HONDURAN LABOR LEADER GUNNED DOWN IN APPARENT HIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000395 SIPDIS SIPDIS DS/ITA E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/23/2018 TAGS: ELAB ASEC ALOW PGOV PHUM SOCI KCRM KJUS HO SUBJECT: HONDURAN LABOR LEADER GUNNED DOWN IN APPARENT HIT Classified By: Ambassador Charles Ford for reasons 1.4 (b & d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Honduran Labor Leader Rosa Altagracia Fuentes was gunned down in an apparent assassination in the early hours of April 24. Several thousand dollars' worth of cash and jewelry were left in the vehicle. Also murdered in the car were Yolanda Sanchez, director of the governmental Institute for Professional Formation (Instituto de Formacion Professional),and driver Juan Bautista Galvez. Honduran authorities are investigating, but are saying publicly that they suspect this was a planned hit. Post suspects this may intensify the nationwide labor strike already planned for May ¶1. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Rosa Altagracia Fuentes was the Secretary General of Confederacion de Trabajadores de Honduras (CTH),one of Honduras's three largest labor union confederations. The confederation represents approximately thirty unions, and over 30,000 workers. The CTH is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, historically has been less anti-American than the other major confederations, and Fuentes was the only major confederation leader to meet regularly with Embassy officials and attend Embassy events. Fuentes had over thirty years experience in union work, and was seen as a female pioneer in the largely male world of union leadership. There are also rumors that she was corrupt, or at least enriched herself through her position, but the Embassy has no evidence to prove these allegations. ¶3. (U) Details remain vague about last night's events, but post police sources and the media are reporting Fuentes was killed on the road from San Pedro Sula to El Progresso near Colonia Planeta around midnight. Colonia Planeta is known to have heavy gang activity. A car reportedly followed her vehicle and cut it off, possibly hitting it. Four to six gunmen stepped out of their vehicle and sprayed the car with gunfire, killing Fuentes and the car's other occupants. The assassins were reportedly wearing all black with black ski masks, and some media are reporting they lit the area with flares during the attack. The gunman also shot at another car passing by that approached to help the victims, wounding three. Sources indicate valuables worth anywhere from USD4,000 to USD40,000 were left in the vehicle, indicating this was not a robbery. ¶4. (C) Comment: Fuentes had contacted the Embassy recently, seeking an appointment for the last week of April, stating she had received death threats. On another occasion she informed an Embassy employee that forces from outside Honduras, principally from Venezuela, were attempting to influence the country's leftists in negative ways by spreading enormous amounts of cash around. In another instance she stated she had already prepared a group of people to manage the CTH should anything happen to her. On the other hand, we have also heard stories that she was corrupt and there is as yet no indication why she was driving in an extremely dangerous area of Honduras late at night with a large amount of cash. ¶5. (C) Comment, (cont.): Fuentes had her political enemies, and it is unclear as of yet what exactly happened this morning. Some allege her murder may be related to the nationwide strikes last Thursday, April 17, 2008, which were not as successful as planners had hoped. We believe this case will spur the nationwide strikes already being planned for May 1. Post will continue to report as information develops. Ford