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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