Emergency Committee Against the Coup in Honduras

Blaring Impunity: Unrelenting Assassinations of Honduran Journalists, the Government Remains all but Quiescen

2011-10-18T09:35:00.001+01:00

From the US think-tank Council on Hemispheric Affairs (11 October, 2011)

Summary

As always, but with an unusual quota of aggression since 2010, freedom of speech and the personal security of Honduran journalists are under permanent attack from groups, gangs, and individuals who launch their strikes under a cloak of anonymity. The journalist Medardo Flores, a relentless supporter of former President Manuel Zelaya, is the latest victim of the wave of violence directed toward members of the Honduran working press. With all the disrespect attributable to the government of Porfirio Lobo, as demonstrated here, it is not unreasonable to presume that the perpetrators, along with their underlying political motives, want to silence such journalists at any cost.

“President Lobo, who is killing the journalists?” is the question that is being raised by various national and international bodies, though they are only answered with silence and impunity. This prolonged state of deeply disturbing uncertainty has all but eliminated freedom of expression and investigative journalism in the country, two concepts that Hondurans badly need to protect their fragile, budding democracy and extremely delicate human rights situation. The dark forces behind this wave of menacing injustice comprise a broad collection of foreboding tactics ranging from common violence to political violence to the activities of drug cartels, which have silenced journalists reporting on the subject of corruption and other crimes related to narco-trafficking out of fear of losing their lives.

Introduction

Honduran society has been consumed by a nightmare in which human rights abuses, murder, and the constant violation of freedom of expression are obscured by a blanket of impunity. The Honduran press has been routinely harassed for giving honest accounts of the appalling state of law and order in the deeply troubled nation. Following the 2009 extra-legal coup that ousted Manuel Zelaya, fifteen known Honduran reporters have been assassinated as a result of their effort to engage in investigative journalism. Hidden behind little better than a democratic façade, any leader initiating signs of political dissent can look forward to being persecuted, which has created an environment rife with fear and insecurity that undermines the basic tenets of democracy and freedom of expression. Despite these egregious offenses, Honduras was reinstated to the Organization of American States (OAS), sparking no small amount of international outrage. Ironically, since then, another journalist has been assassinated.

Although Honduras has re-entered the OAS, injustice continues to permeate the Central American nation. Since the successful 2009 coup, the new government led by Porfirio Lobo has yet to take meaningful action regarding the numerous divisive incidents that routinely affect the nation.

The fact that the Honduran government has not made a genuine effort to take credible action regarding violations of freedom of expression and the safety of those working in the media field has raised the suspicion that it is at least passively responsible for what has been transpiring. There has been speculation that the Honduran government is behind the murders, especially since the targeted reporters were outspoken critics of the coup. In an attempt to steer the population away from this line of thought, the administration has vehemently denied that the murders are the result of political repression and has publicly pledged to protect the lives of all journalists. To persuade his critics, in April 2010 the Lobo administration offered a USD 5,000 reward to anyone that could provide valuable information to the team investigating the murders of five of the journalists. However, the government has not moved forward with the investigation, and justice for the perpetrators of the crimes remains elusive.

The Second Most Dangerous Country

As the second most dangerous nation for journalists in the Americas, Honduras also holds the title as the second most repressive nation in terms of free speech.[1] In reference to the findings of the 2010 Freedom HouseFreedom of the Press Report, Victoria Amato said of the Central American country, “this year Honduras was classified ‘not free’ in the 2011 report.” Amato goes on to state that “there is concern that the government is lacking in and has little effectiveness in bringing murderers to justice.”[2] Though violence and a lack of freedom of expression existed prior to the coup, Freedom House pointed out that “many of the journalists who were assassinated were those who opposed the 2009 presidential coup,” implying that their activities would cast the de facto government in an unfavorable light if it were to dig too deeply into the details of the assassinations.[3] [4]

The murder of the popular Zelaya supporter Mahadeo Roopchand Sadloo on September 6 dramatically proves that political and social stability in Honduras remains out of reach for members of the media and political dissidents. A native of India, the fifty-five year-old Sadloo was a fervent supporter of former President Zelaya. In response to his assassination, Zelaya asserted that “this act serves as a declaration of war against us.”

Overwhelming petitions to the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) from prominent dissident groups such as teachers, human rights advocates, and union leaders, pushed the Commission to demand that the Lobo administration respect human rights and secure the safety of those under threat. Meanwhile, the OAS remains quiet and the Obama administration all but indifferent to the shocking events occurring in Tegucigalpa and elsewhere in Honduras.

Troubled by the lack of response, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated, “President Lobo and top officials in his government must begin to speak out, in a forceful and timely way, against anti-press violence. His government must respect its obligation to the OAS and enforce protection orders for journalists and other social critics.”[5] Lisseth García, president of the Colegio de Periodistas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, explained to COHA that “threats against journalists are not easy to identify” and are even harder to combat due to impunity and the police’s reluctance to investigate these types of incidents. For example, police dismissed three of the assassinations as “common” murders unrelated to their profession. García went on to state that the 2010 murders “provoked a widespread self-censorship” among those working in the media industry.[6]

Government Self-Defense

Yet politicians continue to shift the blame. Last year, Minister of Security Óscar Álvarez, refusing to react to the evidence, stated that “the crimes are unrelated to politics. Until now, I say clearly, there is no indication that [the killings] are linked to political motives, [the crimes] are possibly linked to drug trafficking acts that are attempting to silence journalists’ voices.”[7]^,[8]

National Commissioner of Human Rights, Ramón Custodio expressed his disappointment with the CIDH by insinuating that the Honduran situation has been neglected. Custodio asserted that the CIDH “is only dedicated to protecting the human rights of those that share its members’ ideology.”[9] He added, “I denounced the journalist killings in 2008 and 2009 and [the OAS] responded that they had dismissed my requests.”

Among other officials, Attorney General of Honduras Luis Rubí assured the nation that the government will find the culprits behind the journalist killings. “[We] will use all necessary means to ensure that these acts do not go unpunished.”[10] Although the Lobo administration promised to find and seek out the perpetrators over a year and a half ago, they have yet to follow through. Even with the support of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. prosecutors, Honduran authorities have clearly failed to protect reporters, thereby breaking promises to the OAS and the United Nations Human Rights Council, not to mention some of the country’s most prominent citizens.

License to Kill

Unfortunately, threats, attacks, and assassinations are not limited to journalists. Since 2008, Honduras has seen the murder of sixty lawyers, as well as one hundred and fifty-five women and fifty-nine gay, lesbian, or transgender people. According to the McClatchy, a newspaper chain, such atrocities have rendered Honduras the nation with the highest murder rate in the Western Hemisphere.[11] Even more lamentable, the number of murders committed has surged from 4,473 victims in 2008 to 6,236 last year.

With attacks targeting groups that openly express their contempt for the government, Osmán López, president of the Committee for Free Expression, C-Libre, is concerned that police and the judicial system do not take the claims of these dissident groups seriously when they maintain that the journalist assassinations are considered nonpolitical incidents.[12] López believes that this lack of justice essentially has given a ‘license to kill’ to those that want to silence the media. López goes on to comment that “rampant drug trafficking cartels, gangs, institutionalized corruption and political violence breed freely in this ‘state of impunity.’”[13]

One of the strongest voices of the opposition, the Honduran teachers unions, have been the target of death threats and government persecution. On June 24, the government reinstated 303 teachers who had been temporarily suspended as a means of nullifying last March’s protests regarding the education system and issues such as the proposed privatization of education. Alberto Castellanos, leader of one of the unions, stated that “we have been repressed because we are the resistance movement against all constitutional breakdowns.” Castellanos blames “Lobo’s government for the current status of Honduras’ human rights record. We are witnessing the same trend of violence that we experienced between 2002 and 2005.”

Conclusion

Calls for Lobo’s government to demonstrate a strong commitment to protecting human rights have fallen on entirely deaf ears. Regional organizations, such as the OAS, ALBA, Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana(SICA), and UNASUR, simply do not have the power to demand a serious and strong commitment from the Honduran government to end the violations of human rights and freedom of the press. Furthermore, similar violations committed by member-states such as Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and El Salvador provide Honduras with little incentive to follow through with the OAS’ demands.

The Cartagena Agreement broke confidence in the OAS since it allowed for Honduras’ re-entry, and leaves the future of Latin American democracy and the safety of its citizens on unstable ground. In particular, the lives of Honduran journalists and freedom of the press must be protected, as both are vital to a healthy democracy. It is the duty of the OAS to protect journalists and to work with Honduras to shed its dishonorable title of one of the most dangerous countries for reporters.

By conceding defeat, the OAS has demonstrated that there are no concrete or long-term consequences for those who force out democratically elected officials and maintain a near-authoritarian rule, thereby setting a precedent for future acts of this nature. After decades of protecting true democracy, the OAS’ lack of enforcement has provided a disastrous example to other Latin American nations.

Until true democracy is restored in the Central American nation, the rest of the hemisphere must exert concerted pressure on Honduras to resolve these serious problems. To date, violence and intimidation have overtaken Honduran democracy and have wiped out the most essential rights and liberties of society. After so many atrocious crimes committed against journalists, it is time for justice to be served. The OAS and its members are doing a disservice to Latin American democracies by allowing the Honduran government to continue to drag its feet in resolving the journalist assassination cases.

Since regional organizations have proven ineffective thus far, other hemispheric actors should step up their demands for Honduran justice. Though international assistance has and will continue to be critical, the need for an effective response is ultimately the responsibility of Honduran politicians, businesspeople, unions, and civil society, if there is any hope of healing their country’s wounds and rebuilding the bridges burned through its troubled political history.

At the time of the publication of the July 2010 article entitled “Washington’s Invented Honduran Democracy”, COHA reported the following journalist assassinations:

Joseph Ochoa (March 1, in the capital Tegucigalpa)
David Meza (March 11, La Ceiba)
Nahún Palacios (March 15, Topoa, near La Ceiba)
Bayardo Mairena (March 26, on a road in the province of Olancha, bordering Nicaragua)
Manuel Juárez (killed with Mairena)
Luis Antonio Chévez Hernández (April 12, San Pedro Sula)
Jorge Alberto “Georgino” Orellana (April 20, San Pedro Sula)

Additional journalist assassinations and attempted killings since our last report include the following:

Luis Arturo Mondragón Morazán (June 14, El Paraíso)
Israel Zelaya Díaz (August 24, San Pedro Sula)
Henry Suazo (December 28, La Masica)
Héctor Francisco Medina Polanco (May 11, Morazán)
Luis Mendoza (May 19, Danli)
Attempted murder of Manuel Acosta (May 25, Tegucigalpa)
Jeremías Orellana (July 15, Lempira)
Medardo Flores, (September 8, Bijao)

Source: UNESCO

This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Fellow Olga Imbaquingo and COHA Research Associate Gabriela Acosta.

Please accept this article as a free contribution from COHA, but if re-posting, please afford authorial and institutional attribution.

FNRP Communiqué regarding the integration of the political movements within the electoral-political instrument

2011-10-02T23:26:00.001+01:00

1 OCT 2011 FNRP
The National Coordination and Political Committee of the National Front of People’s Resistance, at a meeting held in Tegucigalpa on Thursday, September 29, 2011, reached the following agreements:

It will integrate all political forces and movements which deem suitable for the Re-Foundation and National Constituent Assembly projects for the Honduras that FNRP proposes.

The organized political expressions, such as the Liberal Resistance Movement June 28, and other movements must be incorporated into the organization within two weeks, in order to meet the deadlines set by law in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

The Political Commission of FNRP must in this case reach these agreements and draft the regulations.

We resist and we will win!

National Front of People’s Resistance
Tegucigalpa September 29, 2011

Source: FNRP

Hondurans celebrate another inspiring `September 15’

2011-10-02T23:21:00.000+01:00

23 SEPT 2011
Independence parade consolidates new national identity in Honduras

"We do not celebrate independence, about that there is nothing to celebrate, we want a new nation, and we have changed the meaning of this day," said one participant, "the people will conquer power with the broad front" claimed others.

On September 15, as it has become tradition for the Honduran resistance, estimations stated that the number of protesters reached between one and two million people nationwide. In Tegucigalpa alone, two hours after the aperture of the parade, caravans were still leaving the departure point. This is the third year that the Honduran resistance flies its flag of freedom, for a “wanted independence”.
On his return from exile, the coordinator general of the FNRP, Mel Zelaya, marches for the first time with the people, and he did with his wife Mrs. Xiomara Castro. Zelaya condemned the threats from the oligarchy in one of several speeches he gave during the journey that began in Boulevard Morazan and ended in the central plaza of the capital city.

This year, the Instituto Central Vicente Caceres and the Instituto Hibueras have marched with the Resistance; both are bastions of public education in Honduras. In fact, the teachers said that no public schools participated in the official parade as a message from students regarding the crisis caused by a law that promotes the privatization of the national educational system in which a student in Santa Barbara province was murdered.

Meanwhile Juan Barahona said that "... today is a sign of things to come in the future. In elections time" while he called for a halt to political killings, "we demand justice, because all those responsible for the crimes remain unpunished". Barahona also said that people have lost the freedom of Enrique Flores Lanza, the 3 months political prisoner and former Zelaya cabinet minister. Similarly, there were many allusions to the recently assassinated "Emmo" a symbol of resistance whose death shocked the entire nation.

"We claim Peace because our struggle is peaceful, not violent. Despite all the assassinations we do not respond violently" concluded Barahona.

The demonstrations in the north shore of Honduras, especially in San Pedro Sula were reported to be massive, while in the city of Tocoa, home to the Honduran agrarian conflict and an endless scene of massacres, the military and the police blocked the protesters through the street, which once again resulted in repression.

Source: FNRP

Resolutions of the "Seeds of Liberty" Extraordinary Assembly

2011-10-02T23:12:00.004+01:00

23 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2011 20:44 RED MORAZANICA DE INFORMACIÓN
The Second Extraordinary Assembly of the National Front of People’s Resistance “Seeds of Freedom" , held in Tegucigalpa, was attended by delegates from all departments, the 19th department and representatives of social and political organizations that are part of the FNRP.

The Assembly focused on the approval of the Declaration of Principles, the Statutes and a FARP Flag, these are requirements for registration of the Broad Front of People’s Resistance in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

After extensive discussion, debate and presentation of some motions of reform the Assembly agreed the following:

1. Approval of the Declaration of Principles. (read in Spanish)

2. To create a Committee of Style to be responsible to review, edit and implement the reforms solicited by the Assembly for the Statutes and the Declaration of Principles of the Broad Front of People’s Resistance (FARP). (Statutes in Spanish)

3. Approval of the flag of the FARP, which shall be rectangular with red background, in the center of the flag stands the acronyms of FARP in black lowercase letters, and with a four vertices star in white at the right side.

Source: FNRP

Porfirio Lobo launches crackdown on Trade Unions

2011-09-19T08:44:00.000+01:00

17th September 2011

With the massive layoffs of state workers organized into several unions, the regime of Porfirio Lobo advances its clear and violent anti-union escalation following a strategy to reverse labour and social conquests of the Honduran people, in order to weaken the birth of the Broad Front of People's Resistance (FARP), declared Juan Barahona, President of the Sub FUTH and coordinator of the National Front of People's Resistance (FNRP).

According to a statement of Barahona, the head of the regime has launched a real crackdown on trade unions in the country, mostly engaged in the FNRP, with the aim of dismantling and thus reversing the gains made over so many years of struggle.

"Today there have been massive layoffs of workers from different unions, and the dismissal of the President of the Union of the Institute of Forest Conservation (SITRAICF), José Humberto Ordonez, thereby violating trade union immunity under the law" Barahonar noted .

As stated by Barahona, the stigmatization of union struggle is also notable, with the repeated violations of internal procedures and work regulations, strong pressure on workers to resign from unions and murky legal proceedings against union management.

"We must defend these conquests, fighting to preserve the right to self-organization, collective bargaining and job security that has cost us so much, and that now the regime seeks to in open violation of Conventions 87 and 98 of the ILO", the labour leader argued. After the assault on SITRAPANI SITRAUNAH the regime continues its campaign to dismantle various trade unions, including SITRAINJUPEMP, SITRADEI, SITRAIHNFA, SITRAICF, SITRAINA, most of them affiliated with the United Federation Workers of Honduras (FUTH).

These unions demand, in the face of the massive unfair dismissal of workers taking place to this day, the increase in threats, attacks and breaches of international agreements, an immediate halt to the illegal layoffs and demand the immediate reinstatement of those dismissed.

Barahona meanwhile called on all labour unions in the country to join this effort to defend the rights of workers since one can not be a mere spectator of these violations, "We will intensify the protests, hence tomorrow, September 1st, the FNRP will take to the streets in a joint struggle across the five principles, including the defense of the labour organisations", concluded Barahona.

Source: Frente Popular de Resistencia Nacional

Police & Military Attack Protestors in Tocoa, During Pro-Independence Parade

2011-09-19T08:30:00.003+01:00

16 September 2011

The national independence day celebration of September 15th was an excuse for an attack in the city of Tocoa, Colon, militarization center of Bajo Aguán.

As in the two previous years, the National People's Resistance Front (FNRP) called for peaceful public protests throughout the country. Tocoa was by no means the only site of protest, but as had occurred in previous years , the military and police forces dedicated themselves to the task of repression in the interest of silencing the voices that denounced them and demanded justice facing the situation of violence against the organized campesino population of this region of the country. This violence has increased in recent days with the massive presence of soldiers in the region and with the murders of various recognized regional agrarian leaders.

On this day, September 15th, the FNRP carried out its protest immediately following the parades of educational and military institutions of the department. They began at 8:30am. From the FNRP, around 600 people participated, including homesteaders, professional campesinos/as, homemakers and students. Students expressed their outrage against the attempts to privatize public education.

