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Press Release: COPINH denounces racist statements by Pastor Roy Santos towards the indigenous peoples of Honduras.

COPINH

AQUI EN ESPAÑOL

Press Release 10/2022

Last Thursday afternoon, March 24, on the program “Doble Vía” broadcast on the Radio América network, directed by journalist Rodolfo Colindres, evangelical pastor Roy Santos was a guest on the program; he referred in a derogatory, discriminatory and racist manner to the indigenous peoples of Honduras and specifically to COPINH.

In his participation in the radio program he expressed that: “(…) President Xiomara Castro who visits the Catholic temple and after praying to God there in the Catholic temple, arrives at the national stadium does not allow prayer to God, but allows the satanic shamans of the indigenous people to be there doing their rituals and give her an occult staff, there what she delivered was her government and her family into the hands of the evil one.” (See Here)

  1. We condemn and strongly reject this outrageous act of racism, xenophobia and discrimination against the Lenca people and other indigenous peoples of Honduras already fed up with aggression and violation of our rights.
  2. The statements issued by Pastor Roy Santos against the Lenca people are unacceptable and therefore we demand a public apology from the evangelical pastor Roy Santos.
  3. We are concerned about the insulting attack on national radio against indigenous peoples for ancestral practices, but the complicit silence on serious human rights violations and serious acts of criminality such as that of the drug trafficker president.Given in the city of La Esperanza, Intibucá, on the 28th day of March 2022.
  4. COPINH requests a reply to the program “Doble Vía” broadcast on Radio América, directed by Rodolfo Colindres for the defamatory allusions made by Mr. Roy Santos.
  5. We urge the forging of a country based on full respect for the rights of historically violated communities that promotes a culture of respect and observance of fundamental rights to prevent discrimination, violence and violations of the rights of indigenous peoples.

“With the ancestral strength of Berta, Lempira, Mota, Iselaca and Etempica rise our voices full of life, justice, freedom, dignity and peace!”