South Africa urges greater pressure on Honduras de-facto regime

THE international community should exert greater pressure against the de-facto regime in Honduras, South African President Jacob Zuma has said.

After a meeting with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina on the sidelines of the just-ended ASA, President Zuma said a solution to the Honduran crisis must be found soon.

President Zuma said he was concerned with developments in Honduras.

“It is necessary that the international community exerts greater pressure to find a solution to the situation of Honduras,” said President Zuma.

During the session of II ASA, the leaders adopted a declaration demanding the restoration of deposed President Jose Manuel Zelaya.

The leaders stated that they were profoundly concerned with the situation in Honduras where Zelaya was now holed in the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

In condemning the June 28 coup, the ASA summit demanded that Zelaya return to office and that the de facto administration immediately stop attacks on Brazilian embassy.

Pressure Forces Honduran Coup Regime to Reverse Civil Liberties Crackdown - Repression Continues

The Honduran coup regime has been forced to reverse a harsh crackdown on civil liberties amidst growing protests for the restoration of the ousted President Manuel Zelaya. But Honduran forces still blocked a large protest march and shut down two media outlets that have criticized the coup regime. Meanwhile, a top US diplomat criticized the coup regime’s decision but then turned around to issue a harsh condemnation of ousted Zelaya. We go to Honduras to speak with Andrés Conteris from inside the embassy where Zelaya is hiding and speak to Luther Castillo, a Honduran doctor who is in Washington to speak with US lawmakers. [from Democracy Now site]

Honduras Suspends Civil Rights and Bans Protests

By Andres R. Martinez and Blake Schmidt

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Honduras banned protests for 45 days and suspended other civil rights as talks to end a three- monthlong political crisis stalled and supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya planned rallies for today.

Any media that “incited” violence will be shut down, Cesar Caceres, government spokesman, said in a telephone interview late yesterday in the capital, Tegucigalpa. The military and police will be allowed to arrest anyone posing a threat, he said.

Immigration authorities at Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa yesterday barred a four-member delegation from the Organization of American States from entering the country to organize talks aimed at ending the crisis. The acting government said it would first seek “internal” solutions to the stalemate.

Honduras' interim government raids media outlets

Honduras' coup-installed government has silenced two key dissident broadcasters hours after it suspended civil liberties to prevent an uprising by backers of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.
Dozens of soldiers raided the offices of Radio Globo on Monday. Officials have also shut down the Channel 36 television station, which is broadcasting only a test pattern.

Interim government spokesman Rene Zepeda says the two outlets have been taken off the air under a government emergency decree announced late Sunday that limits civil liberties and allows authorities to close news media that "attack peace and public order."

It was the second time soldiers have raided Radio Globo since Zelaya was ousted June 28.



From AP news agency
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jAkMGKIUDg_ngUiZboxQbYj5_DPwD9B0CGF00

Massive march against coup face repression

The Honduras Resistes blog is reporting the following:

Sunday 9/27 5pm - Massive march against coup near U.N. office in Tegucigalpa, 2 blocks from Brazillian embassy, massive repression underway with tear gas and beatings being used indiscriminately.


Sunday 9/27 - Radio Globo and Channel 36, two of the only remaining independent news outlets in Honduras, publicly ordered shut down by military.

Ongoing - Massive uprisings in neighborhoods throughout Tegucigalpa being strongly repressed by police and military with rubber bullets, live ammunition, tear gas, beatings, and sexual assault. Despite this, protests for the restoration of democracy continue.

9/23 - 4pm: Thousands of people defying military curfew and marching, surrounded on all sides by police and military. Radio Globo and Channel 36 taken off the air and now transmitting clandestinely. Union leader of Vocational Training Institute (INFOP) shot in the head by military during one of many insurrections in neighborhoods throughout Tegucigalpa.

DENUNCIATION OF POLITICAL PRISONERS

Below is a statement on politicial prisoners from Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights statement on Embassy siege

Washington, DC, September 25, 2009 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) strongly condemns the operation by agents of the Honduran de facto regime in the area of the Brazil Embassy in Tegucigalpa and urges to respect the human rights of the persons inside the diplomatic building, as well as its inviolability.