Soon after the march had begun, leaving from a well-known commercial center at the exit to Trujillo and going toward the central park of the city, the protesters came up against a massive police blockade which threateningly surrounded them and presented an obstacle to their peaceful march. Then, a little bit further, more agents joined the contingent of police and military, always with the aim of provoking fear among the FNRP protestors.

As the group was approaching the central park, in the busy commercial street at 11:45am, a group of police tried to arrest three protestors with the aim of capturing them without giving specific reasons or warrants for their arrests. Several leaders of social organizations tried to mediate to avoid the illegal detention, but the police responded with teargas and attacking those who approached them with their batons.

With the gas attacks, the protest was dispersed and soldiers and police officers unleashed a brutal attack against the protestors throughout the center of the city, even breaking into private residences where many had taken refuge.

An elderly gentleman was brutally beaten, and numerous children suffered from the teargas they inhaled. Two people were severely wounded: Arnulfo Alvarado, from the "La Confianza" campesino settlement and Carlos Martínez from the "Lempira" campesino settlement, both of whom were immediately hospitalized. Both of the injured come from settlements that pertain to the Unified Movement of Campesinos of the Aguán (MUCA).

Furthermore, two people were detained by police authorities: Elmer Ángel Villeda Andrade, minor, resident of the 18th of September neighborhood of this city, and Gregorio Godoy Caballero, who works as a taxi driver in the city. The charges against them have not been made public, and as of this afternoon, they have not been released.

Program of Human Rights and JusticePOPOL NAH TUN
Tocoa. September 15, 2011
Translation by A. Pine

Emmo: A Resistance Symbol Killed

2011-09-19T08:25:00.003+01:00

8th September 2011

The FNRP holds the Honduran State responsible for the act

Tegucigalpa. September 7, 2011. This day during the afternoon the tragic death of a member of the National Front of People’s Resistance was announced. A naturalized Honduran Mahadeo Roopchand Sadloo Sadloo, better known as Emo, who after returning from a FNRP rally was attacked on the visitors area of his own retailing business.

As expressed by witnesses, Emo was in his tire repair shop near the Hospital Escuela, when a man approached him and without saying a word shot his humanity, with at least 6 shots, immediately afterwards he fled. Still alive, Emo was taken to the emergency room of Hospital Escuela, where he died soon after.

At the emergency room former First Lady Xiomara Castro de Zelaya, who declared that they have killed a symbol of resistance, "do not come to me and say this is a common crime, this is a political crime" said Castro de Zelaya.

"We will demand an investigation into what happened," Castro said while adding that the murder of Emo is a threat against former president, since the now deceased was very close to Zelaya and participated openly in the mass mobilizations and concentrations of FNRP.

During the morning, he participated in a rally in front of the Court of Appeals, in solidarity with a member of the FNRP, Enrique Flores Lanza, demanding an end to political persecution against members of the National Front of People's Resistance.

Source: Frente Popular de Resistencia Nacional

Also read: Massive farewell to Emmo

Honduras radio reporter killed - the 16th journalist assassinated

2011-09-19T08:21:00.000+01:00

13th September 2011

Radio reporter Medardo Flores became the 16th journalist murdered in Honduras over the past 18 months when his car was sprayed with bullets on Thursday. He was ambushed while driving from his small farm to Puerto Cortes on the Caribbean coast.

Flores, 50, worked for Radio Uno and was also a noted supporter of the country's ousted former president Manuel Zelaya.

Public safety has been hit hard in Honduras since the June 2009 coup that ousted Zelaya and later saw the election as president of Porfirio Lobo.

Sixteen journalists have been killed in Honduras since February 2010.

Arnulfo Aguilar, Radio Uno's director, told the local press that Flores spent the 1980s in exile "to escape from persecution by the repressive forces of the state".

Source: Ticotimes

Massive Turnout for Zelaya Launches New Chapter of Honduran Struggle

2011-06-23T09:10:00.000+01:00

FROM 'THE REAL NEWS'
'Largest gathering in Honduran history' receives deposed leader's return, but where to now for Honduran resistance movement?

More at The Real News

Zelaya's return to Honduras: victory for Latin American and Honduran democracy

2011-06-01T13:27:00.006+01:00

May 31, 2011
'

''Si se pudo!', 'Si se pudo!' ('It could be done!', 'It could be done!') was the slogan chanted by the huge crowds that poured into Honduras' capital city, Tegucigalpa, on May 28, 2011, to give a rapturous welcome to 'Mel', Manuel Zelaya, the democratically-elected president of the country until a brutal military coup deposed him on 28 June, 2009.
For nearly two years, a mass movement of the people of Honduras has been on the streets to oppose the coup and challenge the de-facto regime established after the ousting of Zelaya. They have paid a heavy price in loss of life, imprisonment, torture and repression. Yet, the mass movement, led and organised by the Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular (FNPR), have managed to expose the shaky bases of the current government, which in elections held under conditions of military dictatorship in November 2010, won Porfirio Lobo the presidency.

The intense isolation which Latin American subjected Lobo's government to, by not only condemning the coup and refusing to recognise the November elections but by also excluding it from the Organization of American States (OAS), the Ibero-American Summit and various other international bodies, which coupled with the steady strengthening of the FNPR, and Honduras' international isolation, led Lobo and sections of Honduras political establishment to make the unprecedented U-turn, thus making Zelaya's return possible.

As part of the 'process of reconciliation', relevant Honduran authorities have dropped criminal charges against Zelaya, thus paving the way for Lobo and Zelaya on May 22, 2011, to sign the Cartagena Agreement (text in Spanish), brokered jointly by presidents Chavez and Santos from Venezuela and Colombia respectively. This joint Venezuela-Colombia initiative set the framework for the return of Manuel Zelaya to Honduras which, among other things, allows for a referendum on whether and how the constitution might be reformed --the very reason argued by the golpistas to oust Zelaya-- and for the FNPR to register as a formal political party (see FNPR's statement). Furthermore, a joint Venezuela-Colombia Monitoring Commission has been established to ensure the terms of the agreement are adhered to. This opens the way for Honduras to be allowed to return to the OAS. Lobo has also decided to rejoin Petrocaribe, from which Honduras withdrew in 2009.

The Cartagena Agreement has been widely endorsed by the region. Hillary Clinton has publicly thanked 'the help of the Colombian and venezuelan governments' for it. And Zelaya's return had the presence of among, others Nicolas Maduro and Maria Angela Holguin, foreign ministers of Venezuela and Colombia respectively as well as government representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, etc., including Jose Miguel Insulza, OAS Secretary General.

The return of Manuel Zelaya to Honduras is no doubt a significant victory against the obscurantist external and internal forces that ousted him two years ago. It also shows that the emerging Latin America is not prepared to tolerate a return to the hellish days of US-organised coups that ousted progressive governments in the 20th century. With the Cartagena Agreement the struggle of the FNPR to get a referendum to establish a Constituent Assembly has been boosted, but this by no means guarantees democracy or the respect for human rights in Honduras. A new phase has been inaugurated in the country's history but the people confront a recalcitrant oligarchy and retrograde forces in the US who will do everything in their power to resist progressive developments in Honduras. The heroic people of Honduras will need all the solidarity we can give them.

Dr Francisco Dominguez

Convenor Emergency Committee Against the Coup in Honduras

WE ARE NOT AFRAID: INSIDE THE COUP IN HONDURAS (DOCUMENTARY)

2010-09-09T07:26:00.002+01:00

Watch the excellent documentary "We are not afraid: Inside the coup in Honduras" (Quien dijo miedo: Honduras de un golpe)

"We are not afraid" charts the struggle of the Honduran people against the coup that overthrew the democratically-elected President, Manuel Zelaya, and their magnificent resistance against the military dictatorship that was imposed on them. The documentary is the work of Katia Lara, director, and Carlos del Valle, producer, through the company Terco Producciones.

René Amador is a Honduran amateur actor who appeared on television spots promoting the referendum on convening the National Constituent Assembly in Honduras. On June 28th, 2009, instead of a referendum, there was a brutal coup d’état: the army abducted President Manuel Zelaya and had him flown abroad. Along with thousands of other Hondurans, René joined the National Resistance Front against the Coup d’ État. An unprecedented Honduras arises: a people who resist despite media bias, violence and death, and take to the streets to stand up for their rights. This is their story.

"... a much needed truth telling intervention where mainstream media has failed.” --Greg Grandin

Washington’s Invented Honduran Democracy: Seven journalists slain since March

2010-04-24T10:37:00.001+01:00

Washington’s Invented Honduran Democracy

by COHA Staff

Revised and amended version of COHA communiqué of April 22, 2010 President of Newspaper Guild Joins COHA in Expressing Their Extreme Concern Over the Ongoing Massacre of Honduran Journalists

Washington’s Faux Honduran Democracy has deceived very few in the Hemisphere, with News Journalists Paying the Heavy Price (in the picture TV journalist Jorge Orellana).

• U.S. Newspaper Guild president blasts killing of seven Honduran journalists (COHA’s first and longtime chairman, the late Charles Perlik, Jr., also served as the president of the Newspaper Guild)
• With the wave of killings now besieging the Central American country, the White House needs to show that it’s willing to support democracy in Honduras
• It’s disappointing that the Obama administration’s position on Honduran policy has helped to create an environment for the sixth murder of a Honduran journalist in recent days, making the tiny Central American country the world’s murder capital when it comes to gunning down media professionals.

The Honduras Overthrow and Washington’s Failings
Since the constitutionally-elected government of President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown by a military coup on June 28, 2009, Washington has dragged its feet and repeatedly has acted as an apologist in defending the Honduran de facto government of Roberto Micheletti and its successor, the elected government of Porfirio Lobo Sosa. Although the (U.S. based) National Democratic Institute at first characterized Lobo’s election as democratic; in fact balloting was boycotted by dozens of anti-coup candidates and was carried out under conditions of state-sanctioned violence. The UN, EU, OAS and the Carter Center refused to send monitors to Honduras to evaluate the quality of the elections. Most of the world has established a cordon sanitaire around the increasingly tainted heir of the coup government and has blocked military, financial, and diplomatic ties to it. We expect the same from the U.S.

The DeMint Affair
Washington’s Latin American policymakers insisted that they were following a policy aimed against the protagonists of a coup d’état against the legitimate Zelaya government, but the reality of U.S. policy was another matter. The June 2009 coup that ousted Zelaya took place five months after the Obama administration had assumed office. In October of 2009, COHA expressed its extreme concern that arch-conservative Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) had been playing a destructive role in the formulation of U.S.-Honduran foreign policy by placing a “hold” on two U.S. diplomatic nominations by the Obama White House. These included Arturo Valenzuela, who had been nominated to be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. COHA further reported that “Senator DeMint has stated that he would release his hold on the confirmations of Valenzuela and [Thomas] Shannon [to be Ambassador to Brazil] only after the U.S. affirms that it will recognize the upcoming November elections in Honduras.”

This scenario came to pass as DeMint publically “announced the lifting of the veto since he had secured a commitment from the Obama administration to recognize the Honduran elections on November 29th.” It was later revealed that this commitment came in the form of results of a telephone call from Secretary Clinton and Valenzuela assuring DeMint (according to the Senator) that regardless of whether President Zelaya joined a then U.S.-advocated unity government involving the major political forces in Honduras (as stipulated in the San José-Tegucigalpa accords), the U.S. would recognize the election’s results. In other words, the Secretary of State and Valenzuela were prepared to allow DeMint to sabotage the U.S.’s stance on Honduras by caving in on the most important Latin American-related decision of the Obama presidency based on DeMint’s prosaic, if not insulting terms. The amended U.S. position was at variance with the conduct of the vast majority of nations in the hemisphere and the world, including most of the OAS leadership and the entire EU.

As a result of the alarming series of murders of journalists now occurring in Honduras, President Bernard J. Lunzer of The Newspaper Guild Communications Workers of America (representing thousands of working journalists in the U.S. and Canada) joins with Larry Birns, the director of the Washington-based Council in Hemispheric Affairs, in denouncing the slaughter of seven working journalists in a little over a month (as compiled by LatinNews).

1. Joseph Ochoa (1 March, in the capital Tegucigalpa);
2. David Meza (11 March, La Ceiba);
3. Nahún Palacios (15 March, Topoa, near La Ceiba);
4. Bayardo Mairena (26 March, on a road in the province of Olancha, bordering Nicaragua)
5. Manuel Juárez (killed with Mairena)
6. Luis Antonio Chévez Hernández (12 April, San Pedro Sula)
7. Jorge Alberto “Georgino” Orellana (20 April, San Pedro Sula)

It should also be noted that just hours ago, a reporter for a Vera Cruz daily was kidnapped, the eleventh such event to have occurred since 2003.

There has been no compelling evidence that the Honduran government has been seized by any great sense of urgency regarding the danger facing working members of the Honduran press. To the contrary, Honduran authorities have shamelessly come up with a canard attributing the rash of politically-motivated extrajudicial murders now being witnessed to common criminals. What is acutely troubling is that the State Department has not made it a matter of high priority that its protégé, the government of President Lobo, seems not to be overly concerned about what is occurring in Honduras, nor, for that matter, does Washington. This is unacceptable.

Honduran campesinos under the gun Pt2

2010-04-24T02:37:00.001+01:00

The Real News -

In Part two of two on the land conflict in the Aguán Valley, we look at the roots of the conflict, and the motivation for the campesinos to begin the land occupation that eventually won them 11,000 hectares. We also look at what the experience in Aguán means for other conflicts in a country where the power struggle that gave rise to the June 2009 coup is far from over.

Including interviews with Father Ismael "Melo" Moreno, Rosemary Joyce, and reporting from the land occupation in question.

PART 2

Produced by Jesse Freeston.

Honduran campesinos under the gun Pt1

2010-04-24T02:35:00.002+01:00

The Real News -

A tentative and controversial resolution has been reached in a long-standing land conflict in Honduras. The controversy lies in the mobilization of the military, in the form of at least 2,000 soldiers, to pressure the campesinos into signing the latest negotiated deal. The group of 3,500 campesino families has agreed to accept a total of 11,000 hectares from the Lobo government. The previously landless workers continue to occupy a series of African palm plantations in the fertile Northern Honduran valley of Aguán, until their access to the land is assured.

PART 1

Produced by Jesse Freeston.

Bio

Rosemary Joyce is an anthropologist and archaeologist at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been worked regularly in Honduras ever since 1977. She blogs regularly at her 'Honduran Culture and Politics'.
Her blog can be found at: hondurasculturepolitics.blogspot.com

URGENT!!! Violent eviction of peasants in Aguan being prepared by Honduran Army

2010-04-13T08:53:00.003+01:00

URGENT!!! Violent eviction of peasants in Aguan being prepared by Honduran Army!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sunday April 11th, 2010 20:05 Dina Meza

A violent eviction against the 28 peasant settlements in Aguán is being prepared for this Monday [today] by thousands of military, police and security guards of the land-owners, who have built-up around the recuperated places according to the latest information from this weekend.

Through the arrival of these combined forces from different parts of the country the zone is totally militarized, strong operations are taking place with the intention of intimidating the men and women who have joined the Unified Peasant Movement of Aguán, MUCA, who are struggling for a piece of land.

Videos posted on YouTube show military transports loaded with troops and towing supply trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdL17p_mblM
http://www.youtube.com/user/MUCAtv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTaIVEIdDQ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUmbrOdBJoI

Psychological operations are a preamble to a violent eviction being prepared by the land owners with the support of the Armed Forces and the preventative police, which degerneates into State terrorism against unarmed men and women.

According to denunciations from a communiqué of the Coordinator of Popular Organizations of Aguán, state terrorism is coming from this government, directed by the President, Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa, who has sent 29 commandos replete with soldiers and vehicles without license plates with high-calibre arms, who arrived to the Aguan region around 4:00pm on Saturday April 10th, 2010, with the objective of intimidating first of all the peasants who have undertaken the actions of recuperation and the population of the area so that the farm-workers accept the proposal given by the government of the republic, in defense of the interests of the three foreign land-owners situated through fraud in this valley, proof of which is that they are being housed in the facilities of the Oil Extraction Plant, property of Miguel Facusse.

In the document COPA adds that "We hold responsible the President of the Republic, the Minister of Security, and the Minister of Defense and the businessmen Miguel Facusse, René Morales and Reinaldo Canales for any violent act generated in the next few hours in the Bajo Aguán region which increases the number of killings of peasants."

According to information given by peasants in the left bank of the Aguán River, the military and police are concentrated at several points among which is Quebrada de Agua, near Miguel Facussé's African Palm processing factory.

“They have carried out intense patrols and they have us threatened, to the extreme of launching bursts of bullets against a little ten-year-old who went over to see them while they were doing their military exercises," denounced a peasant woman to defensoresenlinea.com, the evening of Sunday April 11th.

Meanwhile the 105th Infantry Batallion, the Naval Base and the Fourth Batallion are joining forces to go out in the early morning Monday to kick the peasants off the lands appropriated by the landholders that had been recovered by the peasants.

One proposal of the landowners that was presented by the government is a table of "dialogue" with thousands of arms pointing at the head of MUCA, in which they wish to leave the affiliates of that organization who are reclaiming government lands as work-boys for the landowners tied to their wishes. The answer is supposed to be given by MUCA on Tuesday.

The police/military mobilization that will leave millions in expenses for the Honduran people, to which must be added paramilitarys, was immediately preceeded by the assassination by men on a motorcycle of the farm-worker José Leonel Álvarez Guerra in Tocoa, Colón when he was coming home this past April 7th, in the middle of denunciations of the presence of Billy Joya, member of the 3-16 Death Squad who since the coup d'etat has been participating in actions violating human rights.

At the same time this happens in the midst of the announcement by TV and radio by the regime to remind people about the penal sanctions for the manufacture, storage, transport, use, import, acquisition of supply of arms, explosives or materials for war or combat, listing off AK47 rifles, sub-machine guns, pistols and home-made arms.
“They are training in the Tenth Batallion of Trujillo to activate explosives and mine all of the farms where we are and put an end to us in that way while masked men are besieging us,” denounced another of the peasants interviewed by defensoresenlinea.com.

