Fr. Jose Andres Tamayo Cortez "the Priest of the People and the Forest" Stripped of his Citizenship by Honduran Coup 'Government'

“THE PRIEST OF THE PEOPLE AND THE FOREST”




The illegal de facto regime of Honduras has stripped Father Jose Andres Tamayo Cortez of his nationality. Salvadoran by birth, Tamayo has been a Honduran national for over 20 years. In 2005, he was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, for his work in defense of the forests and rivers.

From http://www.goldmanprize.org/node/168: “Father José Andrés Tamayo Cortez, priest of the people and the forest, is a charismatic Catholic priest leading the struggle for environmental justice in Honduras. He directs the Environmental Movement of Olancho (MAO), a coalition of subsistence farmers and community and religious leaders who are defending their lands against uncontrolled commercial logging. Together they continue to exert heavy pressure on the Honduran government to reform its national forest policy.”

Not only does the pro-democracy, anti-coup movement of Honduras consider this decision of the regime to be illegitimate, given that the regime is illegal, but they have taken up the cause of Padre Tamayo.