According to the information received, security forces of the de facto regime surrounded the Brazilian Embassy and threw unidentified toxic gases, causing intoxications, bleeding, vomiting and dizziness to the persons inside the diplomatic building. The information also indicates that since this operation started this morning, members of the Army have blocked the exit of any person from the Embassy and have prevented doctors from entering, including the International Red Cross.

The IACHR calls urgently on the de facto regime to immediately end this operation and to adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the rights to life, integrity and security of all persons inside the Embassy of Brazil and its surroundings. Moreover, the IACHR urges the de facto authorities to guarantee that doctors are able to enter and provide urgent assistance to the affected persons.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who act in a personal capacity, without representing a particular country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.

Photos of repression against and resistance of coup opponents.

 

 

Gas, noise bombs thrown into Brazilian embassy

Jurgen Schmidt. Earth Times. September 25, 2009.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya said Friday gas and non-lethal noise bombs had been thrown into the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he has taken refuge, but Honduras' de facto government denied that the embassy had been attacked. Zelaya said the air felt heavy and strange, and people in the building had become sick, with one aide vomiting blood. He said he had stomach cramps, and that his eyes and throat had become itchy as a result of the attacks, which he said seek to "scare" him.

Leaders at UN oppose coup.

Debate at the UN on Honduras reiterated condemnation of coup and demanded Zelaya's reinstatement. 

A leading voice among them was Spain's president Zapatero who said "We won't accept a coup and democracy must return" to Honduras. 

Many other heads of state joined the chorus of condemnation.

VIDEO - The Seige of Tegucigalpa shows latest repression in Honduras

United Nations Security Council meets Friday to discuss Honduras

The UN Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss the political crisis in Honduras and the future of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, a U.N. official said on Thursday.

Zelaya told reporters on Thursday he had met a representative from Micheletti, but he rejected a proposal to replace the de facto president with another leader.

IMF recognises Zelaya’s government - denies funds to Michelletti regime

IMF Recognises Zelaya’s Government - denies funds to Michelletti regime

By Timothy R. Homan

Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The International Monetary Fund, which has rescued economies from Pakistan to Iceland in the past year, said it will recognize the government of ousted President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.

The Washington-based lender said today that its management made the decision after consulting member states over the past few weeks, according to an e-mailed statement from the IMF. The fund has 186 members.

Zelaya appeared unexpectedly at the Brazilian embassy in the capital, Tegucigalpa, this week after he was overthrown and expelled in June. The acting government of interim President Roberto Micheletti today lifted a nationwide, soldier-enforced curfew following violent protests by supporters of each leader.

On Sept. 6, the IMF announced that the Honduran interim government won’t be allowed to draw on as much as $163 million to boost its foreign reserves until the IMF determines if it “will deal with that regime as the government of Honduras.” The Zelaya government now has a legitimate claim on the funds.

Amnesty condemns police beatings and mass arrests

Honduras: Rule of law in 'grave jeopardy'
24 September

Amnesty International has denounced the sharp rise in police beatings, mass arrests of demonstrators and intimidation of human rights defenders in Honduras since the June coup d'état. The organisation warned that fundamental rights and the rule of law in the Central American nation are in grave jeopardy.

According to reports approximately 15 police officers fired tear gas canisters at the building of the prominent human rights organisation COFADEH on Tuesday 22 September. Around 100 people, including women and children, were inside the office at the time. Many were there to denounce police abuses during the break up of a demonstration earlier outside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, where ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge.

English language video shows how Zelaya's return to Honduras met with force

The first few minutes of this RealNews video shows how Zelaya's return to Honduras was met with brutal force by the dictatorship. The rest of the video looks at the wider backdrop to the recent events.

President Zelaya supporter killed by the Honduras police.