Although the actions are public because of the denunciations of MUCA through the radio programs Voices Against Forgetting, of the Committee of Family Members of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) and the Resistance through the National Front of Popular Resistance, up till now the state institutions who should be taking measures to avoid a blood-letting in Aguán still haven't put out statements about the matter.If this violent eviction becomes concrete thousands of peasants are at grave risk in these moments, for which we alert international human rights organizations to send urgent calls to the Honduran state to deter this massacre.

Please urgently address letters / emails to:

Mr Ivan Romero-Martinez
Ambassador of Honduras
115 Gloucester Place
London W1U 6JT
Fax: 020 7486 4550
Email: hondurasuk@lineone.net

Honduras: New president, but old problems

2010-02-12T09:27:00.000Z

By RussiaToday: January 27, 2010

Today in Honduras Porfirio Lobo was sworn in as the country's new president. Lobo's inauguration brought to an end months of political turmoil in the country, which began with a coup last June that dethroned Manuel Zelaya. Are Honduras's political problems really over? And how should the international community react?

‘More Terror’ in Honduras, as Another Unionist Murdered

2010-02-12T09:02:00.000Z

By Kari Lydersen

Source: Inthesetimes

The body of 29-year-old Vanessa Yamileth Zepeda, still dressed in her nurse’s scrubs and killed by a bullet, turned up in the Loarque neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on February 4. Zepeda had young children and was a leader of the SITRAIHSS labor union (Workers Union for the Honduran Social Security Institute). She had been abducted that afternoon while leaving a union meeting.

The administration of the newly inaugurated President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo has called Zepeda’s murder and other recent attacks common crime. But the Honduran resistance movement – mobilized since the June 2009 coup against then-president Manuel Zelaya – see it as a clear message.

Trade unionists, especially public sector workers like Zepeda, are among the strongest and largest factions making up the resistance coalition. Opposition to powerful unions was apparently among the motivations for the coup in the first place, and all the country’s major union federations are part of the resistance front.

Unions are an impediment to neoliberal pushes to increase privatization, and foreign companies fear clashes with unions or unionizing efforts in Honduras’ maquila (factory) sector.

Since Lobo’s inauguration on January 27, there have been 10 to 15 assassinations of resistance members and leaders, according to Victoria Cervantes, a Chicago activist who recently returned from meeting with unionists and other groups in Honduras with the group La Voz de los de Abajo.

Since the coup, a number of people have been killed and thousands arrested and detained. Most of the previous deaths involved police and soldiers opening fire on crowds or attacking people in the midst of protests. Such open state violence has ebbed in recent weeks.

But the targeted kidnapping, torture and assassination of a handful of activists like Zepeda is more chilling and evokes hallmarks of the ruthless right-wing death squads of the 1980s in Central America and more recently in Colombia, according to human rights groups.

(Jeremy Kryt has been reporting from Honduras on such human rights abuses for In These Times.)

“Before you might have had 300 army trucks storming through Tegucigalpa,” said Cervantes. “That could be terrifying, but what’s probably more terrifying is the idea that if you are identified as part of the resistance movement, you or your daughter could be snatched up and tortured. This is more terror at a lower political cost.”

Trade unionists and gay and lesbian groups, who have become increasingly visible and organized as part of the resistance, have been the main focus of recent attacks and intimidation. Campesino communities, especially those involved in contested land takeovers, have also suffered recent increases in violence and repression from police and landowners.

“Campesinos have always suffered some level of violence, but this is different,” said Cervantes.

There have reportedly been beheadings and a man’s tongue was cut out. Cervantes said Honduran officials known for paramilitary activity in the 1980s have also resurfaced as part of the coup and/or in Lobo’s conservative party.

“It’s the same actors as the ‘80s, and they’re desperate to terrify the resistance out of existence,” said Cervantes. “Again, it’s multinational companies tied in with the oligarchy. History keeps repeating itself.”

COFADEH: State terrorism contradicts discourse of reconciliation

2010-02-12T08:57:00.000Z

02/06/2010 - 17:09 — AP - Source: http://quotha.net/node/742

State terrorism against the resistance contradicts discourse of reconciliation

The state terrorism carried out since June 28th against the Honduran people continues through targeted crimes, political persecution and other violations of human rights, contradicting the discourse of reconciliation and the installation of a truth commission.

For the Committee of Family Members of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras, COFADEH, the current regime has a two-faced approach, which seeks to clean up an image drenched in blood and terror to present itself to the international community as a government of reconciliation.

Nonetheless the reality is different. While they drink wine in elegant hotels to listen to the same story from those who perpetrated the coup d'etat and give their orders with regard to the formation of the Truth Commission, outside there are kidnappings, assassinations and the refining of perverse strategies to dismantle the resistance, which has remained strong since the day of the coup d'etat and which continues to advance in its struggle to achieve a National Constituent Assembly to elaborate a new Constitution.

All this is in the service of whitewashing the coup d'etat. Last week they approved an amnesty that for us is a monstrosity with the aim of covering the crimes of the human rights violators.

In the country there is a very serious situation of human rights violations. These cases are only one example of the emergency that we are living in with regard to respect for fundamental rights:

On February 2nd, the young cameramen Manuel de Jesús Murillo Varela, of the program Hable como Habla and Ricardo Rodríguez, of the news show Mi Nación by a police unit of officers dressed as civilians who drove them to a clandestine prison where they hooded them [preventing them from breathing] until they lost consciousness from asphyxiation. In addition they kept them under continual threat of cutting off their heads and toes if they did not say where they had weapons and money.

That same night resistance members Ariel Lobo and Ricardo Domínguez were captured by preventive polive who took them to the El Manchén police station, where they were also interrogated about weapons. In August 2009, Ariel Lobo was the victim of an attempted kidnapping by members of the army and heavily armed men dressed in civilian clothing who carried out an operation in the center of the city.

On February 3rd the young woman Vanesa Zepeda (29), active member of the resistance since the coup d'etat and union leader with the Honduran Institute of Social Security IHSS was found dead. She had left her house at two in the afternoon and after that moment nobody had had contact with her. Her body was thrown from a vehicle in the vicinity of Colonia El Loarque, between 6:30 and 7:00 pm that day. The preamble to her death was administrative persecution by means of firing hearings in the Social Security office.

In mid-January, schoolteacher, Pech [ethnicity] leader in the department of Olancho and active member of the resistance Blas López was assassinated in the village of Carbonal.

The ongoing persecution and crimes against the peasant farmers of the Unified Movement of Aguán, MUCA, makes clear that the groups in power will not cede an inch, after all they have the whole judicial system kissing their golden fist.

To the above points we can add the early morning raids carried out by the Minister of Security, Oscar Álvarez, which are nothing more than crass human rights violations, now accompanied by attorneys from the Public Ministry, whose task will not be to prevent these illegal acts but rather to legalize them.

COFADEH asks the international community to not allow itself to be deceived by the siren's song that has the end goal of putting to sleep the fight against impunity. We urge you instead to continue accompanying the Honduran people in their fight for liberty, justice, and the search for the truth.

For the crimes and the criminals: We shall neither forgive nor forget.

Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras
COFADEH
Tegucigalpa M.D.C. February 5, 2010

Honduran Resistance in the Streets of Tegucigalpa

2010-02-12T08:11:00.006Z

Rafael Alegría Interviewed by Jeffery R. Webber*

Source: Monthly Review

Hundreds of thousands of Hondurans took to the streets on Wednesday, January 27 to protest the inauguration of Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Soza. Lobo was the victor in fraudulent elections held last November and his new regime is seen by the Honduran resistance as a continuation and consolidation of the coup regime that first came to power by overthrowing democratically-elected President, Manuel Zelaya, on June 28, 2009. During the march I caught up with Rafael Alegría, a key leader in the National Resistance Front, and a leading Honduran figure in the international peasant movement, Vía Campesina.

JRW: What are the principal demands of the resistance in this march today?

RA: The resistance has two principal pillars -- a social pillar for the revindication of the people's rights, in which the resistance accompanies people in their daily struggle, for agrarian reform, for just salaries, and opposition to the privatization of social services. This is the pillar of social mobilization.
The other pillar is the political arm -- to convert ourselves into a militant political force which will work towards taking political power in our country.

JRW: What are the objectives of the Constituent Assembly that the resistance is demanding?

RA: The power of the people is going to result in massive transformations in this country. We are demanding a Constituent Assembly that is going to transform this country, into a participatory democracy. It will be a new Honduras -- a country with social justice, with equality, with a new model of development in which everyone is included, and, as the Bolivians say, so that our entire country can live well.
It will be very different than the current situation, in which there is a privileged oligarchy, which owns and controls everything, while on the other hand there is an immense mass of impoverished people. This can't continue.
There are a huge number of people in this march. And this is the message we are sending to the entire oligarchic power groups and to the rest of the people.

JRW: In the next few months, what will the strategy of the resistance be?

RA: We are in a process of national organization, of articulation, and establishing schools of political education. Our mobilizations are also going to continue. We have a concrete immediate agenda of mobilization. Beyond that, we're preparing ourselves to participate in the elections in three years so that we can take definitive control.

*Jeffery R. Webber teaches political science at the University of Regina, Canada. He has three forthcoming books: Red October: Left-Indigenous Struggles in Modern Bolivia; The Politics of Evismo: Reform to Rebellion in Bolivian Politics; and (co-edited with Barry Carr) The Resurgence of Latin American Radicalism: From Cracks in the Empire to an Izquierda Permitida

Colombia's Uribe Signs Security Pact with Honduras' Lobo

2010-02-12T07:56:00.000Z

Source: Latin American Herald Tribune

TEGUCIGALPA – Colombian president Alvaro Uribe signed a security pact with his Honduran counterpart, Porfirio Lobo, and then flew back to his own country after a visit of three hours in the Central American nation.

After a private meeting with Lobo and the ministers of the new Honduran government, both presidents signed a brief declaration in which they committed to launching an “action plan in security matters” beginning next Feb. 15.

The accord states that the authorities responsible for security in the two countries will exchange experiences and best practices.

They will also develop mechanisms for bilateral cooperation aimed at strengthening the institutional capabilities of the two countries in security matters, according to the declaration that Lobo and Uribe signed in Tegucigalpa.

“Colombia and Honduras have maintained magnificent relations, we need to strengthen those relations every day, and we are very pleased that the action plan in matters of security will begin on Feb. 15,” Uribe said in a statement distributed to the press at the end of his meeting with Lobo.

He added that both Honduras and Colombia are harmed by drug trafficking and terrorism, scourges that destroy “morality and ethics” while creating in society “an attitude of contempt for the law.”

Uribe said that he very much liked sharing aspirations for security with Honduras, as well as the vision of economic prosperity promoted by Lobo, who took power last Jan. 27.

“Security, economic prosperity and social justice are inseparable,” Uribe said.

Lobo said that he and the Colombian president had “an exchange of ideas that was very important for democracy, and in particular very important for Honduras.”

They also analyzed matters affecting trade between the two countries and some development projects in the agricultural and forestry sectors.

Uribe is the first president who has come to Honduras to acknowledge Lobo’s presidency and offer him support after his inauguration, following the international isolation the Central American country has suffered since the coup that deposed Manuel Zelaya on June 28, 2009.

Lobo and Uribe offered the press no further commentaries, and after signing the joint agreement the Colombian president departed for his own country.

Uribe arrived in Honduras from Davos, Switzerland, where he participated in the World Economic Forum.

US alone in boosting Honduran ties after Zelaya's exile

2010-02-12T07:42:00.000Z

Sat, 30 Jan 2010

Source: PressTV

The United States will resume aid to Honduras after the country's overthrown President Manuel Zelaya went into exile in the wake of a military coup in June 2009.

Washington's decision comes after the ousted president was forced into exile in the Dominican Republic, as Honduras swore in Porfirio Lobo as the new leader.

"I am happy that with the visit of US ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens, we are practically normalizing the ties with the United States of America," Lobo said at a joint press conference with the US diplomat.
Llorens, for his part, hailed the reestablishment of ties and said, "Honduras will be able to appoint its ambassador (to the United States) without problem. That will be done with normality."

He also claimed that "more than one million Honduran people living in the United States demanded a friendly tie" between the two countries.

Meanwhile, other donor nations such as Brazil and Mexico have yet to say if they will resume their aid programs since both states have refused to recognize Lobo as the president because the November election was organized by the de facto government, forced into power by the military coup that ousted the elected President Zelaya.

Argentina and Venezuela have also rejected the legitimacy of Lobo's government.

The US, however, was among the first to recognize the latest election results, which many observers in the region have described as illegitimate for the very reason that it was an outcome of a military coup that had the undeclared blessing of the United States and the Obama Administration.

Observers also believe that Zelaya was ousted because he made efforts to reduce the dominating and historic US influence in the country, challenging its political and economic independence.

The Honduran military has been entirely trained by and in the US. Over the years, a number of American church groups and human rights organizations have staged protest rallies at US military camp sites that trained the notorious Honduran police squads cited for widespread torture and secret assassination of opposition figures.

Bolivia rejects new Honduran government

2010-02-12T07:30:00.001Z

La Paz, Jan 30 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca stated on Saturday that Evo Morales''s government would not recognize the new Honduran Executive of President elect Porfirio Lobo, because the Bolivian government rejects dictatorships.

Bolivian newspaper La Razon published statements by Choquehuanca, and said several countries have said they would not accept those elections.

Bolivian top authorities said the constitutional President of Honduras is Manuel Zelaya, victim of a military coup on June 28, 2009, led by Roberto MIcheletti.

The Bolivian foreign minister also said his country would not change its stance, because its population has suffered military dictatorships in the past.

Porfirio Lobo was inaugurated on Wednesday, without the necessary support from the international community.

The current Honduran government is at risk of not being recognized by several Latin American countries, since they reject the illegal elections on November, 2009, organized under a de facto regime.

Nicaragua Not Recognizing New President of Honduras

2010-02-12T00:36:00.001Z

From: Periodico 26

Managua.— "Nicaragua cannot recognize Porfirio Lobo as the new president of that country, as his power is based on bayonets and a coup d’état," said the Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, cited PL news agency.

"We cannot recognize the government of Honduras as it is a continuity of the military coup which overthrew the ex-president Manuel Zelaya," said Daniel Ortega.

Ortega also denounced the amnesty dictated by the Honduran congress to set the soldiers who participated in the coup free. "Those involved in the coup, certainly, feel at liberty and with all the support to promote and favour new coups in Honduras and the Central American region," he added.

Ortega underscored that Central America is experiencing "a difficult situation, since the effects of the coup d’état are contaminating the region". He also stressed that Lobo is threatening, and that he is not strong enough to make decisions without being influenced by the coup protagonists.

"We cannot give in to military coups. Nicaragua will continue fighting in the international forums against the breaking up of constitutional order."

PL news agency also reported that Ortega spoke of the Agreement of Association, which the European Union (EU) and the Central-American countries are negotiating; and denounced that the European countries "practically want to do away with" the production forces of the region.

Ortega spoke of the fact that this process had been frozen due to the coup in Honduras in June last year, and said that this negotiation has not been an easy task due to the conditions the EU is imposing in all fields.

The US game in Latin America

2010-02-12T00:24:00.007Z

US interference in the politics of Haiti and Honduras is only the latest example of its long-term manipulations in Latin America

o Mark Weisbrot
o guardian.co.uk, Friday 29 January 2010

oSource: The US game in Latin America

o See also: Mark Weisbrot: Who is in charge of US foreign policy?

When I write about US foreign policy in places such as Haiti or Honduras, I often get responses from people who find it difficult to believe that the US government would care enough about these countries to try and control or topple their governments. These are small, poor countries with little in the way of resources or markets. Why should Washington policymakers care who runs them?

Unfortunately they do care. A lot. They care enough about Haiti to have overthrown the elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide not once, but twice. The first time, in 1991, it was done covertly. We only found out after the fact that the people who led the coup were paid by the US Central Intelligence Agency. And then Emmanuel Constant, the leader of the most notorious death squad there – which killed thousands of Aristide's supporters after the coup – told CBS News that he, too, was funded by the CIA.

In 2004, the US involvement in the coup was much more open. Washington led a cut-off of almost all international aid for four years, making the government's collapse inevitable. As the New York Times reported, while the US state department was telling Aristide that he had to reach an agreement with the political opposition (funded with millions of US taxpayers' dollars), the International Republican Institute was telling the opposition not to settle.

In Honduras last summer and autumn, the US government did everything it could to prevent the rest of the hemisphere from mounting an effective political opposition to the coup government in Honduras. For example, they blocked the Organisation of American States from taking the position that it would not recognise elections that took place under the dictatorship. At the same time, the Obama administration publicly pretended that it was against the coup.

This was only partly successful, from a public relations point of view. Most of the US public thinks that the Obama administration was against the Honduran coup, although by November of last year there were numerous press reports and even editorial criticisms that Obama had caved to Republican pressure and not done enough. But this was a misreading of what actually happened: the Republican pressure in support of the Honduran coup changed the administration's public relations strategy, but not its political strategy. Those who followed events closely from the beginning could see that the political strategy was to blunt and delay any efforts to restore the elected president, while pretending that a return to democracy was actually the goal.

Among those who understood this were the governments of Latin America, including such heavyweights as Brazil. This is important because it shows that the State Department was willing to pay a significant political cost in order to help the right in Honduras. It convinced the vast majority of Latin American governments that it was no different from the Bush administration in its goals for the hemisphere, which is not a pleasant outcome from a diplomatic point of view.

Why do they care so much about who runs these poor countries? As any good chess player knows, pawns matter. The loss of a couple of pawns at the beginning of the game can often make a difference between a win or a loss. They are looking at these countries mostly in straight power terms. Governments that are in agreement with maximising US power in the world, they like. Those who have other goals – not necessarily antagonistic to the United States – they don't like.

