Mercenaries killed a SANAA Unionist member

Monday, 15 February 2010 22:48 Dina Meza / defenders in linea.com Julio Fúnez Benitez, an active member of the organized resistance and the Service Workers Union of the  National Water and Sewerage, SANAA, was killed with three shots, Colonia Brisas de Olancho, by two gunmen who had caps on their heads and driving a motorcycle, about six in the afternoon of Monday 15 February. Fúnez Benitez was in charge of the marches and all activities of the National Front for Popular Resistance FNRP, last  weekend he attended the first assembly of FNRP held in Siguatepeque. The trade unionist was killed after leaving his house and was a few feet away from it. The family and neighbours  heard three shots and confirmed  the impacts were addressed to their relative, who had three bullets, one in the head, another one of his temples and a third in the chest, being rushed by ambulance to  Hospital Escuela, where he died. According to data provided by friends and relatives of the deceased, he had received several death threats warning him via telephone that if did not withdraw from the resistance they would kill him.  A park named after him in the colonia Brisas de Olancho, was the favorite place when he arrived from work, sat down to chat with neighbors on the situation in Honduras. The park installed a pay phone which rang a few times and to be answered by him and saying, cursing and threatening him with death. In his message to citizens asking them  to reject the coup and the current regime which continues the coup regime, made him  not  miss  any of the demonstrations, "he said I will fight for those who do not want to fight," said one of his relatives. Julio leaves three children and  a wife crying inconsolably without their parent with whom they shared many years of his life. At about eight o'clock Monday night, the corpse was in the morgue of the Hospital Escuela, where his family was waiting to transfer him to the morgue where his  body will undergo an autopsia.His funeral will be  v in San Michael the Archangel and will be buried Tuesday in the cemetery of the same name. Less than a month ago, Vanessa Zepeda Alonso,  another unionist, was also murdered on February 3rd after she disappeared her body was thrown from a moving vehicle near the colonia Loarque, south of the capital. She belonged to the  Workers' Union of the  Honduran Social Security Institute, SITRAIHSS. On 11 February there was repression against the vice president of the Union of Industry Workers and Allied Beverage, STIBYS when his house was raided by men who forced their balconies to enter. The foregoing shows a pattern of repression designed to crush the union members who remain in resistance since June 2009. The same situation happened with the teachers, which contrasts with the actions the regime has set up --a facade of truth commission.