Reuters is reporting that a supporter of President Zelaya was killed by the dictatorship's police on Tuesday night

"A 65-year-old Zelaya supporter was killed in the poor Flor del Campo district of the capital, Tegucigalpa, on Tuesday night, a source at the coroner's office said. Five other pro-Zelaya protesters were shot and wounded in another part of the city, a doctor at the Escuela hospital said."

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN23402823

Videos show repression against pro-democracy demonstrators who had come to welcome back President Zelaya

UN suspends assistance to Honduran electoral body

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has temporarily suspended United Nations technical assistance to the electoral authority in Honduras, saying current conditions are not conducive to the holding of credible polls.

The political crisis continues in the Central American nation, which earlier this week witnessed the return to the capital of the recently ousted President. Since Monday, José Manuel Zelaya, who was forced from office by the military in late June, has been seeking refuge in the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. According to media reports, troops have surrounded the embassy and services such as electricity, water and telephone were cut off for a time on Tuesday before being partially restored.

Mr. Ban “does not believe conditions are currently in place for the holding of credible elections that would advance peace and stability,” his spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the UN is concerned about the current situation and allegations of human rights violations.

“The Secretary-General is convinced that an end to the crisis in Honduras requires a consensual agreement and supports regional mediation efforts to that end.

“He joins the Organization of American States (OAS) and regional leaders in calling for an agreement and urges all political actors to redouble efforts to find common ground through peaceful dialogue,” the statement added.

The United Nations system in Honduras has also voiced its concern about the current situation, stating that it is the responsibility of the State to guarantee the life, freedom and security of all of its citizens in conformity with the international human rights treaties ratified by Honduras, the Constitution of the Republic and national legislation.

“The use of force, in any form, by agents of the authorities, applied without regard to the criteria of need and proportionality, violates the right to life and integrity,” it said in a statement issued yesterday in the capital.

From http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=32170&Cr=honduras&Cr1=

Brazil urges action on Honduras at UN

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says the international community demands the reinstatement of ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya.

Addressing the United Nations, Mr Lula used the situation in Honduras as an example of where greater global political will was needed.

"Without political will, we will see more coups such as the one that toppled Manuel Zelaya in Honduras," he said.

Spoiling Manuel Zelaya's homecoming

The US should not stand by while the coup government in Honduras brutally cracks down on Manuel Zelaya's supporters

by Mark Weisbrot, Guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 23 September 2009

Now that Manuel Zelaya has returned to Honduras, the coup government – after first denying that he was there – has unleashed a wave of repression to prevent people from gathering support for their elected president.

This is how US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described the first phase of this new repression Monday night in a press conference: "I think that the government imposed a curfew, we just learned, to try to get people off the streets so that there couldn't be unforeseen developments."

But the developments that this dictatorship is trying to repress are very much foreseen. A completely peaceful crowd of thousands surrounded the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where Zelaya has taken refuge, to greet their president. The military then used the curfew as an excuse to tear-gas, beat and arrest the crowd until there was nothing left. There are reports of scores wounded and three dead. The dictatorship has cut off electricity and water to the embassy and cut electricity to what little is left of the independent media, as well as some neighbourhoods.

This is how the dictatorship has been operating. It has a very brutal but simple strategy.

Statement from the Governments of ALBA Nations

The governments of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA)* express their support for the return of President Manuel Zelaya to his homeland and call upon the international community to support the legitimate and constitutional president of the Republic of Honduras in his decision to resume his position.

The return of President Manuel Zelaya to Honduras is in accordance with decisions adopted by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America,  the United Nations General Assembly, the Organization of American States and the Rio Group, among others, to facilitate the restoration of Honduran democracy, which has been seriously affected by the June 28, 2009 coup d’état.

Likewise, the governments of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, conscious of the incessant violations of human rights and fundamental liberties perpetrated by the current dictatorship, urge the governments of Latin America, the Caribbean and the world; regional and international bodies, as well as social movements and organizations, to take coordinated action to allow the legitimate government of Manuel Zelaya to resume its duties.