Not surprisingly, the Obama administration's closest allies in the hemisphere are rightwing governments such as those of Colombia or Panama, even though Obama himself is not a rightwing politician. This highlights the continuity of the politics of control. The victory of the right in Chile, the first time that it has won an election in half a century, was a significant victory for the US government. If Lula de Silva's Workers' party were to lose the presidential election in Brazil this autumn, that would be another win for the state department. While US officials under both Bush and Obama have maintained a friendly posture toward Brazil, it is obvious that they deeply resent the changes in Brazilian foreign policy that have allied it with other social democratic governments in the hemisphere, and its independent foreign policy stances with regard to the Middle East, Iran, and elsewhere.

The US actually intervened in Brazilian politics as recently as 2005, organising a conference to promote a legal change that would make it more difficult for legislators to switch parties. This would have strengthened the opposition to Lula's Workers' party (PT) government, since the PT has party discipline but many opposition politicians do not. This intervention by the US government was only discovered last year through a Freedom of Information Act request filed in Washington. There are many other interventions taking place throughout the hemisphere that we do not know about. The United States has been heavily involved in Chilean politics since the 1960s, long before they organised the overthrow of Chilean democracy in 1973.

In October 1970, President Richard Nixon was cursing in the Oval Office about the Social Democratic president of Chile, Salvador Allende. "That son of a bitch!" said Richard Nixon on 15 October. "That son of a bitch Allende – we're going to smash him." A few weeks later he explained why:

The main concern in Chile is that [Allende] can consolidate himself, and the picture projected to the world will be his success ... If we let the potential leaders in South America think they can move like Chile and have it both ways, we will be in trouble.

That is another reason that pawns matter, and Nixon's nightmare did in fact come true a quarter-century later, as one country after another elected independent left governments that Washington did not want. The United States ended up "losing" most of the region. But they are trying to get it back, one country at a time. The smaller, poorer countries that are closer to the United States are the most at risk. Honduras and Haiti will have democratic elections some day, but only when Washington's influence over their politics is further reduced.

Amnesty International issues human rights plan for Honduras

2010-02-11T23:59:00.004Z

The security forces committed acts of human rights abuse during the coup d'état
No-one has been held to account for these abuses
Amnesty International's report summarizes 20 cases including police killings
Honduran President Porfirio Lobo must ensure the abuses of the past seven months are dealt with quickly and effectively

28 January 2010

Amnesty International on Thursday issued a series of recommendations to newly elected Honduran President Porfirio Lobo to repair the damage done to human rights since the June 2009 coup d'état, which left hundreds seeking justice.

The 13 recommendations include issues relating to investigations into the human rights abuses committed by security forces, rejecting amnesty laws for those responsible for the crimes, training judges on international human rights legislation and setting up an effective witness protection programme.

"Honduras' devastating coup d'état has left the country in urgent need of a programme of human rights reconstruction with clear objectives and a timeline for completion," said Kerrie Howard, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Americas programme.

"If President Lobo wants to restore the rule of law and confidence in his government, he must ensure the abuses of the past seven months are dealt with quickly and effectively."

Amnesty International's report also summarizes 20 cases which include police killings, arbitrary detentions, beatings and ill-treatment in detention, sexual abuse of women and girls, harassment of journalists, judges and activists.

No-one has been held to account for these abuses and few investigations have been opened.

On 1 August, 38-year-old teacher Roger Abraham Vallejo died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained from a bullet wound to the head, caused by a rubber bullet reportedly fired by police during the break up of a protest in Tegucigalpa in July. An investigation into the killing is open but no advances have been reported.

On 23 September, 16-year-old Gerson Ariel Cruz was seriously wounded by police following the break up of a protest in Tegucigalpa. According to an eyewitness, the police chased protesters into a residential neighbourhood where they opened fire with live ammunition. Gerson, who had taken no part in the protest, was shot in the stomach.

When family members tried to take him to hospital they were turned back from a police roadblock, substantially delaying their journey to seek emergency treatment. Gerson survived but sustained serious injuries from which he has still not fully recovered. The shooting was reported to the Special Prosecutor for Human Rights and an investigation is on-going.

"There are dozens of cases of killings, beatings, sexual harassment and other abuses by the security forces against members of the opposition movement and those seen as critical of the coup d'état which need to be urgently investigated," said Kerrie Howard. "Hondurans will expect President Lobo to provide answers and a resolution to the hundreds of human rights abuses committed by the security forces since 28 June 2009."

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo took office on 27 January. He was elected in November last year amidst a political crisis that saw President Manuel Zelaya ousted by military-backed right wing politicians in June.

Honduras: Recommendations to the new Honduran government following the coup of June 2009

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Honduran President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales of the Liberal Party, was forced from power in a coup d’état on 28 June 2009. Amnesty International has documented widespread human rights violations against civilians by both police and military officials, including excessive use of force, unlawful killings, torture and other ill treatment, arbitrary arrest and harassment and intimidation of opponents to the coup. In this document Amnesty International is calling on the new government to ensure truth, justice and reparation for the human rights violations committed during the political crisis.

Indigenous Organization COPINH: We march against the developers, planners, executors and inheritors of the Coup d'Etat

2010-02-11T08:25:00.006Z

The Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras COPINH communicates to the peoples of the world and to the people of Honduras in particular the following:

1. From the different Lenca communities and from all the corners of our country, we are mobilizing to participate in the great march convened by the National Front of Popular Resistance against the coup d'etat.

2. We mobilize to reject the regime of Porfirio Lobo Sosa, developer, planner, executor and inheritor of the coup d'etat, with which once again the oligarchy has violated the Constitution of the Republic.

3. We mobilize to denounce the impunity enjoyed in our country by the oligarchic, political, police and military leadership.

4. We mobilize to demand the punishing of the assassins of our sisters and brothers who lost their lives defending the right to live in democracy.

5. We mobilize to defend our right to free expression.

6. We mobilize to denounce the plan for the country of the oligarchy and its aides, given that it is nothing more than a plan of dispossession of natural resources and exploitation of the Honduran people.

7. We mobilize to denounce the Organization of American States, the United Nations, the European Union, entities that were and are complacent with the coup-makers and that once again demonstrated that their reason for existence is to serve the powerful.

8. We mobilize to make a call to create, from the resistance, a broad front as a space for electoral participation of the Honduran people that allows us to develop a new type of political instrument and to move away from the temptation to be used by the parties of the oligarchy who were part of the coup d'etat.

9. We mobilize to move forward the struggle for a democratic and grassroots National Constitutional Assembly, to have a new political constitution that allows for the re-founding of our country.

With the ancestral force of Lempira, Iselaca, Mota and Etempica we raise our voices full of life, dignity, justice, freedom and peace.

La Esperanza, Intibucá, Honduras January 26th, 2010 year of the deepening of the people's struggle.

IACHR: HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT

2010-02-02T06:45:00.004Z

INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. As its paramount mission is to “promote the observance and defense of human rights” in the Hemisphere, the Commission has been particularly attentive in following the situation of human rights in Honduras, and through its reports has reviewed a series of structural issues in the areas of justice, security, marginalization and discrimination that have for decades taken a toll on the human rights of its inhabitants.

2. On June 28, 2009, the democratically elected President of Honduras was deposed and the democratic and constitutional order was interrupted.[1] At 5:00 a.m. that morning, Honduran Army troops, acting on orders of the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Minister of Defense, stormed the presidential residence, took President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales into custody and flew him by military aircraft to Costa Rica.

3. That same day, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “Inter-American Commission”, “IACHR” or the “Commission”) issued its first press release on the situation in Honduras, in which it strongly condemned the coup d’état, made an urgent call to restore democratic order in Honduras and to respect human rights, and demanded that the situation of the Foreign Minister and other cabinet members be clarified immediately, as their whereabouts at the time were unknown. On June 30, the Commission asked to conduct an urgent visit to Honduras. Also, in furtherance of its duties to promote and protect human rights and given the hundreds of complaints it had received on June 28 and thereafter alleging grave human rights violations, the IACHR granted precautionary measures, requested information on the danger that certain persons faced as a consequence of the coup d’état, and requested information pursuant to Article 41 of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter, the “American Convention”) and Article XIV of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons (hereinafter, the “Convention on Forced Disappearance”). It also issued a number of press releases.

4. The international community’s condemnation of the coup d’état in Honduras has been unanimous. The de facto authorities have not been recognized. International forums have condemned the interruption of the democratic order in Honduras and have called for President Zelaya to be restored to office. For their part, the member states of the Organization of American States (hereinafter the “OAS”) responded to the political crisis in Honduras by invoking mechanisms recognized in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which stipulates that “[t]he peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” Thus, at a special session held on July 4, 2009, the OAS General Assembly resolved to suspend the Honduran state from the exercise of its right to participate in the Organization. It further resolved to “reaffirm that the Republic of Honduras must continue to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Organization, in particular with regard to human rights; and to urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend human rights and fundamental freedoms in Honduras.”[2]

5. On July 13, the IACHR received a communication[3] from the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Honduras, in which he agreed to the Commission’s visit. The IACHR’s on-site visit to Honduras took place between August 17 and 21, 2009, after which it prepared this report, which concerns the human rights situation since the coup d’état.

6. Along with the loss of institutional legitimacy brought about by the coup d’état, during its visit the Commission confirmed that serious human rights violations had been committed, including killings, an arbitrary declaration of a state of emergency, disproportionate use of force against public demonstrations, criminalization of public protest, arbitrary detention of thousands of persons, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, poor detention conditions, militarization of Honduran territory, an increase in incidents of racial discrimination, violations of women’s rights, severe and arbitrary restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, and serious violations of political rights. The Commission also established that judicial remedies were ineffective in protecting human rights.

7. From the day on which the coup d´état occurred, the state of emergency that the de facto authorities illegitimately decreed and that the security forces enforced was used as means to control the population. First, the Commission observes that the de facto government does not have legitimacy ab initio to declare a state of emergency; furthermore, under Article 27 of the American Convention, the scope of the suspensions must be those strictly necessary to relieve an emergency situation, and this implies limiting them in terms of time and space, and the rights that are suspended.

8. Thus, at least seven (7) people were killed as a consequence of the disproportionate force that security forces used to suppress the public demonstrations. According to the information received, there is nothing to suggest that internal investigations have made any significant headway toward identifying and punishing those responsible.

9. The IACHR confirmed that the security forces conducted thousands of illegal and arbitrary detentions, without an order from a competent authority. Those detained were not brought before a judge to review the lawfulness of their detention, were not informed of the reasons for their detention, and were not read their rights; many were held incommunicado. And while the majority of those detained were released within 24 hours, no records were made of the arrests, which in many cases obstructed execution of the writs of habeas corpus and provided the opportunity for violations of the detainees’ right to have their physical, mental and moral integrity respected, especially in the case of women detainees, who were often sexually abused.

10. The materiel and tactics that the Army, the Police and the Cobra Command Strike Force deployed revealed a disproportionate use of force. This, combined with the conditions in which detainees were incarcerated, meant that thousands of persons endured inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment. In this context, the aggressive tactics used took a particularly heavy toll on women, who in many cases were victims of sexual violence. Other minority groups like the Garifuna, members of the gay community and foreign nationals were the target of discriminatory practices.

11. The Commission also received testimony about acts of harassment against persons who publicly demonstrated their political support for President Zelaya. The IACHR confirmed serious violations of political rights, such as the right to participate in politics and the right to hold public office. Ministers, governors, members of the National Congress and mayors were the targets of reprisals, threats, acts of violence and budgetary cuts, and the public offices where they worked were occupied by military troops. Furthermore, de facto and de jure restrictions were imposed on the activities of the opposition parties, groups and leaders who were against the de facto government. The family of President Zelaya in particular reported harassment and that a smear campaign was being waged against them.

12. The IACHR confirmed that the flow of information and news was controlled by temporarily shutting down some media outlets; orders were given to block transmission of the signal from certain cable television networks that were covering the coup d’état; selective power outages were used to affect broadcasting by audiovisual media covering the coup, and journalists from media outlets whose editorial positions were opposed to the coup d’état were attacked and threatened.

13. The Commission also confirmed that the airing of dissident opinions or criticism was prohibited, and security forces were authorized to search and confiscate broadcasting equipment when, in the opinion of the administrative authorities, the media were engaging in behavior prohibited under the existing laws. These measures are a very serious, arbitrary unnecessary and disproportionate restriction, in violation of international law, of the right of all Hondurans to freely express themselves and to receive information from a plurality and diversity of sources. The IACHR repeats that any curtailment of the right to freedom of expression, even under a state of emergency, must be ordered by a legitimate government and must be proportionate and strictly necessary to protect the existence of the democratic system of government.

14. Violations of the right to life, humane treatment, freedom of association, personal liberty, judicial guarantees, freedom of expression, political rights, the rights of women and the rights of minority groups were exacerbated by the absence of a legitimate government capable of processing complaints, investigating facts, punishing those responsible, and making reparations to victims. Those sectors of Honduran society that opposed the coup d’état told the Commission that they feared reprisals by security agents and were mistrustful of those institutions that had not energetically condemned the break with the democratic institutional order, and that had done nothing in response to public outcries.

15. Under the American Convention on Human Rights, which Honduras ratified in 1977, it an international obligation to prevent human rights violations and, should they occur, to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible. Nevertheless, the de facto authorities and the Supreme Court of Honduras consistently deny the existence of those violations. Inactivity and tolerance enable the repetition of human rights violations with impunity.

16. The organs of the Inter-American system for the protection of human rights have repeatedly held that the democratic system of government is the best guarantee for the exercise and enjoyment of human rights. Indeed, this report reveals how the human rights violations reported in Honduras are a direct consequence of the interruption of the constitutional order. The Commission therefore considers that the restoration of democratic institutions in Honduras is a condition sine qua non for the effective protection and observance of the human rights of all the inhabitants of Honduras.

See full Report: http://cidh.org/countryrep/Honduras09eng/Chap.1.htm

BBC Survey: 51% believe election of Lobo legitimised coup d'etat against Zelaya

2010-01-29T11:27:00.003Z

A BBC survey (28th January 2010) found that 51% of all respondents believe the election of Porfirio Lobo to the presidency of Honduras legitimised the coup d'etat against President Manuel Zelaya. The respondents replied to the question "What is the significance of the inauguration of President Lobo as the new President of Honduras?", as follows:

51%, a legitimation of the coup d'etat against President Zelaya
21%, a natural process of evolution of democracy in Honduras
28%, a way out from a bogged down political crisis

Full details (in Spanish): "El gobierno de Lobo legitima el golpe"

Election officials revise down participation rate

2009-12-05T08:30:00.001Z

TEGUCIGALPA (AFP) - – Election officials in Honduras on Friday revised down the participation rate in controversial weekend elections from more than 60 percent to 49 percent.

Conservative Porfirio Lobo claimed a solid victory in Sunday's polls for a successor to ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

De facto leaders hoped the elections would turn a page on the June 28 coup.

The United States and European Union recognized the polls as a first step forward out of the five-month crisis, but the vote split the Americas, with Brazil leading claims that they would whitewash the coup.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) posted figures of 49 percent participation after two thirds of votes were counted, down from 62 percent given initially on Sunday.

The tribunal has 30 days to give final results for the general elections in which 4.6 million Hondurans were eligible to vote.

The impoverished Central American nation remains in limbo, with a de facto leader -- Roberto Micheletti -- in charge, while Zelaya is holed up in the Brazilian embassy, where he has been under threat of arrest since returning in September.

The 128-member Congress voted by 111-14 on Wednesday against bringing Zelaya back to the presidency until his term runs out on January 27, despite pressure from the international community to make a gesture against the coup.

The Latin American Parliament, a regional group, sanctioned the Honduran Congress by voting to suspend it on Friday, lawmakers said after a meeting in Panama.

Zelaya supporters -- who confronted a heavy-handed military crackdown while attempting to protest the coup -- agreed late Thursday to give up their campaign to demand his reinstatement, but said they would still fight for his plan to change the constitution.

The military packed left-leaning Zelaya on a plane to Costa Rica with the blessing of Congress, the Supreme Court and business leaders over his plans to alter the constitution, which they saw as a bid to remove the current one-term limit for presidents.

Zelaya now appears left with the options of negotiating his release with Lobo, seeking exile or remaining in the embassy.

Zelaya beat Lobo by a small margin in 2005 elections, in which participation was 55 percent.

The Organization of American States (OAS), which suspended Honduras after the coup but has been divided over the crisis, was meeting on Friday to consider a response to the elections.

Honduran MPs vote for the coup

2009-12-05T08:24:00.002Z

Honduran legislators have voted to uphold central America's first military-led coup in 20 years.

Some 111 members of the 128-member congress rejected the reinstatement of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, with only 14 members voting in favour following a seven-hour debate.

Right-wing MPs argued that they were right the first time when they voted to oust Mr Zelaya.

They maintained that he had ignored a Supreme Court order to cancel a referendum on whether to convene a constituent assembly to consider modernising the country's constitution.

That vote was held hours after soldiers had stormed into Mr Zelaya's residence in June and flew him into exile in his pyjamas.

Progressive MPs expressed outrage after Wednesday's vote.

Democratic Unification Party (DUP) MP Cesar Ham asked: "How can we call this a constitutional succession when the president's residence was shot at and he was taken from his home in pyjamas?

"This is embarrassing. He was assaulted, kidnapped and ousted by force of arms from the presidency," Mr Ham observed.

Fellow DUP MP Marvin Ponce warned that there was no chance of ending the constitutional crisis triggered by the coup unless Mr Zelaya was reinstated, saying that, until then, "we will be talking about a fictitious reconciliation."

While legislators debated, hundreds of Mr Zelaya's supporters protested behind police lines outside Congress.

The country's constitutional premier, who listened to the proceedings from his refuge in the Brazilian embassy, said even before the vote that he wouldn't return for a token two months if asked.

Mr Zelaya observed that he should have been reinstated before Sunday's presidential election and urged governments not to restore ties with the incoming administration of right-wing rancher Porfirio Lobo.

