The body of Soad Ham, a 13-year-old student leader of the Central Institute of Tegucigalpa who participated in the student protests against the Honduran government in the last two weeks, was found inside a plastic bag Wednesday. TeleSUR reported that Ham was tortured.
On Thursday, the opposition Libre Party called for protests against the deaths of Ham and three other student leaders, which they are calling assassinations.
Critics say Education Minister Marlon Escoto’s decision to add five minutes to each class means students will leave their schools at 7 p.m. – a dangerous time for children to be on the streets of one of Latin America’s most dangerous countries.
Escoto argued that the extended schedule would improve the quality of education in the country.
Students criticized the decision, however, saying that in many classrooms there are not even enough chairs for students.
The students, along with teachers and parents, have been demanding changes to the education system, and protests have often been met with repression from police. The murder of the students has moved other groups to become more active in the issue.
— HONDUREPORT (@HONDUREPORT8) March 27, 2015
"We came here in solidarity with the families of the victims that have lost their lives in this student struggle and we want to denounce this ridiculous state that we have in Honduras,” former President Manuel Zelaya, who is now coordinator of the Libre Party, was quoted as saying by teleSUR.
“They are directly responsible for the existence of death squads, because they protect them with their silence, they protect them knowing they exist."
The protesters marched toward the Presidential House and demanded the resignation of President Juan Hernandez and Education Minister Escoto.
"This demonstration is in solidarity with the struggle of high school students and also condemning the selective assassination of four student leaders" José Luis Herrera, a university student leader, was quoted as saying by teleSUR.
"We need reforms because we can see the problems of the education system and in everything else in the country, they are killing young people, a 13-year-old girl and we can’t let violence become something normal," said another student leader, Diana Sabillon.
The high school students began the struggle independently, but now they have the support of the university students, the National Resistance Front, the Libre Party and other organizations.