Finally, the governments of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America affirm that the return of President Zelaya must be without conditions of any kind and in accordance with the democratic will expressed by the sovereign people of Honduras, who independently elected the president of their republic.


September 21, 2009

*ALBA  includes Antigua and Barbuda; Bolivia; Commonwealth of Dominica; Republic of Cuba; Republic of Ecuador; Republic of Honduras; Republic of Nicaragua; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Photos of today's repression by coup regime in Honduras against supporters of elected President.

 

 

Violence unleashed on crowds outside the Brazilian Embassy.

The blog below is running regular reports in English describing the very latest situation in Honduras as it unfolds: http://hondurascoup2009.blogspot.com

One of its reports below describes how on Tuesday the coup regime has unleashed violence against crowds who had gathered to support President Zelaya with some people feared dead, declared a state of emergency suspending the right of free circulation and assembly and has told all the foreign press to leave the area.

President Manuel Zelaya is back in Tegucigalpa - For the immediate restitution of President Zelaya

By Francisco Dominguez

In a dramatic turn of events, constitutional President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya returned to Honduras yesterday (21 September). In response, thousands of his supporters immediately congregated outside the embassy and outside the United Nations building in the capital city.

"[We travelled] for more than 15 hours... through rivers and mountains until we reached the capital of Honduras [and] we overtook military and police obstacles, all those on the highways here, because this country has been kidnapped by the military forces", said Zelaya, explaining how he had managed to return to Honduras.

He has taken shelter inside the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa from where he was interviewed on local Channel 11, explaining that he has returned in order to resolve the profound crisis in which Honduras was thrown by his ousting and the establishment of the de facto Micheletti government.

President Zelaya explained that his return was a matter of moral obligation and that he had come back in order to resolve the crisis his country finds itself in after the coup that deposed him, saying, "Honduras cannot go on in this situation, isolated from the international community, condemned by all international bodies, with a very profound economic, political and social crisis."

He also thanked President Lula and his foreign minister, Celso Amorim for "opening the door to us to struggle for democracy.” He reiterated his belief that the Honduras conflict can be resolved peacefully. "There should never have been violence, repression and death [in Honduras]. They are methods that have been abolished, after 30 years of democracy. That's why I return to my country, to tell it that we [can] reconstruct democracy, to tell Hondurans that democracy is ours and nobody will take it away from us."

Zelaya returns to Honduras

The Honduran authorities have imposed a round-the-clock curfew and shut down airports after the dramatic return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Mr Zelaya has taken refuge in Brazil's embassy in Tegucigalpa. Many of his supporters later gathered outside.

He said he had crossed mountains and rivers to return to the capital, where he said he was seeking dialogue.

Coup in Honduras condemned at TUC Congress

At the TUC Congress in Liverpool this week, a number of speakers during the conference condemned the illegal coup in Honduras and pledged ongoing solidarity with the democratic resistance against the dictatorship there.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the UCU, speaking on behalf of the TUC which represents 7 million trade unionists, added:

“Congress, the TUC shares concerns about the coup in Honduras, which is an attack on democracy, a threat to the whole region, and a particular attack on trade union rights. We are in close contact already with the ITUC Americas Region which has been co-ordinating international solidarity, and we have responded to every request from the trade union movement in Honduras for solidarity action. We have raised concerns directly with the UK Foreign Office, and made clear to them the TUC’s view that only concerted and resolute action by the international community will – as we must – restore democracy to Honduras. We will continue to work with affiliates, with campaign groups in Britain and with the international trade union movement. But most importantly, we will continue to work in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Honduras to restore the freedoms that the coup was designed to take away.”

Speaking in the International debate, Chris Murphy, UCATT Executive Council member for London and the South East, explained that our ongoing solidarity was essential, arguing that: “Make no mistake, if trade unionists and other progressive people around the world don’t take a stand now and say that military interference in politics is not acceptable, then the same kind of thugs that have overturned Honduran democracy will try to do it against progressive governments across Latin America."
 