"Today, the MPs at the service of the dominant classes ratified the coup d'etat in Honduras," he declared.

"MPs with inadequate international backing are condemning Honduras to exist outside the rule of law, to keep afflicting the large impoverished majority," he warned.

Most countries in the Americas have indicated that they will not recognise Mr Lobo's new government and insist on Mr Zelaya's immediate restoration to the presidency.

But the US, Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama have decided to recognise the outcome of the election.

From Morning Star on Thursday 03 December 2009

Tragedy of Honduras appears lost in news

2009-12-04T10:25:00.001Z

Albor Ruiz writes in the New York Daily News (December 3, 2009)

Lost in the wake of President Obama's dramatic announcement to send 30,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan is the tragedy of Honduras.

The tiny Central American country, one of the poorest in the hemisphere, had its democracy trampled on June 28 by a military coup. Legitimately elected President Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped at gunpoint, forcibly expelled from his country and replaced with Roberto Micheletti, who had tried and failed three times before to become president.

To add insult to injury, Honduras now faces an attempt by the usurpers to whitewash their actions by cynically portraying the Nov. 29 election as democratic.

Sad - and amazingly shortsighted - is that Washington, after initially taking a principled position and condemning the coup, turned its back on democracy and now supports the golpistas.

As a result, the historic Latin American mistrust of the U.S. was reinforced after a brief period in which it seemed that President Obama would erase George W. Bush's legacy of neglect, bullying and ignorance.

Hellbent on making believe the election was legitimate, the de facto government claims the abstention rate was less than 40%, while Zelaya insists it was closer to 70%. Porfirio Lobo, a rightist who had lost to Zelaya the last time around, was proclaimed the winner.

But how can an election held under a state of emergency and called by a de facto regime installed by a coup be democratic?

As one international observer remarked, there is an important resistance movement that asked Hondurans not to vote while Zelaya, the legitimate president, remained holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. Yet we are expected to believe that a majority of voters, the same people who elected Zelaya, massively turned out to take part in the golpistas' electoral sham.

Election Day - no matter what Micheletti and Lobo maintain - wasn't exactly peaceful.

An incident described by Tom Loudon, head of a delegation of human rights observers from the Quixote Center, an American social justice group, is an example of the de facto regime's human rights abuses.

"A peaceful march of over 500 people was just culminating at the Central Park of San Pedro Sula [Honduras' second largest city] when a large armored tank with high-pressure water cannons mounted on the top pulled up at the rear of the march - along with a large truck full of military troops. The 500 peaceful, unarmed protesters turned around to face the tank and troops - and in unison, they sat down in the middle of the street. The truck retreated two blocks. The soldiers got off the truck, and began to put on gas masks. Suddenly, the crowd was attacked with water cannons and gas. People are fleeing. There are wounded and detained."

Javier Zúñiga, a member of the Amnesty International delegation observing the election, reported the routine detention of protesters. "Justice seems to have been absent also on Election Day in Honduras," he said.

The Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research reported that the regime jammed the signals of opposition broadcasters. The list goes on.

But the tragedy of Honduras appears lost in the news of the announced troop escalation in the Afghan conflict - and that's too bad.

Washington should not ignore the human rights violations by Micheletti and his accomplices and should not support a president chosen in a sham election. Otherwise, Latin America will confirm what many there already suspect: Despite Obama's nice words, little has changed in its relations with the U.S.

Zelaya urges region to reject vote

2009-12-04T10:22:00.000Z

Legitimate Honduran President Manuel Zelaya sent a letter to Latin American leaders on Tuesday urging them to reject elections held under the coup-installed government and help restore him to power.

"I ask you not to recognize the electoral fraud and for your cooperation so that this coup d'etat does not remain unpunished," he said in a letter released from the Brazilian Embassy, where he is holed up under threat of arrest.

In the run up to the elections the United States has stated that it would recognise the elections and has given the strong impression it continues with this position. In contrast, most Latin American countries, led by Brazil, say they won't recognize a coup-backed government that resulted from the elections. In addition to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, El Salvador, and Venezuela have expressed their rejection of the elections. Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia and Panama have indicated that they will recognise the elections.

Colin Burgon MP welcomes Government description of Honduras election as not valid – Calls for non–recognition of Honduras government.

2009-12-04T10:18:00.001Z

Colin Burgon MP has welcomed the comments by Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant that the Honduran elections held on Sunday could not be “valid” as they did not take place under elected President Manuel Zelaya. He called on the government to not recognise the Honduras government.

In a House of Commons debate on Tuesday 1 December, Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Chris Bryant MP said:

“We made it clear before the elections that we believed that President Zelaya should not have been removed from power, and that if the elections were to be valid, they had to be engaged in under President Zelaya. “

Mr Bryant also added that “Without his return before the end of his term, which is at the end of January, it will be impossible to believe that those were proper elections. However, we recognise and welcome the fact that the elections that did take place did so in a peaceful situation.”

In response Colin Burgon MP said:

“The government is totally correct when it says that these elections can not be valid. They took place against a backdrop of brutal repression that has seen at least 20 people killed, more than 600 people wounded and beaten and 3500 people detained since June.”

He added: “Most Latin American countries, led by Brazil, say they won't recognize a coup-backed government. I encourage the British government to do the same.”

Regarding reports from Honduras of repression that took place around the election, Mr Burgon said:

“These elections were neither free nor fair. Many thousands of soldiers were deployed across Honduras to oversee the election and an official State of Emergency was enacted. The UN, the Organisation of American States and the US-based Carter Centre did not send observers to the Honduras election. In the run up to the election Amnesty International denounced the atmosphere of intimidation and election day itself was marred by reports of police violence and intimidation”.

Chris Bryant’s statement was made on 1 December and can be found here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm091201/debtext/91201-0004.htm

Voting figures not to be released for weeks

2009-12-04T10:10:00.002Z

The exact turnout in Sunday's vote is still not known, with the country's electoral tribunal saying official figures may not be available for weeks!

The Electoral authorities claimed 62 percent of eligible voters participated. However at least one independent monitoring group also reported a turnout rate much lower than the official one. Hagamos Democracia, the local partner of the U.S. National Democratic Institute, said its count of 1,000 polling stations put turnout at about 48 percent. Hagamos Democracia's count had a low margin of error and successfully projected the vote's outcome: 56 percent for Lobo and 38 percent for Santos.

Amnesty International on the elections

2009-12-04T10:08:00.000Z

In two separate statements around last week's elections Amnesty International (AI) denounced an atmosphere of intimidation in the run-up to election day and on voting day itself.

Javier Zuñiga, the head of the Amnesty International delegation in Honduras said basic voting guarantees were not being respected. 'Rights like the right to communicate and receive information, which are fundamental for an electoral process so that people have a perspective on what is happening, are constantly suffering limitations”.

On election day, referring to reports of police violence and intimidation, he added: "Justice seems to have been absent also on election day in Honduras".

EU does not regard Honduran elections as "normal"

2009-12-04T10:05:00.000Z

Madrid (DPA) - The European Union does not regard this week's elections in Honduras as 'normal' - but wants to find 'a political solution' for the crisis in the Central American country, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Thursday.

Moratinos, whose country will take over the rotating EU presidency on January 1, said the EU had agreed on the basis for a common position on Honduras which will be finalized by foreign ministers in Brussels next week.

'A consensus has already been reached on a declaration in the sense that the elections proceeded peacefully, but in exceptional circumstances,' Moratinos said at a joint press conference with the EU's new foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The declaration would say that 'they were not normal elections, but with a will to seek a political solution in the future,' Moratinos said.

The EU was due to decide whether to recognize the victory of conservative candidate Porfirio Lobo.

The elections were staged by the de facto government which took power following a June 28 coup. Ousted president Manuel Zelaya called for an election boycott.

International voices against coup elections

2009-12-01T12:14:00.001Z

According to ABN news agency

The president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner described the Honduras elections as 'pseudo almost mock elections' that were “held in the framework of absolute illegality of democracy”

The same idea was conveyed by Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva, who confirmed that his government will ignore the polls which he called a 'joke' (sp: ‘chiste’). Lula said 'Brazil will maintain its position of not recognizing the vote coordinated by a coup government, because we can not accept a coup'. 'If we do not condemn the coup, we do not know where there will be another’

Also, French President Nicolas Sarkozyis reported as saying that the elections "have not taken place within the constitutional order" and advocated a process of 'national reconciliation' as the 'only' way to give 'legitimacy' to the new authorities.

The president of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, said Sunday that “these elections are not the solution” in Honduras”.

President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, said 'We will not recognize any outcome of the election, the only president of Honduras to us remains Manuel Zelaya”.

In Uruguay, President Tabare Vasquez likewise condemned the illegal elections, reiterating that his government will not recognize the elections.

Also, Nicaragua flatly rejected the fraudulent conduct of elections. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega said that it is clear that the aim of the elections “is to legitimize the coup”. He added that ALBA group of countries does not recognize the results of that spurious process.

The Bolivian Government Minister Alfredo Rada confirmed that the Evo Morales government will not recognize the new president of Honduras. 'We confirm that Bolivia does not recognize either the government or the electoral process held under the military boot, "said Rada.

The Republic of Ecuador reiterated on Sunday, through a statement from the Foreign Ministry: 'The government of Ecuador will not recognize the elections in Honduras' Foreign Ministry said, adding that "these elections are quite obviously flawed and should not be recognized by the international community'.

The fraudulent elections organized on Sunday by the de facto government, were also rejected by international organizations the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Economic System Latin American and Caribbean (SELA), among others.

Latin America rejects elections in Honduras under dictatorial regime

2009-12-01T12:10:00.001Z

Tegucigalpa, Nov 30. ABN.- Several Latin American countries expressed this Monday their rejection to the presidential elections that took place on Sunday in Honduras under the dictatorial regime of Roberto Micheletti. Latin American governments warned about the bad precedent this process is setting.

“This electoral farce is a new chapter of the coup,” denounced the President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez, and reiterated that he will not recognize any Government emerging from that election.

The Brazilian Head of State Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated that if the election process is legitimated, it could set a serious precedent in the region, most of all in Central America, where many countries are still politically vulnerable, as informed Prensa Latina.

“Whether some countries can change their minds, Brazil will keep its position because we cannot accept a military coup dressed up as civilian, like the one in Honduras,” Lula added, in reference to the decision of four countries in the region accepting the results.

Brazil sheltered in its diplomatic building in Honduras the constitutional President of that country Manuel Zelaya, when he returned to Tegucigalpa after he was ousted by hooked military forces on June 28.

A dictatorship was imposed in Honduras, through a military coup with U.S. instigation and support, assured the Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez at the Nineteenth Ibero-American Summit, taking place in Portugal.

“To recognize the spurious Government emerging from these illegitimate elections would betray the principles of peace, democracy and justice, and this Summit should act adequately,” the Cuban foreign minister added.

The Sunday elections in Honduras were characterized by a high abstention level, which was estimated by the National Front against the Coup between 65 and 70%.

“Obviously, these elections are completely biased and should not be recognized by the international community,” said the foreign Minister of Ecuador Fander Falconi.

The elections will not put an end to the crisis created by the military coup, said Alfredo Rada, Bolivian Minister, and he added that under any circumstances Bolivia will recognize a Government emerged from a process marked by the force of the arms.

Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina also expressed their rejection to the general elections in Honduras, due to the lack of guarantees for free and transparent elections under a dictatorial regime.

Elections not observed by mainstream bodies - Amnesty reports abuse.

2009-12-01T11:41:00.002Z

Unlike most elections, neither the UN, the Organisation of American States, the EU or the US-based Carter Center sent observers to the Honduras elecrion.

And Amnesty International reported:

"Justice seems to have been absent also on election day in Honduras," said Javier Zuñiga, the head of the Amnesty International delegation in Honduras. "It is essential the whereabouts of all people detained are made public and all incidents of abuse, investigated. The rule of law must fully be restored." The group urged the Honduran authorities to reveal the identities, whereabouts and charges against all people detained.

Domestic human rights groups have claimed that in the lead up to the vote, the government carried out intimidation, torture, illegal detentions and in some cases assassinations against those sections opposed to the coup regime.

Wide, the European network of women's organisations, accused the regime of engaging in "a systematic campaign of intimidation, physical and sexual abuse, and torture. Women have increasingly become target of this campaign." "Two women died of complications from tear-gas exposure; nine activist women were killed, their bodies showing evidence of torture."

Real news election day coverage

2009-12-01T11:33:00.001Z

Zelaya: Honduran people don't accept electoral process as valid

2009-12-01T11:25:00.001Z

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said the "winner" of the presidential elections in Honduras on Sunday is the abstention of the people.

    In an interview with local radio station "Radio Globo," Zelaya said the abstention was as high as 65 percent according to his information resources.

    "The Honduran people did not accept the electoral process as valid. They did not feel it belonged to them," Zelaya said.

    "Today we defeated (de facto leader) Micheletti at the voting ballots, we defeated the violence at the voting ballots," he added.

    Referring to the fact that the candidate of the opposition National Party Porfirio Lobo won the elections, Zelaya said he would give a statement once he got the official results.

    According to Rafael Alegria, the coordinator of the Resistance against the Coup, the winner is the mass movement supporting ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

    "The people answered the call of the Resistance to defeat the coup," Alegria said, adding that "we salute all the Honduran people, all the Resistance, tomorrow (Monday) we will continue with a people's assembly to make a caravan," Alegria said.

    "We are very happy with the answer of the people. We are in a good path and for a real power of Resistance as a great movement of the country," he said.

International opposition to coup elections

2009-12-01T11:23:00.002Z

The Xinhuanet new agency reports that

Many countries, especially those in Latin America, refuse to recognize the new government and insist on Zelaya's immediate restoration to the presidency.Others, however, including the United States, Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama, have decided to recognize the outcome of the election so as long as the process proves to have been clean and transparent.

It gives statements by those who have come out against the elections:

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday in Estoril that his government would not recognize the results of the voting and would not "reconsider" its negative stance on Honduras' general elections. Zelaya has been staying in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa since returning to Honduras in late September.
    Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Mortatinos sided with Brazil, saying that Spain neither recognizes the elections nor "ignores them."
    Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez urged the Ibero-American countries (Latin America, Portugal, Spain and Andorra) to not recognize Honduras' "illegitimate government.""To recognize the illegitimate result of these illegal elections would be a betrayal to the principles of peace, democracy and justice," Rodriguez said.
    Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taina said "the elections cannot be valid if they are hosted without President Zelaya being restored to power."
    Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the elections in Honduras should not imply the validity of the coup because "it will set a grave precedent and bring a series of threats for Latin America."
    Bolivian Foreign Minister Alfredo Rada said his country would not recognize the new president of Honduras or the electoral process.
    Meanwhile, the presidents of Nicaragua, Uruguay and Guatemala also expressed their opposition to the election and the legitimacy of the new government.

In contrast, in a bizarre statement,

U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Sunday that the turnout "shows that given the opportunity to express themselves, the Honduran people have viewed the election as an important part of the solution to the political crisis in their country,"

It also quotes Colombian President Alvaro Uribe saying:

"Colombia recognizes the new government, and the new democratic election process in Honduras of high participation, which cannot be questioned."

And that:

The Costa Rican government hailed the election outcome as "the decision of the Honduran people of seeking an exit to the crisis by a pacific and civic route." Juan Carlos Varela, the vice president and foreign minister of Panama, said in Estoril that his government recognized the legitimacy of the election and considers "it is a very important step to overcome the crisis."Canada and Peru also said they recognize the outcome of Sunday's elections.

Honduran Elections Marred by Police Violence, Censorship, International Non-Recognition,

2009-12-01T11:13:00.001Z

This article by US think-tank Center for Economic and Policy Research gives a good overview of how Honduras' elections were neither free nor fair.

Washington, D.C. - Elections conducted in a climate of fear, human rights violations, and international non-recognition won't resolve the political crisis in Honduras, said Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"Only a few governments that the U.S. State Department can heavily influence will recognize these elections," said Weisbrot. "The rest of the world recognizes that you cannot carry out free or fair elections under a dictatorship that has overthrown the elected President by force and used violence, repression, and media censorship against political opponents for the entire campaign period leading up the vote, including election day."

In Tegucigalpa, the Washington-based human rights organization Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) noted: "On election day, November 29, there were a number of incidents that confirmed the climate of repression in which the electoral process took place, which represented the consolidation of the coup d'etat of June 28th."

CEJIL described "a climate of harassment, violence, and violation of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly" on election day, and called for the release of people arrested by security forces.

Amnesty International issued a press release noting that authorities detained various individuals under a decree prohibiting gatherings of more than four people, some of whom have been charged with terrorism, and called for the identities and whereabouts of those detained to be revealed. "Justice seems to have been absent also on Election Day in Honduras," Javier Zuñiga, head of an Amnesty International delegation in Honduras, said. "It is therefore essential the whereabouts of all people detained are made public and all incidents of abuse, investigated. The rule of law must fully be restored."

The election day was marred by reports of police violence and intimidation, including a crackdown on a peaceful march in San Pedro Sula where marchers were tear-gassed, beaten, and detained. Authorities also shot a man in the head at a checkpoint on the eve of the elections, and raided the offices and homes of various civil society groups, including a Quaker agricultural cooperative. Opposition broadcasters had their signals jammed, and the authorities threatened criminal charges for anyone advocating a boycott of the election.

Weisbrot noted that the elected President, Manuel Zelaya, still had nearly two months left in his term, and called for his restoration along with a democratic government that could hold free and fair elections. He noted that all of the major organizations that observe international elections, including the Organization of American States, European Union, and the Carter Center, had refused to send observer delegations to this election.

"First, you need to restore democracy, human rights, and civil liberties, which were violated throughout the campaign period," Weisbrot said. "Then there can be a legitimate election with official international observer delegations. You can't have free elections under a dictatorship."

