DATE=8/9/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=HONDURAS GRAVES (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-252624
BYLINE=GREG FLAKUS
DATELINE=MEXICO CITY
CONTENT=
INTRO: In Honduras, the head of the National Human
Rights Commission, Leo Valladares (Vie ah dahr' raze),
says that there is evidence of unmarked graves on the
site of an air base once used by U-S forces. As V-O-
A's Greg Flakus reports from Mexico City, the site may
contain remains of Nicaraguans as well as Honduran
political prisoners.
TEXT: Speaking to reporters in the Honduran capital
of Tegucigalpa on Monday, Leo Valladares said the
hidden graves may contain the remains of Nicaraguan
rebels, known as Contras, who fought against the
leftist government of the Sandinistas a decade ago as
well as the bodies of Honduran leftist insurgents who
sought to create a Sandinista-type government in their
country.
The suspected graves are located on the El Aguacate
air base, a 12-hundred-hectare facility built by the
United States in 1983 and used as a training center
for the Contras in the years thereafter. Mr
Valladares and other human rights activists say the
graves at El Aguacate could contain as many as 105
Honduran leftists, 39 Nicaraguans, 28 Salvadorans,
several other Latin Americans from various nations and
at least one victim from the United States.
The U-S victim believed to have been buried there is
former Jesuit priest James Francis Carney, who joined
a Honduran guerrilla group operating out of Nicaragua
in 1982. He was captured by Honduran forces in 1983
and then disappeared.
Honduran military leaders have denied that anything is
hidden at El Aguacate, but civilian authorities have
been posted at the site and Mr Valladares says they
have already unearthed evidence of torture and
killing. The Honduran attorney general's office is
carrying out an investigation and has warned the
military not to interfere. The military, which ruled
Honduras until 1982, has been the target of frequent
accusations of corruption and abuse of power over the
years. Last month, Honduran President Carlos Flores
Facusse fired four top military officials in order to
put an end to an internal dispute within the armed
forces. (signed)
Neb/gf/rrm
09-Aug-1999 17:58 PM EDT (09-Aug-1999 2158 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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