The issue was also raised by Steve Davison, Vice-Chair of the Unite the Union Executive Council – Britian’s largest union - during a further debate about Colombia. Referring to how “recent actions by the elected Honduras President to address poverty led to a military coup,” he argued solidarity with democracy and social progress in Latin America, and opposition to external intervention, was more important than ever.

My father has been punished for helping Honduras - New Statesman article with President Zelaya's daughter

In this article below Xiomara Zelaya, the daughter of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, explains the real reasons for the coup. 

[President Zeleya] achieved free education for all children, guaranteed school meals for more than 1.6 million children from poor families, reduced poverty by almost 10 per cent during two years of government, and provided direct state help for 200,000 families in extreme poverty, supplying free electricity to those members of society most in need.

Honduras envoy says "ordered out" of U.N. rights body

GENEVA (Reuters September 15, 2009) - The Honduran ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Monday he had been ordered out of the U.N. Human Rights Council after other Latin American countries said he represented an "illegal" regime.

After a day of confusion which stalled the start of the three-week session of the 47-nation Council, the envoy -- J-Delmer Urbizo -- left the hall declaring loudly in English and Spanish: "We will be back! Volveremos!"

The dramatic scenes came after Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Cuba insisted that Delmer Urbizo, who has served as ambassador in Geneva for the past three years, could not stay unless he was approved by ousted president Manuel Zelaya.

Members of Honduran De Facto Regime Barred from Spain

BRUSSELS – Spain will prohibit the entry of members of the Honduran de facto regime who are preventing the restoration of constitutional order in that country, Spanisn Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said here Monday.

The European Union is scheduled on Tuesday to approve a statement regarding Honduras in which it will warn the de facto government in Tegucigalpa that it will prepare more restrictive measures if the political situation does not improve.

President Zelaya speaks in Washington

A Discussion With President Zelaya

CEPR recently hosted a filled-to-capacity event with President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales of Honduras at George Washington University. Click here to watch C-SPAN coverage of the event.

Two months following the coup d'etat that sent him into a forced exile, President Zelaya of Honduras discussed his attempts to negotiate peace and a return to a democratic and constitutional order in Honduras.

Sound files for the event are available here:

A transcript of President Zelaya's speech can be found here.

EU threatens further sanctions on Honduras

BRUSSELS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The European Union warned the de facto government of Honduras on Tuesday it risked further sanctions unless a peaceful solution is found to a crisis triggered by the coup against President Manuel Zelaya.

A statement approved by EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said the 27-nation bloc would continue to restrict political contacts with the de facto government installed after the June 28 military takeover and warned of tougher sanctions.

"Until a peaceful settlement is found, the EU will stand ready to take further restrictive measures including targeting those members of the de facto government who are seen to be blocking progress on a negotiated solution," it said.

IMF May Withhold $164 Million Allocated to Honduras

Washington, D.C.- IMF spokesperson Bill Murray indicated today that the Fund may not allow the de facto government of Honduras to have access to $164 million dollars that it was allocated on August 28.

Rebeca Santos, Finance Minister for the constitutional government of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras, told CEPR that their government had received assurances from the IMF that the de facto government would not be allowed access to these funds.

When asked if he could confirm this, Mr. Murray indicated that he could not officially do so, but also said “you should go with what you were told” by the Finance Minister.

Mark Weisbrot on what the US must do to end the coup at meeting with President Zeleya

Below are CEPR Director Mark Weisbrot's introductory remarks from the recent public meeting that his organisation held with President Zeleya on what thje US must do to help end the coup.

State Department Steps Against Honduran Coup Don't Go Far Enough

Washington, D.C.- The U.S. State Department issued a release today announcing "the termination of a broad range of assistance to the government of Honduras as a result of the coup d'etat that took place on June 28."

“The State Department is responding to pressure, but it’s still not clear if the Obama administration is serious about dislodging the coup regime that it continues to support with military and economic aid,” said Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of CEPR.

State Department spokesman Fred Lash told CEPR that total U.S. assistance to Honduras was $100 million and today’s decision affected $30 million: this included $8.96 million from the State Department, $9.4 million from USAID, and $11 million from the Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC) (which will not be officially cancelled until its Board meets next week).

