.jpg "Nelia Esmeralda Méndez, una manifestante, dijo que un policía la atacó con un tolete.")
Nelia Esmeralda Méndez, a protestor, said a police attacked her with a club.
SAN PEDRO SULA.
Preventive Police and from the Cobra Commando threw tear gas grenades and beat up with clubs hundreds of people from the National Front of Popular Resistance (FNRP) who blocked the main road in Choloma, protesting for a minimum wage raise and against the possible privatization of public services such as education and health, as well as the politization of state institutions.
Members of the front had blocked the main road which connects San Pedro Sula with Puerto Cortés at 7:00 am on the bridge crossing River Choloma as, as part of a protest scheduled against the new law of temporary jobs and to demand a salary raise to all workers.
At 9:40 in the morning, a Cobra squad truck arrived with over 60 elements equipped with masks, shields, helmets, clubs, bulletproof vests, 9mm guns and tear gas grenades guns.
Ruy Díaz, carried by citizens will sue policemen for physical agression carried out before the eviction
Jimmy Sorto, a leader of the Front who participated in the demonstration, denounced before journalists that, "police beat savagely Ruy Diaz for no reason. They continue violating human rights in Honduras".
Eduardo Coto, a journalist who forms part of the resistance and who is an active member, became one of the first people arrested due to interferring in favor of Jorge Alberto Alvarado, who was violently arrested by the police.
“They were going to beat up that man and they were going to vent their anger on him (Alvarado)" Coto explained, reason for which he protested against the policemen.
DIARIO TIEMPO journalists witnessed that police contingents also detained and physically attacked other citizens who circulated the area and who were not part of the demonstration, amongst them, Edgar Ramos, a youth who was on his way back home after looking for a job.
Due to the tear gas thrown by the policemen, a child was about to die asphyxiated, but a citizen took her out of the eviction scene in his arms. Afterwards, a police took her to a medical center in a bike driven by a civilian.
DIARIO TIEMPO journalists observed how police, preventive as well as cobras, dragged and beat with clubs several citizens who had already surrendered and even in the bed of the police patrol.
 A police beating up with his club two detained |
Nelia Esmeralda Méndez, a protester, considered herself one of those victims, since a police attacked her with a club. "He beat me on the head", she told journalists of TIEMPO, while she was bleeding and had blood all over her head, forehead, and hands.
Besides Méndez, Ana Rosa Díaz Castillo, owner of a grocery shop (pulpería), denounced that police came inside her business and threw gases inside beating people who were inside.
“They beat up the boys who were buying and with these bombs they threw, my kids were almost drowning inside", said Díaz Castillo.
On the streets, tear gas cartridges and 9 mm cases were left. 
Ana Rosa Díaz Castillo, owner of a pulpería, while she was showing one of the tear gas cartridges thrown inside her business.
AGRESSION AGAINST JOURNALIST
Police agents attacked physically a jorunalist of DIARIO TIEMPO in order to prevent him of taking pictures at the moment that they were beating up detained citizens.
A reporter and a photographer of DIARIO TIEMPO witnessed how Preventive Police agents, beside throwing them into the bed of the patrol, once inside were beating the detained with clubs.
To prevent the photographer of taking the pictures, police placed their shields in front of the camera and beat him up.
A citizen takes a little girl out of the scene, so that she doesn't inhale the gases
Source: http://www.tiempo.hn/web2/secciones/el-pais/21263-toleteados-y-heridos-en-desalojo-en-choloma-.html
Wounded and detained in Choloma during Resistance Protests
One year and 5 days ago, a violent repression took place in Choloma on August 13, 2009. Once again the police attacked brutally on August 18, 2010, protestors from the Popular Resistance in the main road that leads to Puerto Cortés, in the city of Choloma.
Dozens of people were beaten, over 15 detained, amongst them a minor and 5 of them accused of sedition before the tribunals by the Public Prosecutor.
Police persecuted people of all ages through neighbouring streets beating them up with clubs and kicking the,. Neighbours complained since several tear gas bombs were thrown inside their houses affecting their kids.
Didier Alexander Carías was caught by police and thrown by them to river Choloma. Afterwards, a group of policemen came down and took him in a patrol. He is now in the regional hospital, where he was put on casts, since he received multiple fractures and is being watched by a policeman, because he is one of the five persons accused of sedition, which means that he is going directly to the tribunals after leaving the hospital.
A Cobra police officer took José Alcides Álvarez's, graphic journalist of Comunicación Comunitaria, camera and all of his working equipment, then he was tied up with his own shoelaces and was taken to the police station in Choloma, where all the detained were taken to. Also his ten year old boy was beaten by the police.
Another graphic journalist from Diario TIEMPO was beaten when he tried to take pictures of the police beating the detained on top of police patrols.
Before the eviction began, Ruy Díaz, leader of the National Front of Popular Resistance in the region, was beaten up savagely and was taken inside a patrol, but was thrown from the vehicle some streets ahead when being followed by members of the Resistance.
Ruy Díaz was transferred by his colleagues to be assisted in emergency at the Social Security Hospital of San Pedro Sula and was discharged some hours later.
The ones accused of sedition who will be present on thursday 19 at the tribunals are: Juan Carlos Aguilar, José Eduardo Coto, Jorge Alberto Alvarado, Roberto Lobo Echeverría, and Didier Alexander Carías.
On August 13 2009 durante, during another similar eviction, dozens of people were beaten and detained, wounded, and a woman raped. Even though during that occassion many denounciations were carried out with plenty evidence before the Human Rights Prosecutor, to date none of the responsible ones has been tried.
Bartolo Fuentes
Comun-Noticias
Comunicación Comunitaria
Jueves 19 agosto
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