Pro-Government Militias
Death Squads linked to Battalion 316 (Honduras)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | yes |
| PGM ID Number: | 291 |
| Country: | Honduras |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1979 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Reagan Administration created the battalion to catch Hondurans running guns to the guerrillas in neighboring El Salvador's civil war. But the Honduran human rights ombudsman, Leo Valladares, found that it became an anti-leftist death squad, responsible for the disappearance of at least 140 people. Some squad members are reported to have been trained with assistance from Argentina and the USA (CIA) (one report adds Chile to this list). Predecessor: the Directorate of Special Investigations |
| Date dissolved: | Sept. 1, 1987 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | month |
| Details of Termination: | When a new Honduran military commander took office in 1984, he ordered an end to the practice, after which the activities of the squad appear to have virtually stopped (except for some violence reported in 1987 and the murders in 1988 of two witnesses in the courtcase, in which the Honduran government was accused of running the death squads in the early 1980s). |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | unclear | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | yes |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government; military |
| State Sponsor(s): | United States; Argentina |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology; security forces |
| Primary Membership: | noncivilian |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | None |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, 25] |
| Target(s): | unarmed political opposition, government critics |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; intimidation of civilians; intimidate political opposition |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | A case was brought forward to the Inter-American Court on Human Rights - against Honduras to determine if the government was responsible for the disappearance of civilians in Honduras in the early 1980s. Two witnesses in the case were murdered in 1988, army death squads are suspected. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group existed prior to 1997 and attacked political activists at the time. After the government aligned with the militia, its members were targeting criminals. Its purpose was to reduce crime and assist the police. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The militia kidnapped and killed suspected leftists which led to a general increase in widespread violence. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | Members included former army personnel, but there is no information on the motivation of militia members. |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | In 1979, 25 militiamen founded Battalion 316 and received 6 months of training by the American CIA. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group received training from the American CIA in 1979. One source reports on the shooting of civilians by Battalion 316 members. Hence, one can infer that the militia possessed firearms. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The 316 Battalion was a Honduran intelligence unit supported by the American CIA and Argentina. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.