“There is still quite a bit of money that is not food assistance or anything that poor people need that continues to flow to the dictatorship,” said Weisbrot. “Also, the State Department still hasn’t officially determined that a military coup took place in Honduras,” he added.

Videos and photos showing repression and resistance in Honduras

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Hondurans continue protesting against the imposed dictatorship with massive National Day of Actions see Zelaya's supporters swarm capital in protest

TAKE ACTION Lobby your MP to sign the Statement Against Coup in Honduras

In just 30 seconds you can lobby your MP to sign the Statement Against Coup in Honduras here:

Coup regime continues its systematic violation of the rights of the people of Honduras

• Honduras: Amnesty reveals photographic evidence of brutal police violence against peaceful protesters
• Military Forces Sow Terror and Fear in Honduras
• International Mission denounces the brutal repression of demonstrations
• COFADEH Communiqué on the murder of Pedro Magdiel Muñoz Salvador (dictatorship's sixth fatal victim)

Interview with ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya

Honduras: The front line in the battle for democracy and social progress in Latin America

WATCH an interview with ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya explaining who’s behind the coup, his attempts to return home, the role of the United States and more.

Demands for United States to end all economic and military support to the military coup regime in Honduras.

Whilst President Obama's government has verbally called for the restoration of President Zelaya, its ongoing provision of financial and military support is helping to sustain the coup government in power. The US government has refused to formally recognize the ousting of President Zelaya as a "coup", which would legally require it to suspend all financial support. Preferential economic trade arrangement also remains - which are important to Honduras as the US is its chief trade partner. In contrast to European Union countries, which have withdrawn their Ambassadors, the US Ambassador remains in post. Moreover, the EU has suspended US$90 million in aid to Honduras.

The People of Honduras In their own words

Read interviews of key leader of the struggle for democracy

• Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres from Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH)
• Garifuna leader Teresa Reyes from Triunfo de la Cruz community on Honduran north coast
• Afro-Honduran leader Alfredo López from National Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH)
• Peasant Leader Rafael Alegría from National Committee of Field Workers (CNTC)First interview right after coup and Second interview

The plane which transported kidnapped Mel Zalaya did land in Palmerola.

Managua (AFP 3 September). The head of the United States' Southern Command, General Douglas Fraser, admitted yesterday, Wednesday, that the military base of Palmerola (north of Tegucigalpa) was used in the 28 June coup d'etat against the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, but gave his assurance that U.S. personnel did not participate in this.

Fraser, during a meeting with the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, at his government office said "It's certain that the airplane landed at Palmerola, but it's a Honduran base not a U.S. one - there are personnel from the U.S. but they did not participate nor did they have any knowledge of the landing and subsequent take-off of the aeroplane". Fraser said to Ortega that the transportation to the airbase and from there to Costa Rica was organised by the Hondoran army.

Zulaya was taken from his residence during the early morning of 28 June and from there was flown to an airport in Costa Rica.

The U.S. ambassador to Honduras, Hugo Llorens, the same day suspended all assistance and communication with the Honduran 'authorities' emerging from the coup, reported Fraser, after expressing his desire that a peaceful solution be reached to the crisis. The Palmerola military base was built by the United States in the 1980's, when the Central American region was immersed in armed conflicts, and its installations have recently been ceded to the Honduran authorities.

Translated extract from El Tiempo, Honduras 3 September 2009

Britain speaks out against coup

Below is some of the oppositin to the coup from the Britsh government, politicians and civil society up to August 2009

• Honduras: UK government condemns the expulsion of President Zelaya
• Colin Burgon MP House of Commons speech against Honduran Coup
• Ken Livingstone condemns military coup in Honduras
• TUC Condemns Coup in Honduras
• TUC Calls for Trade Restrictions on Honduras
• Leading voices in Britain call for Honduran President to be Returned to Power
• Packed Public Meeting Against Honduras Coup
• Emergency picket demands US cuts financial and economic support to Honduran dictatorship
• Press Release: Successful London Picket Against Coup in Honduras
• Statement by the Ambassadors of the ALBA countries in London
• The Honduras coup is a sign: the radical tide can be turned - Seumas Milne The Guardian
• Obama must help Honduras - Calvin Tucker The Guardian

