Billy Joya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billy Fernando Joya Améndola (known as Billy Joya) is a former Honduran military officer who worked in the controversial Battalion 3-16[1] and is national security adviser for Manuel Zelaya's government.[2][3]
HondurasBilly Joya | |
|---|---|
| Born | Billy Fernando Joya Améndola |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Honduras |
Branch | Armed Forces of Honduras |
Service years | c. 1970s – 1990s |
| Known for | Member of the Honduran death squad Intelligence Battalion 3-16 |
| Other work | National security adviser |
Military career
One of four children, Joya enrolled in military academy at 14, but was expelled "when a teacher caught him cheating on an exam."[4] He subsequently enlisted as a private and within two years had risen to become the youngest sergeant in the army. He joined the military police, and in 1981, along with a dozen other Hondurans, had 6 weeks' training in the US. He went on to become a member of Intelligence Battalion 3-16.[4]
Billy Joya was one of at least 18 members of the death squad Intelligence Battalion 3-16 who trained at the School of the Americas in the United States.[5][6][7]
Joya fled legal proceedings in Honduras regarding allegations of torture and forced disappearances carried out by Battalion 3-16, and sought political asylum in Spain, which was rejected. In August 1998 a claim was filed against Joya in Spain requesting his detention, asserting universal jurisdiction under the Convention Against Torture.[8] "Joya voluntarily returned to Honduras in December 1998 after receiving promises of special treatment. He was jailed but freed in August 2000 after a judge said there was not enough evidence to continue his detention."[9]
In 1996 Joya told the victims of Battalion 3-16, "I ask pardon for having contributed to that history of pain and suffering that you experienced."[10]
Security adviser
As of mid-2006, Billy Joya was a national security advisor to Alvaro Romero, another former Battalion 3-16 member, who was a government minister (Secretary of Security) during the presidency of Manuel Zelaya.[11]