S E
IRECTOR ATS OF II SPECIAL UNIT WMII INTERDICTION PRO. HONDURAS RSI
OUNT SSCRE IELAC
"
I
CP^RA KIDNAP PRISON KAINTA
ATIONAL
AIMS THROUGH
AND (C) )UT THB
!RMY
JNO'JCTED
D ELACH SURVEILLANCE. TIONEPORTEDLY FECIAL UNIT
THB HONDURAN GOVERNMENT AND FUSEP IN
ftJITICUIAR OVER THE USE OF REPRESSIVE MEASURES BY THE TO CONVINCE FUSEP THAT ABUSIVE TECHNIQUES
gMOT HAVE TO BE USED IN INTERROGATING A
REPEATEDLY INSTRUCTED AGAINST THE USE OFPHYSICALABUSE
J- BASED OH RBCOMMSNDATIONS FROK THE
MILITARY SEMINAR * BETWEEN THE HONDURAN ANDILITARY. THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES RESOLVED TO CONVERT THE
ARY INTELLIGENCE. RATHEROLICE UNIT, AND TO PLACE IT UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE MILITARY INTEL DIVISION OF THE HONDORAH ARMED FORCES GENERAL
^ OFNAS TO IMPROVE
CONTROL. TO MAKE AVAILABLE GREATER PERSONNEL RESOURCES. AND TO
IN0 TUB SPECIAL UNIT WAS
:ATED INSIDE THE FUSEP COMPOUND. BUT SOMETIME12 IT MOVED TO ANOTHER SITEILK FROM THE COMPOUND. OVE DETERMINED NECESSARY BY THE GROWTH IN THB UNIT AND THE NEED TOEASURE OP SECURITY TO ITS PERSONNEL NOT POSSIBLE INSIDE THE POLICE COMPOUND. WHEN COLONEL ALVAREZ WAS TRANSFERRED FROM FUSEP AND APPOINTED AS CHIEF OF THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES. HE WAS REPLACED 3 TIME FRAME) BY COLONEL DANIELASTILLO. WHILE BALI HAD NOMINAL CONTROL OVER THE SPECIAL UNIT, HRUNANDEZ ALSO RKPORTED TO AND WORKED INCREASINGLY CLOSELY WITH ALVAREZ IN HIS NEW COMMAND. 2 CAPTAIN HERNANDEZ WAS TRANSFERRED OVERSEAS TO ARGENTINA AND REPLACEDONDURAN ARMY OFFICER. MAJOR LUIS ALONSOPADILIJK) ) DIAZ. UNDER BOTH HERNANDEZ AHD PADILLA. THE SPECIAL UNIT WAS RESPONSIVE FIRST TO ALVAREZ AND SECOND TO BALI. IT SEEMED NATURAL THAT ALVAREZ WOULD
HAVEIEK INTEREST IN THE WELL BEINGNIT"AD HELPED TO GROW FROM ITS
BEING WHAT THEY WERE INAP!sT WOUIJJ HAVE WANTED TO ENSURE HIS BEING ON TOP OF WHAT HAD BECOME AN EFFECTIVE UNIT. WHICH BY THE MIDDLE OP1 HAD AN INDETERMINATE MIX OF MILITARY AND POLICE PERSONNEL. ANOTHER POINT WORTH REMEMBERING WAS THAT FUSE?, IVILIAN POLICE ORGANIZATION, WAS DURING THIS TIME FRAME UNDER THE CONTROLILITARY OFFICER.) WHETHER OR NOT THE SPECIAL UNIT WAS UNDER FUSEP CONTROL WHILE ALVAREZ WAS FUSEP COMMANDER. OR WAS SUBORDINATED IH ONK WAY OR ANOTHER TO ALVAREZ WHILE CINC OP ARMED THE MISSION OF THE UNIT WAS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME, NAMELY TO COMBAT BOTH DOMESTIC AND REGIONAL SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENTS OPERATING IN AND THROUGH HCWDURAS. THIS INCLUDED PENETRATING VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THB HONDURAN COMMUNIST PARTY (PCH) THE CENTRAL AMERICAN REGIONAL TROTSKYITE PARTY (PRTCH). AND THE POPULAR REVOLUTIONARY FORCES-IORENZO ZELAYA (FPR-LZJ MARXIST TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.
6. FROM JANUARY UNTILA. LT COL. LUIS ALONSO MDISCUAM ELVIR, INTEL CHIEF OF THE HONDURAN ARMY GENERAL STAFF ASSUMED COMMAND OFTH BATTALION. REPLACING PADILLA. THIS' CHANGE IN COMMAND WAS CARRIED OUT BECAUSE OF THE UNIT'S POOR PERFORMANCE DURING IHE COMMAND OF PADILLA
CHIEF OFEASTILLED;OWEVER. V] WAS TRANSFERRED TO Tl
ANTOS WITH THE UNIT UNTIL AT
S LT. COL. LUIS ALONSO
T UNTIL IT WAS DISBANDED THE NEW UNIT UNTIL HE
ETIMR IN EARLY
ACCORDING TOSOON AFTER THE
REMOVAL OF ALVAREZ AS COMMANDER OF THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES IN
MARCH LEFTIST PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE DEFENSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HONDURAS (CODEHj RAMON USTODIO); LOPEZ MET WITH HIGH-LEVEL MILITARY LEADERS AND TOLD THEM THATTH MILITARY INTEL BATTALION MAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALMOST ALL PERSONS ON TKE CODEH LIST OF MISSING PERSONS. THE MILITARY OFFICERS INVESTIGATED CUSTODIO'S ALLEGATIONS BUT ARGUED THAT THEY FOUND NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THEM.