• Media Lens analysis of The Independent editorial that welcomed the coup: "The
  ousting of the Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by the country's military at the weekend has been condemned by many members of the international community as an affront
  to democracy. But despite a natural distaste for any military coup, it is possible that the army might have actually done Honduran democracy a service." (Leading article, 'Guns and democracy,' The Independent, June 30, 2009)

  
  

International Trade Union Movement Joins in Condemnation of Coup d'état Against President Zelaya

• ITUC Condemns Coup in Honduras


• ITUC Denounces Serious Human and Trade Unions Rights Violations in Honduras


• ITUC Gives Support to National Day of Action in Honduras


• WFTU Joins the Chorus of Condemnation of the the Coup Against Zelaya


• Workers Uniting Condemns Military Coup in Honduras


• ITWF calls on its 4.5 million members to boycott Honduran ships


• AFL-CIO: Honduras Coup Is ‘Unconscionable’

Latin America speaks out against the coup.

Below is some of the huge opposition form Latin American governments and civil society

• In August the Union of South American Nations rejected any elections under
  Honduran de facto regime


• Zelaya highlights UNASUR´s support to the Honduran people


• Organisation of American States suspends membership of Honduras


• Brazil Presses Washington to Impose Trade Sanctions on the Coup Regime in Honduras


• Argentina Expels Honduran ambassador for supporting the coup


• Uruguay and Mexico in Joint Statement Disavow De Facto Honduran Government


• Chile Refused to Recognize Honduran Ambassador Francisco Martinez Who Declared Himself an Ally of Micheletti


• Mexico Rejects Micheletti Ambassador, Recognises Zelaya's Appointee


• Central American Nations (SICA) to Withdraw their Ambassadors from
  Honduras in Rejection of Coup in Honduras
  


• Inter American Commission on Human Rights Strongly Condemns Coup
  d'état in Honduras
  


• Latin American Body Mercosur Warns it Rejects any Attempt to Call New Elections in HondurasRio Group Condemns Honduras Coup in Most Vigorous Terms


• CARICOM Condemns Interruption of Democratic Process in Honduras

Also UN General Assembly: Speakers Condemn Removal of President Zelaya, Call
for Return to Power and here you can see how nearly every other country in the region and in the world has also condemned the coup

Who are the figures behind the coup?

• A Cold War Ghost Reappears in Honduras. A New York Times profile of Billy Joya, Security Advisor to Micheletti's cabinet. "Human rights groups consider him one of the most ruthless former operatives of an American-backed military unit responsible for kidnapping, torturing and murdering hundreds of people suspected of being leftists during the 1980s."
• Generals Who Led Honduras Military Coup Trained at the School of the Americas Romeo Vasquez, a general who led the military coup in Honduras, received training at the US School of the Americas. The SOA has trained more than 60,000 soldiers, many of whom have returned home and committed human rights abuses, torture, extra judicial
  execution and massacres. According to School of the Americas Watch, Vasquez attended the SOA in 1976 and 1984. The head of the Air Force, Gen. Luis Javier Prince Suazo, also studied there in 1996.
• Robert Carmona Borjas, Venezuelan, vice-president of the right-wing Arcadia Foundation
  He drew up the notorious "Carmona decrees," suspending the Venezuelan constitution during the coup against Hugo Chavez in 2002. Weeks before the June 28 Honduran coup,
  Carmona-Borjas barnstormed the country accusing Zelaya of collaborating with narco-traffickers.
  
• The high-powered hidden support for Honduras' coup: Lanny Davis, Washington lawyer and lobbyist, former legal counsel to President Clinton and avid campaigner for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid. He has been hired by a coalition of Latin American business interests to represent the dictatorship that ousted elected President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras.