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THE HONDURAS CRISIS What you
can do
Background
Information. September 2009
On 28 June the democratically elected president of Honduras,
Manuel Zelaya was expelled from office in a military coup perpetrated by
right wing politicians, and the business sector. The coup regime that take
over has no legitimacy and has not been recognised by any country in the
world. The Organization of American States (OAS) suspended Honduras until
democracy is restored, and the UN called for the "immediate and
unconditional return" of the elected president. On 20 July the European
Union expressed its "deep concern" over the political crisis and the
"ongoing violation of constitutional order" and suspended 65million euros in
aid. On 3 September the US state department suspended all but non-
humanitarian aid to Honduras and, for the first time, used the term ‘coup
d’etat’. However, the response of the Obama administration has been confused
and ambiguous providing sustenance for those who perpetrated the coup which
would never have succeeded were it not for the tacit support of powerful
backers in the US and Latin American countries, among them Senator John
McCann, his Latin America policy advisor Otto Reich and the Venezuelan
lawyer Robert Carmona- Borgas.
In Honduras broad
based social forces that form the National Front of Resistance Against the
Coup – trade unions, women’s and indigenous organisations, environmental
organisations, farmers associations, lawyers, and journalists – have
sustained nation wide protests on an unprecedented level for nearly 90 days
despite unrelenting harassment, detentions, disappearances and killings. The
National Front of Resistance is calling for international support for the
reinstatement of their duly elected president, for the formation of a
constituent assembly to write a new constitution, and for the immediate end
to violence and repression by the coup regime.
On 21st
August a delegation of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
reported widespread abuses showing a pattern of serious violations including
excessive use of force, arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and attacks on
the media, as well as several confirmed deaths and possible
"disappearances." The commission also documented an absence of effective
legal protections.
On 22 September, after over eighty days in exile, Manuel Zelaya, returned to
Honduras and took shelter in the Brazilian embassy along with 85 members of
his cabinet and supporters. The Honduran military and the police surrounded
the Embassy and attempted to disperse a crowd of Zelaya supporters by using
rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas.
At least two people were killed and more than 40 people were
reported injured. The few media outlets that were
broadcasting information about the resistance movement were threatened and
some were taken off the air. All of the international airports were closed.
.
In the following days
Remote Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD-X ) classified as offensive weapons
were found inside the Brazilian Embassy. These devices emit high pitched and
pain inducing sounds causing bleeding of the nose and stomach, and nausea.
This is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. A UN
Security Council Emergency Session called by Brazil stated: ‘We condemn acts
of intimidation against the Brazilian Embassy and call upon the de facto
government of Honduras to cease harassing the Embassy. ‘ The response of the
coup regime was to give Brazil 10 days to either grant Mr Zelaya
asylum or hand him over to face charges of treason.
On 25 September the coup regime
detained four diplomats from the Organisation of American States (OAS),
including two US officials, two Canadians and the general secretary of the
OAS, for six hours in the Toncontin International Airport, barring them
from entering Honduras to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the crisis..
On 25 September the Committee for the
Defence of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH) issued a report blaming the coup
government of Roberto Micheletti, for the more than 101 extrajudicial
murders and summary executions perpetrated since 28 June.
In an act of further
mockery of the global repudiation of his illegitimate regime, on 27
September - Micheletti issued a decree that will suspend constitutional
rights for a period of 45 days. This decree restricts the freedom of
expression, prohibits public meetings and freedom of movement , and gives
the coup regime the power to suspend T.V. and radio outlets that "disrupt
the peace and public order." The decree also gives police and military the
right to arrest and detain person suspected of exercising these tights.
Much has happened
since then. For further
information:
Emergency Committee
Against the Coup in Honduras
www.committeeagainsthondurascoup.blogspot.com
Central America
Women’s Network www.cawn.org
National Front for
Resistance against the Coup www.hondurasresists.blogspot.com
Nicaragua
Solidarity Campaign Action Group
29 September 2009
Perspectives on the Honduran coup
…’what is happening in Honduras is a
test case: a convergence of political forces close to the US is using the
situation for an offensive against ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for the
Americas) and anything that smells of change. If it goes well there they
will come after the rest of us…’ William Grigsby,
Nicaraguan journalist and member of the Sandinista Assembly.
…’for both
the Honduran and US right, the fight isn’t against Mel Zelaya, but
fundamentally against what they perceive as the geopolitical danger
represented by Hugo Chavez who they see as the Fidel Castro of the 21st
century.’ Ismael Moreno SJ, journalist
"While President Manuel Zelaya is
calling for dialogue and urging the population in resistance to the coup to
take peaceful action, the de facto government is converting the curfew into
a state of siege, which is completely illegal and violates the human rights
of the population. These methods are being enforced in order to
dissuade Hondurans from concentrating in the country's capital in order to
express our opposition to the coup". Emma Carolina, Honduras Women’s
Forum.
"The situation in
Honduras can only be described as alarming, The attacks against human rights
defenders, suspension of news outlets, beating of demonstrators by the
police and ever increasing reports of mass arrests indicate that human
rights and the rule of law in Honduras are at grave risk."
Susan Lee, Americas Director, Amnesty International.
"They [the UN Security Council ] condemned acts of intimidation against the
Brazilian Embassy and called upon the de facto government of Honduras to
cease harassing the Brazilian embassy, and to provide all necessary
utilities and services, including water, electricity, food, and continuity
of communications," she said.
We condemn acts of intimidation against the Brazilian Embassy and call upon
the de facto government of Honduras to cease harassing the Embassy."
Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN Security
Council .
'The UK is becoming increasingly
concerned at the lack of progress on mediation following the coup in
Honduras. As a result, I can confirm that we are now considering imposing
travel restrictions against ten key individuals we believe to be obstructing
the mediation efforts of President Arias and the Organisation of American
States.' Chris Bryant, Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 28 September
“The return of Zelaya
without an agreement is irresponsible and foolish … He should cease and
desist from making wild allegations and from acting as though he were
starring in an old movie,” Lewis Anselm, US
ambassador to the OAS,22 September
"If there was any
doubt that what we have here is a dictatorship, now with everything that has
happened in these past 93 days of repression, I believe those doubts no
longer exist," President Manuel Zelaya speaking to the UN General
Assembly by phone from the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
28 September
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