8. IN SEPTEMBER COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES, GENERAL HUMBERTOEGALADO)J SIGNED AN ORDER DISSOLVING THETH BATTALION. THAT SAME ORDER CREATED THE "COUNTERINTELLIGENCE (CI, DIVISION- OF THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES. THE CI DIVISIONCSD UNDER THB HONDURAN ARMED FORCES CHIEF OF STAFF FOR INTELLIGENCE ALTHOUGH THE CI DIVISION RETAINED SOME OPTH MILITARY INTEL BATTALION'S FUNCTIONS
JD PERSt
A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF THE UNIT'S PERSONNEL, SUB-UNITS AND FUNCTIONS, SUCH AS ANALYSIS CENTERS, WERE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER SECTIONS WITHIN.
?. JAMES LEMONYE,EPORTER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, WAS THE AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS ARTICLES ON THE SUBJECT OF HONDURAN DEATH SQUAD ACTIVITIES. APPROXIMATELY EVERY SIX MONTHS HKEW ARTICLELIGHTLY DIFFERENT TWIST, BUT HIS ARTICLES GENERALLY CONTAINED THE SAME BASIC INFORMATION. BASED ON THESE ARTICLES AND OTHERS WRITTEN ON THE SAME SUBJECT, ASKED TOUERIES FROM CONGRESS ABOUT INVOLVEMENT IN, AND KNOWLEDGE OF, ALLEGED HONDURAN DEATH SQUADS DURING THE. MANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THBH SEEM TO HAVE COME FROM ONE MAN. FLORENCIOONILLA (AKA PLORENTINOCARBAYO) > BUSTILLO) , WHO CLAIMED THE BATTALION WAS TRAINED AND ADVISED ON INTEL MATTERS BY AMERICANS. CABALLERO CLAIMED TO HAVE SERVED IN MILITARY INTSl. UNITS94 AND TO HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY AMERICANS AND OTHER FOREIGNERS IN INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES. ACCORDING TO CABALLERO. THE AMERICAN ADVISERS DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN INTERROGATIONS OR TORTURE, BUT DID ADVISS ON WHOM TO PUT UNDER SURVEILLANCE AND
WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK THOSE WHO HAD BEEN DETAINED. CABALLERO SAID THE AMERICAN ADVISERS TRIED TO PERSUADE THE HONOURANS TO USB PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURSS, RATHER THAN PHYSICAL TORTURE, BUT HONDURAN COMMANDERS PREFERRED TO CONTINUE USING VIOLENT METHODS. CAnAI.LERO CLAIMEDTH KIDNAPPED SUSPECTED LEFTISTS. TOOK THEM TO SECRET DETENTION CENTERS. TORTURED THEM, AND EVENTUALLY KILLED MOST OP THEM.THAT CABALLERO JCINED THE HONDURAN ARMED FORCES IN AND9 OR 80 WAS ASSIGNEDILITARY INTEL UNIT. IN4 HE DESERTED PROMpv TRAVELED TO MEXICO AND SOUGHT ASYLUM IN CANADA.NO EVIDENCE TO SUBSTANTIATELAIMS THAT HE PARTICIPATED IH DEATH SQUAD ACTIVITIES OR IF HE EVEN ACTUALLY SERVED AS AN INTERROGATOR.
10. THE OTHER PERSON ALLEGING HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES WAS 1NBS CON8UBLO UMURILLOM SCHWADER, WHOEMBER OF THE PPR-LE,ROUP THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SEVERAL BOMBINGS. SHE WAS HELP PRISON AND PROBABLYICTIM OF ABUSIVE TREATMENT.
THEPS HAD BEEN INFREQUENT ALLEGATIONS 5AINST THETH IN THE LOCAL PRESS BY LEFTISTS AND LEFTIST ORGANIZATIONS. NONE OF THE ARTICLES CONTAINED ANY SPECIFIC ACCUSATIONS OR DETAILS. SIMPLY REFERENCES TO THETH AS A
SECRKT MILITARY UNIT WHICH HAD ABUSED OR WAS ABUSING HUMAN RIGHTS. OCCASIONALLY IT HAD BEEN REFERRED TO AS A "DEATH SQUAD, -HOWEVER, NO DETAILED CHARGES HAD BREN MADE.
IN SUMMARY.D NO PROOF OK ANY SQUAD ACTIVITIES BY THBTH MI BATTALION, NOR OF ANY SPECIFIC
Original document.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: