
GromovichG@state.gov)
More information
OFRANEH (Organizacion Fraternal Negra Hondureña), garifuna@ofraneh.org,
www.ofraneh.org,
http://www.ofraneh.wordpress.com
Karen Spring, Honduras Solidarity Network, Spring.kj@gmail.com
Grahame Russell, Rights Action, info@rightsaction.org
garifunawebmail
gmail.com
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