The level of voter turnout appears to be in dispute; it clearly was lower than in past elections, but there are no reliable numbers available yet. The Washington Post and leading Honduran newspaper El Tiempo reported that while Honduras' Supreme Electoral Tribunal cites a figure of 61. 86 percent voter participation, the independent group Fundación Hagamos Democracia stated that the number of voters was much lower - only 47.6 percent.

"Clearly the allegations made by the U.S. State Department regarding voter turnout have no factual basis," Weisbrot said, noting that the State Department claimed that "turnout appears to have exceeded that of the last presidential election."

Only 5 countries have said they will recognise elections

2009-11-29T16:53:00.001Z

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti cites Honduran TV reports that Israel has said it will join the US, Panama, Peru and Costa Rica in recognising of the elections.

Amnesty International denounces intimidation in Honduran elections

2009-11-29T16:50:00.003Z

Tegucigalpa - Amnesty International (AI) denounced Friday an atmosphere of intimidation in the run-up to controversial general election in Honduras.

In a statement, AI charged that the de facto government in Honduras has stockpiled anti-riot material such as tear-gas ahead of Sunday's elections.

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has rejected the election results and called upon Hondurans to boycott it.

AI delegate in Tegucigalpa Javier Zuniga told the German Press Agency dpa that basic voting guarantees were not being respected, due to the limitations on personal freedoms that were imposed in the Central American country since democratically-elected Zelaya was ousted by a military coup on June 28.

Zuniga noted that freedom of opinion, expression and association, among others, were being violated in Honduras.

'Rights like the right to communicate and receive information, which are fundamental for an electoral process so that people have a perspective on what is happening, are constantly suffering limitations,' Zuniga told dpa.

He said that intimidation is particularly significant in the provinces, while conditions are better in the capital, Tegucigalpa.

AI denounced in a statement that the de facto authorities in Honduras 'have stock piled 10,000 tear gas cans and other crowd control equipment, triggering fears of an increased risk of excessive and disproportionate use of force by security forces around the presidential elections.'

'The past misuse of tear gas and other crowd control equipment, together with the lack of guarantees that the purchased equipment will not be used to attack demonstrators and the absence of investigations on past abuses paints an extremely worrying picture of what might happen over the next few days,' Zuniga said in the statement.

The AI delegation was to remain in Honduras until December 4. They were planning to meet with victims of human rights violations, representatives of human rights organizations, journalists, teachers and doctors, as well as soldiers and police officers.

Honduras Coup Regime Declares New State of Emergency Prior to Sunday “Election”

2009-11-29T16:46:00.001Z

Al Giordano has posted on the Emergency Decrees the coup governemnt has launched this week ahead of today's elections.

The Gaceta Oficial, (“Official Gazette”) of the Honduras coup regime is now freshly printed and has three new decrees and two orders restricting freedom of the press, the right to bear arms and officially strips Catholic Father Andres Tamayo of his Honduran citizenship, ordering him expelled from the country (the good Padre left for El Salvador last week).

Here are a few of the regime’s greatest hits from this week’s barrage of repressive decrees which are expressly part of what the coup leaders call an "election" coming up on Sunday:

Decree PCM-M-029-2009

“Due to growing internal threats,” the Armed Forces will be deployed, in support of the National Police, to guard polling places, the custody and transport of ballots (before and after they are utilized by voters), and 5,000 members of the military reserve were deputized beginning on November 13.

Decree PCM-M-030-2009

This decree declares a “State of Emergency” nationwide, and places the regime’s “Secretary of State” inside the military command to oversee all activities related to the November 29 “elections.” This decree pretty much erases the previous order that the quasi-independent Supreme Electoral Tribunal would exclusively be in command of the Armed Forces in the month prior to the “election.” In other words, not even the window dressing added to give the vote a gloss of pseudo-independence could be tolerated by regime leader Roberto Micheletti, who has now placed a member of his Simian Council at that helm.

Decree PCM-M-031-2009

The November 29 “elections are under threat by groups that try to block their development with threats of all kinds, creating fear and disorder in the general population.” Therefore, says the decree, a nationwide ban on bearing all types of firearms went into effect on Monday, November 23, “until ordered otherwise.” (Memo to self: Make sure to write the National Rifle Association about Senator Jim DeMint's efforts in Honduras.)

Order number 2169-2009 of the Secretary of Government and Justice

“The conduct of Mr. José Andrés Tamayo Cortez is incongruent with constituional precepts and secondary laws of the Honduran State… that justify his characterization as UNWORTHY to have Honduran nationality and is ordered to be expelled to his country of origin.”

Executive Order 124-2009 authorizes the coup regime's media regulating organization CONATEL to close any media at will.

Military to oversee elections

2009-11-28T12:48:00.000Z

The Guardian today reports:

“Thousands of soldiers have been deployed across Honduras to oversee a controversial election which will cement the overthrow of President Manuel Zelaya. The de facto government has militarised the capital, Tegucigalpa, and other cities to deter pro-Zelaya protests and ensure that Central America's first coup since the end of the cold war prevails. The authorities blanketed media with patriotic footage of army manoeuvres and football matches – Honduras recently qualified for the World Cup – to try to stir passion for what it termed an "electoral fiesta"…. Security forces have suppressed dissent by beating and arresting hundreds of Zelaya supporters in recent weeks, leaving an edgy calm. A state of emergency has been declared for the vote and 5,000 army reservists mobilised.”

Leading voices in Britain call for non-recognition of Honduras coup elections.

2009-11-27T07:24:00.011Z

The letter below was published in The Guardian on Friday 27 November

Latin America faces the greatest threat to its democracy in decades. The military coup that overthrew elected president Manual Zelaya and seized power in Honduras in June is now seeking to legitimise its illegal government through the international recognition of elections on 29 November. Such recognition would give a green light to opponents of democracy throughout the continent that military coups will be tolerated. Free and fair elections on November 29 are impossible. Human rights, freedom of assembly and of the press have all been under attack in Honduras. Repression under the coup regime has seen at least 20 people killed, more than 600 people injured and 3,500 people detained.

The legitimate Honduran president, Manual Zelaya, has called for supporters of democracy not to recognise the elections under the military coup regime. Nearly all of Latin America's governments have declared that they will not do so. Worryingly the US has indicated it will recognise these illegitimate elections. We call on all governments, including the Obama administration, to not recognise the elections on 29 November under the military coup regime.

Colin Burgon MP Chair, All-party Parliamentary Group on Venezuela
Jon Cruddas MP,
Ken Livingstone,
Baroness Gibson Chair APPG on Latin America,
Brendan Barber General secretary, TUC,
Jamie Hepburn MSP (SNP),
Adam Price MP (Plaid Cymru),
Caroline Lucas MEP Leader, Green party,
Bruce Kent,
David Hare,
John Pilger,
Lowkey (Musician),
Brian Eno,
Dr J Buxton Centre for International Co-operation and Security, University of Bradford
Tony Lloyd MP Chair, Parliamentary Labour Party
Doreen Massey, Professor of Geography at the Open University
Johan Harri, commentator
Ann Cryer MP
Brian Simpson MEP
Colin Challen MP
Clare Short MP
Dave Anderson MP
David Chaytor MP
David Drew MP
David Martin MEP
David Taylor MP
Diane Abbott MP
Gordon Prentice MP
George Galloway MP
Harry Cohen MP
Hywel Williams MP
Ian Davidson MP
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Jean Lambert MEP
John Battle MP
John Battle MP
John Hemming MP
John McDonnell MP
Lord Nic Rea
Mark Fisher MP
Martin Caton MP
Michael Cashman MEP
Neil Gerrard MP
Nigel Griffiths MP
Paul Flynn MP
Paul Holmes MP
Rob Marris MP
Steve Pound MP
Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson Joint general secretaries, Unite the Union
Sally Hunt General secretary, UCU
GMB union
Alan Ritchie General secretary, Ucatt
Luke Crawley Assistant general secretary, Bectu
Mick Shaw President, FBU
Matt Wrack General secretary, FBU
Gerry Doherty General secretary, TSSA
Bob Crow General secretary, RMT
Steve Hart - Unite London & Eastern Regional Secretary
Chris McLaughlin Editor, Tribune
Sam Tarry National chair of Young Labour
Chris Weldon Labour party NEC
Kaveh Moussavi University of Oxford's Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Head of the Public Interest Law Programme
Professor Keith Ewing
Professor Mary Davis
Dr Steve Ludlam Department of politics, University of Sheffield
Diana Raby Senior fellow, Latin American studies, University of Liverpool
Barry Cannon Postdoctoral fellow, school of law and government, Dublin City University
Hazel Marsh School of politics, social & international studies, University of East Anglia
Dr Michael Derham School of arts and social sciences, Northumbria University
Rod Stoneman Director of the Huston school of film & digital media
Dr Stephen Wilkinson Director, Centre for Caribbean and Latin American research and consultancy, London Metropolitan University
Professor Ernesto Laclau University of Essex
Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign
Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

Ousted Honduran president won't recognize 29 November elections

2009-11-15T10:10:00.000Z

Ousted Honduran president won't recognize vote

By FREDDY CUEVAS (AP)

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya insisted late Saturday that he will not accept any deal to restore him to office if it means he must recognize elections later this month.

In a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, Zelaya also repeated his accusation that Washington reversed its stance on whether the Nov. 29 vote should be considered legitimate if he was not in office.

"As the elected president of the Honduran people, I reaffirm my position that starting today, no matter what, I will not accept any agreement on returning to the presidency of the republic to cover up this coup d'etat," Zelaya said, reading from the letter on Globo radio.

Zelaya spoke from the Brazilian Embassy, where he has taken refuge since slipping back into the capital, Tegucigalpa, on Sept. 21. He was hustled out of the country at gunpoint by soldiers June 28, touching off a political crisis that has seen the U.S. and other nations cut off much of their aid to the poor Central American nation.

This past week, the United States sent Craig Kelly, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, to Honduras to try to move along a U.S.-brokered pact signed by both sides that calls for a unity government and for Congress to vote on whether to restore Zelaya to the presidency to serve out his term, which ends in January.

Zelaya declared the agreement a failure last week when Micheletti announced the creation of a national unity government even though Zelaya had not proposed any candidates.

Washington has said it supports Zelaya's reinstatement, but the pact set no deadline for his return to office. And after brokering the deal, U.S. diplomats indicated Washington would support the elections, which had been scheduled before the coup, as long the deal was implemented.

"The future that you show us today by changing your position in the case of Honduras, and thus favoring the abusive intervention of the military castes ... is nothing more than the downfall of freedom and contempt for human dignity," Zelaya said in the letter to Obama. "It is a new war against the processes of social and democratic reforms so necessary in Honduras."

Legislative leaders say they are waiting for an opinion from prosecutors and Honduras' Supreme Court, which ordered Zelaya's arrest for refusing to drop plans for a referendum on constitutional change that the court ruled illegal.

Key lawmakers have indicated there might not be a vote until after the Nov. 29 election.

Zelaya has urged the international community not to recognize the outcome of the election if he is not restored to power first.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Britain 'must get behind Zelaya'

2009-11-13T14:05:00.002Z

Morning Star Wednesday 11 November 2009

A top adviser to Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has urged British MPs to step up the campaign for democracy in the coup-stricken country.

Minister counsellor Allan Fajardo visited Westminster to appeal directly for more awareness of the threat posed by the plotters who seized power from President Zelaya.

Mr Fajardo said that the situation in Honduras was not a simple difference of opinion between ideologies, but a fundamental struggle for democracy.

He urged Britain and other European governments to state clearly that they would not recognise the elections being staged on November 29 by the present unconstitutional regime.

Labour MP Colin Burgon condemned the "talking game" which had been conducted by the repressive regime in order to delay events until the elections.

He added: "They cannot be classed as legitimate elections, carried out as they are under a coup regime."

Mr Burgon is among 52 MPs who have signed a Commons early day motion calling for the restoration of full democracy in Honduras and demanding that the US government must suspend all financial support to the coup regime.

National Front of Resistance Against the Coup: The elections will not be recognized, the struggle continues

2009-11-13T14:02:00.000Z

The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup declares to the Honduran people and the International Community

1. Since the midnight deadline of Thursday November 5^th passed without the restitution of legitimate president Manual Zelaya, we declare we will actively not recognize the electoral process of 29 November of this year.

Elections which are imposed by a de facto regime that represses and violates the human and political rights of the citizenry would only validate nationally and internationally the oligarchical dictatorship and secure the continuation of a system which marginalizes and exploits popular sectors in order to guarantee the privileges of a few.

Participation in such a process would give legitimacy to the coup regime and to its successor which would be fraudulently installed on January 27, 2010.

2. The refusal to acknowledge the electoral farce will remain firm between now and the elections even if President Manuel Zelaya is re-instated. A period of 20 days is too little time to dismantle an electoral fraud conceived to ensure that one of the representatives of the coup-making oligarchy will be put in place and therefore give continuity to its repressive and anti-democratic project.

The prior statement does not mean that we have renounced our fundamental demand that constitutional order be returned to Honduras, including the return of President Zelaya to the position he was elected to fill for four years by the Honduran people.

3. Now more than ever it is clear that the exercise of participatory democracy through the installation of a Constituent Assembly is not just a non-negotiable right but also the only way to provide the Honduran people with a democratic and inclusive political system.

4. We denounce the complicit attitude of the US government, maneuvering to stall the crisis and now showing its true intention to give validity to the coup regime, thereby ensuring that the successor government will be docile in the face of the interests of transnational companies and their goal of regional control. Therefore, we consider correct the decision made by President Zelaya to declare the failure of the Tegucigalpa Agreement, an agreement which is part of the US strategy to stall Zelaya's restitution in order to validate the electoral process.

5. We call on all organizations and candidates in the November 29^th elections to act in accordance with previously-stated commitments and publicly pull out of the electoral farce.

6. We call together the mobilized and as yet unorganized sectors of the population to join actions which reject the electoral farce and promote acts of civil disobedience, as supported by Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic, which gives us the right to disobedience and popular insurrection.

7. To the friendly nations and peoples of the world, we call on you to maintain political pressure to overthrow the military dictatorship imposed by oligarchy and imperialism, as well as commit to recognize neither the illegitimate elections of November 29 nor the spurious authorities who seek to pass as representatives elected by the people.

"We resist and we will win."
Tegucigalpa November 9th, 2009

Letter to the President: Honduras Human Rights Violations and Elections

2009-11-13T14:00:00.001Z

An open letter to the US President, by 240 US academics and Latin America experts states:

Honduras now stands at the edge of a dangerous precipice. The coup regime remains determined – in the absence of significant pressure from the U.S. government – to move forward with the elections, in the hopes that the international community will eventually recognize the results. In so doing, they hope to legitimize their illegal and unconstitutional government.

Free and fair elections on November 29 are already impossible, as more than two-thirds of the campaign period allowed under Honduran law has already passed, under conditions in which freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press have all been under attack throughout the country. This repression has been widely documented and denounced by Honduran and international human rights organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

The Rio Group of 23 nations, which includes nearly all of Latin America and much of the Caribbean, had forcefully declared that it will not recognize the November 29th elections if President Zelaya is not first re-instated. Thus the United States is at odds with the rest of the Hemisphere in its stated willingness to recognize these illegitimate elections.

Ousted president says U.S. lacks commitment to reinstatement

2009-11-13T13:56:00.000Z

Mary Beth Sheridan. Washington Post. November 12, 2009.

Less than two weeks after U.S. diplomats announced a historic agreement to reverse a coup in Honduras, the accord is in danger of collapse and both Honduran officials and U.S. lawmakers are blaming American missteps for some of the failure.

Ousted president Manuel Zelaya, who was expelled by the military in June, said in a telephone interview that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had assured him as recently as last week that the U.S. government was seeking his return to the presidency. But he said that U.S. pressure had eased in recent days and that he no longer had faith in the agreement.

José Miguel Insulza, the head of the Organization of American States, which is helping implement the accord, said that negotiations between Zelaya and the de facto government had fallen apart and that he would not send a mission to Honduras to observe presidential elections at the end of the month. That added to the possibility that the previously scheduled elections will not be internationally recognized -- and that Honduras's five-month-old crisis will continue.

The Obama administration has invested its credibility in the Oct. 30 accord, which was reached after Clinton dispatched a senior diplomatic team to bring the two sides together. But the agreement started to fray within days, with each side interpreting the vaguely worded document its own way. Key American lawmakers, and Zelaya's followers, were startled by remarks by Assistant Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon Jr. last week that the U.S. government would recognize the election results irrespective of whether the ousted Honduran president was returned to office promptly.

"The State Department's abrupt change of policy towards Honduras last week -- recognizing the elections scheduled for Nov. 29 even if the coup regime does not meet its commitments under the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord -- caused the collapse of an accord it helped negotiate," said Frederick L. Jones, a spokesman for Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John F. Kerry (D-Mass.).

Zelaya said he was finished with the agreement.

"Everything they do will be tricks," he said, referring to the de facto government led by Roberto Micheletti. He said U.S. guarantees had formed the underpinning for the agreement.

"Their priorities were my restitution. . . . This is a very dangerous change of foreign policy for the United States," he said.

State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said there had been no change in policy.

"We'll see what happens in the election before we can evaluate its results," he said. He rejected criticism that U.S. officials weren't pressing for the accord to work, noting that a senior diplomat handling Latin America affairs, Craig Kelly, had just spent two days in Honduras.

Another senior U.S. official noted the agreement never specifically said that Zelaya would be reinstated, instead giving the Honduran National Congress the power to vote on it. Zelaya may have decided to back out of the accord after realizing his support in Congress was softer than he initially thought, said the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly.

The first snag in the accord occurred when Micheletti asked Zelaya to submit names for a government of national unity. Zelaya balked, saying that he should head the interim government. Micheletti then decided to establish the government himself -- a move criticized by the Organization of American States.

Then the Congress indicated it could take weeks before it voted on Zelaya's reinstatement. That infuriated the ousted president, who has been holed up in the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital since sneaking back into the country in September.

Some observers said the Honduran legislators appeared nervous about moving on the politically charged subject. Micheletti has urged them to hold the vote.

Shannon's comments on the elections coincided with an announcement by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) that he would no longer block Shannon's nomination as ambassador to Brazil. DeMint said he made the decision after Shannon told him that the U.S. government would recognize the Nov. 29 Honduran election results whether or not Zelaya was back in the presidency.

DeMint and some other lawmakers have called for a tougher line against Zelaya, an ally of Venezuela's anti-American president, Hugo Chávez.

Brazil: Honduras is a "badly written soap opera, with sinister characters played by the de facto regime, which history will judge."

2009-11-13T13:53:00.000Z

GINGER THOMPSON. New York Times. November 10, 2009.

WASHINGTON - Under fire from allies in Latin America and on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration moved Tuesday to try to salvage the American-brokered agreement that had been billed as paving the way for a peaceful end to the coup in Honduras. Instead, the accord seems to have provided the country's de facto government with a way to stay in power until a presidential election scheduled for the end of this month.

The State Department sent Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Craig Kelly to Honduras on Tuesday for meetings with Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted from power as president more than four months ago, and with the head of the de facto government, Roberto Micheletti.
Senior administration officials said Mr. Kelly would try to get both men to abide by the terms of an Oct. 30 agreement that called on them to form a coalition government to run the country while the Honduran Congress prepares for a vote on whether to return Mr. Zelaya to power.

The deal began to unravel last week when the Congress announced it would postpone a vote on Mr. Zelaya's return to power until after the election. In protest, Mr. Zelaya then refused to submit names for the coalition government. And the United States, breaking with its allies in Latin America, announced it would recognize the results of the coming presidential election, even if Mr. Zelaya were not reinstated.

While the announcement was celebrated by Republicans as a "reversal" of the administration's policy, it ignited a storm of criticism from Mr. Obama's allies at home and across Latin America.

Representative Howard L. Berman, Democrat of California, who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, telephoned Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg to express his concerns about the administration's handling of Honduran crisis. An aide to the congressman said, "It was not a feel-good phone call."

Frederick Jones, a spokesman for Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the senator believed that the State Department's "abrupt change" of policy toward Honduras "caused the collapse of an accord it helped negotiate."

On Tuesday, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza, said that he would not send observers to monitor the presidential election, scheduled for Nov. 29. And many of the organization's 34 members said they would not recognize the election winner unless Mr. Zelaya was reinstated to complete his term.

"Paraguay is not only not going to accept the outcome of the elections, it will not even accept that the elections are held," said Hugo Saguier Caballero, Paraguay's ambassador to the O.A.S. "These elections for us simply will not exist."

Ruy de Lima Casaes e Silva, Brazil's ambassador to the organization, said the situation in Honduras seemed like a "badly written soap opera, with sinister characters played by the de facto regime, which history will judge."

The Obama administration's representative to the O.A.S., W. Lewis Amselem, said that the agreement signed in Honduras two weeks ago did not guarantee Mr. Zelaya's reinstatement, but put that decision in the hands of the Honduran Congress.

Mr. Amselem said it was not possible to translate Latin America's position on the coup into policy, noting that most of its countries had used elections to establish democratic order after coups. And he urgently pressed for a more pragmatic line.

"I've heard many in this room say that they will not recognize the elections in Honduras," Mr. Amselem said at an O.A.S. meeting in Washington. "I'm not trying to be a wiseguy, but what does that mean? What does that mean in the real world, not in the world of magical realism?"

Honduran crisis 'threatens democracy'.

2009-11-13T13:45:00.002Z

by Katherine Butler. The Independent. November 12, 2009.

A rash of military coups could be triggered across Latin America if the world fails to stand up to the illegal regime in Honduras, a close aide of the ousted president Manuel Zelaya warned yesterday.

"The fate of Honduras is not just the fate of Honduras, but of the Latin American continent," Mr Zelaya's special adviser Allan Fajaro told The Independent. "Dark forces," he said, were watching to see how the crisis ends. "If we resolve this constitutionally they will know they too have to respect democracy. If not, these dark forces will know they have a green light and the continent will become an erupting volcano. That will be a very bad outcome, not only for our continent, but for Europe and the world."

The political crisis in Honduras began four months ago when Mr Zelaya, the democratically elected president, was taken from his bed at gunpoint and flown out of the country by the military. A US-brokered power-sharing deal which should have returned Mr Zelaya to his post, at least until elections on 29 November, collapsed last week after Roberto Micheletti, who seized power after the coup, reneged by forming a caretaker government without him.

Mr Zelaya, forced to take refuge inside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, is now calling for a boycott of the elections. Against a background of wavering support in Washington, he wants European governments to issue a clear warning that they will not recognise the results.

His special adviser, who is touring EU capitals to plead for increased pressure, urged Britain to sponsor a joint European initiative warning of diplomatic isolation and the suspension of aid."But what is most urgently needed is a clear and forceful statement from Britain and its European partners, that elections under this regime will not be accepted", Mr Fajaro said in London. "This would send a powerful message to the coup leaders. We are asking the British government to state forcefully and clearly that they will not recognise elections conducted in this repressive and illegitimate context."

The Obama administration sparked outrage from its allies in Latin America and across the world last week after it appeared to recognise the coup regime by signalling it could accept the legitimacy of the elections, even if Mr Zelaya is not first reinstated. Neither Mr Zelaya nor Mr Micheletti are candidates in the election. The reputation of the Obama administration could be damaged by its handling of the crisis he said, adding that conservative figures with links to the coup leaders had successfully lobbied the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Mr Fajaro said tensions could spill over into violence and even civil war. But there was also a risk of a domino effect across Latin America, with anti-government forces in Paraguay and Bolivia already threatening military takeovers. Mr Zelaya's only crime, in the eyes of the "putschists", he said, was that he reduced poverty and inequality. "The oligarchy, who perpetrated this coup, feared him and they are composed of just 10 families. He's in this situation because he did not defend the interests of the elite."

Conditions inside the Brazilian embassy, where Mr Zelaya has been holed up since 21 September are "like a prison" he went on. "All his food is searched, even with bare hands. They have pumped noxious gases into the building, constant noise is blaring, the lights are on all night and we think they might be digging under the building. This is all to break his spirit but Manuel remains very strong. He knows he is fighting for democracy and helping to write history".

Manuel Zelaya's backers: Boycott Honduran election

2009-11-10T17:32:00.000Z

CARACAS -- A U.S. brokered accord that was supposed to return ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya to power has collapsed. And his supporters, who have been organizing street protests against his successor, are down to their final card: calling on Hondurans to boycott upcoming elections.

Carlos H. Reyes, the presidential candidate who was favored by the leftist Zelaya's hard-core supporters but had no chance to win, withdrew from the race Monday. ``For us to participate in the elections would mean following the strategy of the coup-installed government,'' Reyes said.

Zelaya pinned much of the blame Monday on the Obama administration.

The U.S. State Department helped broker a deal that called for the Honduran Congress to vote on whether to allow Zelaya to finish his term. But once Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon made televised comments last week that seemed to remove pressure from Washington, Honduras' Congress has made no plans to vote on whether to enact the agreement.

Shannon said last week that the deal meant that the Obama administration would accept the outcome of the Nov. 29 presidential and congressional elections, regardless of whether Zelaya was back in power.

Analysts said Monday that Shannon's statement Wednesday undercut most of Zelaya's leverage, gave Congress a good reason to dodge a tough vote and strengthened the resolve of de facto President Roberto Micheletti to remain in power.

``The United States is no longer interested in punishing a coup-installed government,'' Honduran congresswoman Elvia Valle said by telephone from Tegucigalpa Monday. Shannon's declarations ``have left a bitter taste in our mouths.''

Micheletti is moving forward with plans to organize the upcoming elections, which both sides had hoped would propel Honduras past a political crisis that exploded when soldiers hustled Zelaya out of the country on June 28, and the Congress immediately voted to name Micheletti as his replacement.

A Micheletti spokeswoman on Monday called on Congress to vote on the agreement.

Zelaya, holed up in the Brazilian Embassy, is running out of options, said Orlando Pérez, a political science professor at Central Michigan University who follows Honduras.

``At the end of the day, it seems like the coup will stand,'' Pérez said from Michigan. ``It is an ominous sign for democratic governments and elected leaders in the region.''

The Obama administration and foreign governments throughout Latin America called for Zelaya's return to power. The Obama administration also cut $30 million in aid to Honduras and revoked U.S. travel visas held by Micheletti and his powerful supporters.

Zelaya's ouster and the political machinations have thrust Honduras -- a small Central American nation that looks to the U.S. for political and economic support -- into the news for months.

Zelaya and many analysts inside and outside Honduras hailed the Oct. 30 agreement between him and Micheletti, although it actually left his return to power up to the country's Congress.

Micheletti reiterated his accusation Monday that Zelaya broke the agreement late last week by failing to offer a list of candidates for senior positions in the ``unity'' government called for under the deal.

Zelaya said Sunday that he didn't put forth his candidates because the agreement called for him to oversee the unity government.

Calling the agreement ``a failure,'' he added, ``The de facto president who carried out a coup is going to direct the Cabinet? This is reconciliation?''

Pérez said he thought the Obama administration decided it had no option but to recognize the election result after concluding that Honduras' political, military and economic elite wouldn't accept Zelaya's return.

The deposed president had been on the outs with the elite since he shifted midterm to become a free-spending leftist allied with Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chávez. Zelaya said he would like to extend his stay in office, as Chávez has done.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., also is taking credit for the U.S. support for the election after receiving private assurances from Shannon and Clinton. DeMint said last week that Shannon and Clinton both had assured him that the Obama administration would accept Honduras' winner, even if Zelaya weren't president.

As a result, DeMint released his hold blocking Shannon from becoming ambassador to Brazil and another on Arturo Valenzuela to replace Shannon as the top diplomat for Latin America. However, Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., then put on a new hold on Shannon.

Shannon made his comments last week to CNN en Español. State Department spokesman Charles Luoma Overstreet in an e-mail to McClatchy questioned the widespread interpretation of what Shannon said and sent a transcript of the interview that left out the relevant quotes. The actual transcript shows Shannon twice confirming that the U.S. would respect the outcome of the elections no matter whether Zelaya were restored.

A senior State Department official declined to discuss Shannon's statements Monday, saying instead, ``What we're trying to do is get the parties to follow the accord. . . If the accord is not implemented fully, that will affect international perceptions.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/v-fullstory/story/1325221.html

Public Prosecutor Threatens Congress

2009-11-10T17:22:00.000Z

Luis Rubi, public prosecutor for the de facto government of Honduras, warned Congress today that they might face legal responsibilities if they vote to restore Manuel Zelaya to his Presidency. "Our legal opinion will go beyond pronouncing, if its necessary, to see if taking determined actions puts the Congress people in legal jeopardy," Rubi said.

OAS will not recognise elections

2009-11-10T17:20:00.000Z

The ever informative Honduras Coup 2009 blogspot reports the following

While the Honduran press is full of Micheletti's calls for Zelaya to return to the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord that Micheletti willfully burlesqued, the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, sees little or no hope that there will be a return to dialog, and has said the OAS will not send election observers unless there is a radical change in the situation.

"It is difficult for the Congress to rule on the restitution of Zelaya...any solution will have to come from decisions of the Honduran nation and the Congress to rule on the issue of the restitution of Zelaya."

While Lanny Davis fiddles for his fascist masters in a Wall Street Journal editorial, Miguel Insulza correctly notes that the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord was broken when Micheletti tried to form a government of national unity without the participation of Zelaya. This past Sunday, after Zelaya declared the accord dead, Micheletti offered to let Zelaya participate in the unity government, but remained adamant that he, Micheletti, would lead it.

Micheletti's response was to issue an 8 point communique Sunday that demanded that the international community send election observers (they aren't going to), remove all sanctions and restore foreign aid (which will continue frozen until there is full compliance with the accord) and stop interfering in the internal affairs of Honduras.

Other than the recognition which Thomas Shannon has guaranteed the de facto government, no government in the Hemisphere is likely to recognize the results of the November 29 elections if held under the current conditions. Honduras will remain diplomatically, and economically isolated.

Honduras' Congress says no guarantee it will vote on Zelaya before elections; candidate withdraws

2009-11-09T23:48:00.000Z

Article By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
The Associated Press November 09

The head of Honduras' Congress said Monday there is no guarantee lawmakers will vote on whether to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya before the Nov. 29 election that will choose his successor.

Washington and the rest of the international community — which cut off most foreign aid and diplomatic ties to Honduras after the June 28 coup — are pushing for a swift solution and Zelaya's reinstatement. A U.S.-brokered pact calls on Congress to decide whether to return Zelaya to office with Supreme Court input, but imposes no deadline.

Congressional leader Jose Alfredo Saavedra said lawmakers are still awaiting an opinion from the Supreme Court on whether Zelaya should resume the presidency. He said he could not say how much longer the court will take.

"It's difficult to determine at this point because the accord proposes that we consult the honorable Supreme Court ... and we will wait for their opinion," Saavedra told the state television channel, TNH.

Honduran lawmakers, most of whom voted to back Zelaya's ouster, made clear they felt no sense of urgency.

A key Zelaya supporter said he had little hope for the ousted leader's restoration before the election. Carlos Reyes, an independent presidential candidate, withdrew from the race, saying taking part in a vote organized under interim President Roberto Micheletti would legitimize the coup.

"We won't legitimize a coup d'etat or the fraud that Mr. Micheletti is preparing," he said.

Reyes lagged in opinion polls behind the candidates of the National and Liberal parties — Honduras two major parties. Two other candidates from small parties are also still in the race. Neither Zelaya or Micheletti are on the ballot.

Both Elvin Santos, of Zelaya and Micheletti's Liberal Party, and the National Party candidate, Porfirio Lobo, have urged Congress to make a decision soon on Zelaya.

"What needs to happen is for Congress to make a decision because there is no point in prolonging the crisis," Santos said.

Lobo, who is leading in most polls, said the 55 lawmakers from his party had yet to decide which way they will vote on Zelaya's reinstatement.

The United States would be in a difficult position if the election takes place without Zelaya in power. Washington initially joined other Western Hemisphere countries in warning that the elections would not be recognized if Zelaya is not restored beforehand.

U.S. diplomats have since indicated Washington would support the election as long as the pact is implemented. That agreement calls for a national unity government but does not require Zelaya's reinstatement, leaving the decision up to Congress.

The United States has found itself in the middle of an argument between Zelaya and Micheletti over whether the pact is being fulfilled.

Zelaya declared the accord dead last week after Micheletti announced a unity government had been created even though the ousted president had not submitted his own list of members. Micheletti insisted the pact has been fulfilled, saying Zelaya missed a deadline imposed by the agreement to submit a list of candidates.

Zelaya has accused Micheletti of delaying any solution until after the election. Zelaya's opponents say they worry he might seek to delay or thwart the election if restored to office.

Soldiers ousted Zelaya after he ignored a Supreme Court order to drop a referendum to ask Hondurans if they wanted an assembly to rewrite the constitution. Opponents accused him of seeking to extend his time in office by lifting a ban on presidential re-election. Zelaya denies he intended to extend his term.

Spain believes that a government without representatives of Zelaya unit is "a flagrant breach" of the agreement

2009-11-06T18:04:00.000Z

Translated excerpts from Europa Press. Original at http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/5/20091106/twl-espaa-cree-que-un-gobierno-unitario-f6923c3.html

The Spanish Government considers that the creation of a unity government in Honduras without representatives of the ousted president Manuel Zelaya is "a flagrant breach of the agreement" that Roberto Micheletti and Zelaya signed last week to put end the political crisis in the Central American country since the coup of June 28.

"I believe that there is a flagrant breach of the agreement," the Secretary of State for Latin America, Juan Pablo de Laiglesia, told Europa Press, when asked about the announcement made on Thursday that the unity government does not include representatives of the deposed president.

"It seems clear that the government of national unity and reconciliation...is a mere continuation of the situation following the coup," the secretary of state....[It] "at first sight appears to be contrary to the spirit and even the letter of the agreement".

...Regarding the return of Zelaya in power, De Laiglesia stressed that although the agreement between the opposing parties do not set "a date" for the country's Congress to rule on the return of the legitimate representative [this] does not mean that Congress "can not fulfil an essential element of the agreement."

The Secretary of State for Latin America stressed that the whole international community expects "the restoration of democratic order and the effectiveness of this political agreement and the holding of elections within a framework of reconciliation and return to normality"..

Honduras: Communiqué No. 33. Message from the National Front of Resistance.

2009-11-06T18:00:00.000Z

Honduras: Communiqué No. 33.

Message from the National Front of Resistance
Friday, Nov 6, 2009.

The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup wishes to inform the Honduran people and the international community of the following:

Whereas,

1. During the 131 days of continuous struggle, we have pushed for a peaceful solution to the political crisis in our country as a result of the coup d'état carried out by the Honduran oligarchy. In this period we have supported the efforts promoted by various national and international sectors, putting forward three key demands: (a) the return to constitutional order with the reinstatement of the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya Rosales; (b) respect for the sovereign right to establish a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of refounding our nation; and (c) punishment for those who have violated human rights.

2. The Tegucigalpa-San Jose agreement underscores the priority of returning to constitutional order and affirms, literally, the need to "return the holder of executive power to its pre-June 28 state through to January 27, 2010, which marks the end of the term of the current government."

3. The National Congress, co-author of the break with the constitutional order on June 28, is using delaying tactics by refusing to convene the full assembly of the Congress to revoke the decree that set up the de-facto regime.

4. The OAS and the U.S. government, which we consider to be an accomplice in the military coup, do not show an interest in the definitive departure of the coup perpetrators from political power.

Therefore We Resolve That,

1. If by 12 midnight today, Thursday, November 5 -- at the latest -- President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is not reinstated, the National Front of Resistance Against the Coup will refuse to recognize the electoral process and its results.

2. We warn all organizations of the national Resistance that if President Zelaya were not to be reinstated within this time frame, they should be ready to carry out the actions necessary to deny any legitimacy to the electoral farce.

3. We call upon the international community to maintain its position of refusing to legitimize the de-facto regime and the elections of November 29.

"We Are Resisting and We Shall Win!"
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.
November 5, 2009

Talks over Honduras crisis crumble

2009-11-06T17:58:00.000Z

Zelaya will not recognise elections

2009-11-06T14:35:00.000Z

An AP article "Zelaya: US-brokered pact for Honduran crisis fails" reports that

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said Friday that a U.S.-brokered pact failed to end a four-month political crisis after a deadline for forming a unity government passed.

"The accord is dead," Zelaya told Radio Globo from from the Brazilian Embassy where he has been hold up under threat of arrest. "There is no sense in deceiving Hondurans."

and

Jorge Reina, a negotiator for Zelaya, said the pact fell apart because Congress failed to vote on whether to reinstate the deposed president before the deadline for forming the unity government."The de facto regime has failed to live up to the promise that, by this date, the national government would be installed. And by law, it should be presided by the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya," Reina said.

and that

Hundreds of Zelaya supporters gathered outside Congress on Thursday to demand his reinstatement. The protesters said they will boycott the elections if Zelaya is not returned to power beforehand to serve out his constitutionally limited single term, which ends in January.Reina accused Micheletti of preparing "a great electoral fraud this November." "We completely do not recognize this electoral process," Reina said. "Elections under a dictatorship are a fraud for the people."

Deal over Honduran crisis 'dead' - President Zelaya

2009-11-06T11:50:00.000Z

Honduras has been suffering from a political crisis for four months

A deal to resolve the political crisis in Honduras is "dead", ousted President Manuel Zelaya has said.

He was speaking after interim leader Roberto Micheletti said he was forming a "unity government" without Mr Zelaya's representatives.
Mr Micheletti acted as a deadline passed for putting a power-sharing agreement into effect.

Honduras has been shaken by a political crisis that began when Mr Zelaya was forced out of the country on 28 June.

The two rivals agreed to a US-backed power-sharing deal last week, with a deadline for it to be implemented by midnight on Thursday (0600 GMT Friday).
But Mr Zelaya had warned on Thursday that he would withdraw from the deal unless Congress held a vote on his restoration to power.

He has said elections planned for 29 November will not be valid unless he is restored to power first, though the agreement did not guarantee the ousted leader's restitution.

'Theatre'
Interim authorities did not consider the Congressional vote demanded by Mr Zelaya to be an essential part of the agreement.

They said the agreement set a deadline for the formation of a government, but not for Congress to meet.

As the power-sharing deadline passed, Mr Micheletti said he had "finalised the process of confirming a unity government".

"Everybody, with the exception of Mr Zelaya, recommended Hondurans to lead the institutions of our country as part of the new government," he said.

Though Mr Zelaya had not submitted a list of names, Mr Micheletti said the government was "representative of a large ideological and political spectrum in our country and complies strictly with the agreement" signed last week.

Mr Zelaya, who has been sheltering in the Brazilian embassy since his return to Honduras in September, responded by pronouncing the accord "dead".

"It's absurd what they are doing, trying to mock all of us, the people who elected me and the international community that supports me," he said. "We've decided not to continue this theatre with Mr Micheletti."

Mr Zelaya was ousted after planning to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution.

His critics said the move was unconstitutional and aimed to remove the current one-term limit on serving as president and pave the way for his possible re-election.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8345899.stm

London protest demands immediate reinstatement of Zelaya

2009-11-05T16:08:00.003Z

With backers of the coup regime in Honduras seeking to undermine the accord agreed last week that would see a return of President Zelaya to power, a picket was held on Wednesday 4 November in London outside the US Embassy.

The picket was addresses by Jeremy Corbyn MP, leading trade unionists Linda Perks (UNION) and Tony Burke (UNITE) and Jose Vallejo Villa, Justice for Cleaners.

Photos are below:

President Obama's Credibility on the Line in Honduras

2009-11-05T13:07:00.000Z

By Mark Weisbrot
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/04/honduras-zelaya-agreement-obama-clinton

Last Friday an agreement was reached between the de facto regime in Honduras-- which took power in a military coup on June 28th -- and the elected president Mel Zelaya, for the restoration of democracy there.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in announcing what she called an "historic agreement, said: "I cannot think of another example of a country in Latin America that…overcame such a crisis through negotiation and dialogue." Hopefully this will turn out to be true.

But the ink was barely dry on the accord when leaders of the coup regime indicated that they had no intention of honoring it. Some of them clearly saw the agreement as just another delaying tactic. They have talked of postponing congressional approval of the accord until after the November 29th elections, or even voting not to restore Zelaya.

If the Honduran congress delays or rejects the restoration of Zelaya, they will be violating the clear intent of the accord. The agreement states: "The decision the National Congress adopts should establish a basis for achieving the social peace, political tranquility and democratic governability the society requires and the country needs." This and other language makes it clear that the negotiators - who have the ability to deliver the votes in Congress - agreed on Zelaya's restoration.

Furthermore, justice delayed here is justice denied: two-thirds of the legally allowed campaign period has already lapsed, under conditions of dictatorship that made free election campaigning impossible.

The Obama administration has itself been divided on what to do about the military overthrow of democracy in Honduras. Hence the mixed signals and vacillation from the very beginning, when the first statement from the White House failed to even condemn the coup.

Those in the Administration who think they can now wash their hands of the accord, and let the coup leaders turn their back on it had better think twice. The Obama team has embarrassed itself enough by having to be pressured -- by the rest of the hemisphere -- to tell the coup government that Washington would not recognize the November 29 elections without prior restoration of Zelaya. Just a few weeks earlier, the Obama administration had blocked the Organization of American States from passing a resolution to this effect.

But now Washington's credibility is really on the line: the Obama team brokered this accord, and got a commitment from the coup leaders. If they go back on it, how much with the Obama administration's word be worth on anything else? Everyone knows that Washington has the ability to force the coup regime to comply: there are billions of dollars of its assets in the U.S. that could be frozen or seized; seventy percent of the country's exports go to the U.S. The coup regime has no international legitimacy and no standing to challenge the United States under international treaties, for any economic sanctions that might be invoked.

The Obama administration never used the effective tools at its disposal. Instead it dithered for months, finally cutting off a fraction of its aid to the coup government and revoking some visas. The administration refused to even declare that a military coup had taken place, since this would have required more cuts in foreign assistance. Most tellingly, Washington refused to denounce the massive human rights violations committed by the dictatorship. These included police beatings, illegal detention of thousands, closing of independent radio and television, suspension of civil rights and even some political murders. The crimes were denounced by all major human rights organizations, inside and outside of Honduras -- and many governments - but the Obama administration maintained a deafening silence.

Based on the recent past, the coup leaders - one of whom was forced to resign his post as foreign minister after calling President Obama "a plantation Negro" and other racial epithets - might think they can safely ignore the agreement. But the rest of the hemisphere, and the Honduran people - who have courageously resisted the coup from day one - will not let them get away with it. No one will recognize the November elections if Zelaya is not restored promptly.

Last night, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon told CNN en Espanol that the United States plans to recognize the November 29 elections whether or not President Zelaya is restored. This would definitely put Washington on a collision course with the rest of the hemisphere, including Brazil. Furthermore, according to diplomats close to the negotiations, both Shannon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had given assurances that the October 30th accord would bring Zelaya back to the presidency.

Shannon's statement to CNN prompted a letter from President Zelaya to Hillary Clinton, asking whether the U.S. government had changed its position on the coup d'etat in Honduras.

President Obama now has a choice: he can force the coup regime to honor the accord, or lose further credibility among governments in the hemisphere and the world.

Decision on Zelaya's return postponed

2009-11-04T16:01:00.002Z

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The Honduran Congress won't convene a special session to consider returning ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power, a legislative committee has decided.

The panel of 13 lawmakers voted instead to wait until Congress receives non-binding legal opinions from the Central American country's Supreme Court, attorney general and others, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The lawmakers' decision puts a damper on Zelaya's chances of returning to power even temporarily under a deal brokered by the United States last week, the Journal says.

Both Zelaya and the interim government agreed to let the country's Congress decide the matter. In return, the United States promised to renew aid to Honduras and recognize the legitimacy of the upcoming Nov. 29 presidential election.

The election could take place before Congress decides on Zelaya's return.

Zelaya was ousted on June 28 just hours before an unpopular constitutional referendum.

Ousted Honduran leader asks Clinton stand on coup

2009-11-04T15:58:00.002Z

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Ousted President Manuel Zelaya has sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking the U.S. to clarify its position on the coup that overthrew him four months ago.

Zelaya sent the letter Wednesday, a day after assistant U.S. Secretary of State Thomas Shannon told CNN en Espanol that "the U.S. will recognize the outcome" of Honduras' Nov. 29 election even if Honduras' Congress does not restore Zelaya to power first.

Zelaya asks Clinton in his letter "to clarify to the Honduran people if the position condemning the coup d'etat has been changed or modified."

The Obama administration has said Honduras needs to restore the constitutional government.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Ongoing pressure needed to ensure return of President Zelaya

2009-11-04T11:59:00.004Z

Elected Honduras President, Manuel Zelaya, yesterday called for ongoing international pressure to ensure the deal around his return to office is implemented, in the face of prevarication and delay from coup backers. A statement from the Constitutional Government on November 3 said:

"We call upon the international community to remain vigilant so that [there is] compliance with the Agreement [and] Congress agrees the immediate return of the Constitutional President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales - the only way to return to Constitutional Order, full respect of Human Rights and Constitutional Guarantees, and full respect for international law."

The Zelaya government communiqué also called on the international community not to recognise the November 29 elections until the full implementation of the Accord.

Though a deal was reached last week in Honduras that would see the return of President Zelaya to office, this has so far this has not been implemented. The coup installed President of the Honduran Congress, Jose Alfredo Saavedra, yesterday deferred a vote on the reinstatement of deposed President Zelaya and instead asked the Supreme Court for its view. No date has yet been set fro Congress to meet to implement the reinstatement of President Zelaya despite the accord being agreed 6 days ago. The BBC reports that "Correspondents say the latest move may lead to the collapse of the agreement". Speaking on Monday, Congressional leader Jose Alfredo Saavedra said he would not rush Congress's vote on the accord, despite calls from foreign diplomats not to delay.

Organisation of Americas’ Secretary, Jose Miguel Insulza, has urged Congress to restore President Zelaya and has called for an emergency meeting of the OAS next week to lift the sanctions against Honduras on condition that they restore Zelaya. Insulza told Honduran MPs: "Stop the rhetoric and reinstate Zelaya".

Ricardo Lagos, a member of the Verification Commission that will implement the Micheletti-Zelaya agreement has made it clear that the spirit of the agreement involves the immediate restoration of Zelaya. Lagos together with Hilda Solis (US Labour Secretary) have visited Zelaya in the Brazilian embassy. Hundreds of candidates for elections scheduled later this month from the Liberal Party, the PINUSD Party (100 out a total of 125 candidates) and other political formations have stated unambiguously that they will withdraw from the election if there is no democratic restoration

There is a permanent mass vigil outside the Honduran Congress demanding the implementation of the agreement and the reinstatement of President Zelaya.

PROTEST AT THE US EMBASSY - End all US economic, political and military support to the dictatorship in Honduras now!

2009-11-03T11:58:00.001Z

EMERGENCY PROTEST AT THE US EMBASSY! * Reinstate President Zelaya Now! Defend human rights in Honduras! * End all US economic, political and military support to the dictatorship in Honduras now! * No election without the restitution of Zelaya! Wednesday November 4, 5.30-7.30pm US Embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1A. (For a map click here) Wednesday November 4, 5.30-7.30pm At the US Embassy, 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1A. A deal was reached last week in Honduras that should see the return of President Zelaya to office. But so far this has not been implemented. There are already many reports that this will be delayed by those opposed to the return of Zelaya, including in the Supreme Court and Congress, which both have to approve the deal. President Manuel Zelaya has warned about a possible "manipulation" by the coup government after signing the agreement that could return him to power and end the crisis in his country. "There may be manipulation, so we must remain vigilant until compliance has been achieved," he said in a telephone contact with the channel Telesur, adding that "possibly some members are trying to impede the drive to complete this agreement." We need to keep up the pressure to ensure the return of the elected President. Please join us on Wednesday! Speakers to include: · Jeremy Corbyn MP · Tony Burke, Assistant General Secretary, Unite the Union · Linda Perks, Regional Secretary, Greater London UNISON · Jose Vallejo Villa, Justice for Cleaners · Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, Black Students’ Officer, NUS
Supported by:
This picket is part of the activities of the Emergency Committee Against the Coup in Honduras. The Committee involves Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, Cuba Solidarity Campaign, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, Labour Friends of Venezuela, UNITE the Union, UNITE London & Eastern Regions, South East Region TUC, and other bodies of the British Labour movement and Latin American communities. Visit the blog at http://committeeagainsthondurascoup.blogspot.com. For more information email: notohondurascoup@googlemail.com

Letter from TUC regarding Honduras

2009-11-03T11:56:00.000Z

Rt Hon. David Miliband MP,
Secretary of State Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street Whitehall
London SW1A 2AH

issued 2 Nov 2009

Dear David

Continuing crisis in Honduras

On behalf of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) I ask you to increase the pressure on the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti to restore democracy and to strongly condemn the series of human rights violations that have taken place since the 28 June coup d'état removed President Manuel Zelaya Rosales from office.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) which represents 170 million workers in 158 countries through its 316 national affiliates unanimously passed a resolution at its most recent General Council meeting in Berlin (attached) calling for the following actions to be taken;
suspension of Honduras's European Union GSP+ trade preferences until the country returns to genuine democratic control;
financial aid and all other financial co-operation with the de facto regime to be halted immediately; and non-cooperation by the international community with the bogus election called for 29 November, including a refusal to send election observers.
In relation to GSP+ we urge the British government to publicly support and push for a suspension of Honduras' trade preferences granted under this EU scheme.
In the 100 days since the coup, 20 people have been killed, 12 of whom were trade unionists, over 3000 people have been arrested, and the de facto regime has committed countless serious violations of human and trade union rights, including the suppression of the Honduran people's fundamental right to freedom of association and the closing down of media loyal to the legitimate government.
We ask you to call once again on the de facto government there to engage meaningfully in the talks held under the auspices of the OAS. Such talks must immediately result in the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya, returned to office, with a view to enabling the holding of free and fair elections and bringing an end the coup. The coup is something we hoped had been confined to history in Latin America. If it is not resolved it could set a very dangerous precedent for the future.
Yours sincerely
BRENDAN BARBER
General Secretary
Berlin General Council Meeting

ITUC Resolution

Honduras
RESOLUTION ON HONDURAS
The 5th ITUC General Council meeting in Berlin, 6 - 8 October 2009:
CONDEMNS the military coup in Honduras of 28 June 2009, resulting in the
detention and expulsion of the legitimate President of the country José
Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and the adoption by the authors of the coup of
a series of dictatorial measures, which violate fundamental democratic
rights which are enshrined in the Honduran Constitution and in
international law;
DENOUNCES the killing of innocent Honduran citizens and of 12 trade union
leaders and militants by the illegitimate de facto regime and its
continued use of torture, violence, incarceration, denial of freedom of
speech, assembly and association, violation of international diplomatic
convention at the Brazilian Embassy and the range of other actions
aimed at repressing legitimate dissent and preventing a return to
democracy and the rule of law;
DEMANDS that the regime immediately and unconditionally withdraw from their
illegal occupancy of all positions of political and administrative
authority to ensure the return of President Zelaya to the Presidency of
the country, that they guarantee the security and physical safety of
President Zelaya and all Hondurans and that they suspend without
delay all the repressive measures which they have introduced;
PLEDGES the continued and fullest support of the international trade union
movement to the ITUC´s affiliates CUTH, CTH and CGT, which
condemned the coup immediately it took place, and which continue, at
the front of the alliance of democratic forces from diverse sectors and
social movement, to resist the illegitimate regime and campaign for
the return of democracy;
CALLS UPON The governments in the region and worldwide, and the international
institutions including the United Nations, Organisation of American
States, European Union and others which can bring effective pressure
to bear, to act with determination against the violation of fundamental
democratic rights in Honduras, to ensure that full authority is
returned to the legitimate government of President Zelaya;
CALLS UPON the Honduran employers to respect ILO core labour standards, in
particular Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of
the Right to Organise and Convention 98 on the Right to Organise and
Collective Bargaining;
INSISTS that the intellectual and material authors of the coup are brought to
justice for the crimes they have committed in relation to the launching
of the coup and the events which have followed;
SUPPORTS the Honduran democracy movement in its demand for the convocation
of a constituent assembly to resolve the social, economic and political
problems which the country faces;
RESOLVES - to intensify international trade union actions in solidarity with the
Honduran trade union movement and people, including through the
provision of material assistance;
- promote international action, in coordination with the Global Union
Federations, to increase international support for action to end the
crisis in Honduras;
- to continue to closely monitor events in the country, and maintain
support for the Honduran trade union movement in its quest for a
resolution to the crisis which is founded on democracy, social justice
and the rights of Honduran working people;
- to be ready to send a mission of solidarity with the people and
workers of Honduras that have so bravely fought the military coup
and to witness first hand the human and trade union right
situation in the country when required and appropriate;
CALLS UPON - the European Union to suspend the GSP+ trade preferences to
Honduras as a further means of pressure to obtain an immediate
and total return to democracy in that country;
- the International community not to send financial aid or observers
to the elections of 29 November and not to recognize their outcome;
- to end immediately all financial cooperation with the de facto
government; and
HOPES that the talks that President Manuel Zelaya and the de facto
government have agreed to begin next week under the auspices of the
Organization of American States bring a solution to the crisis. For this
dialogue to bear fruit, all coercive measures taken by Micheletti -the
current state of siege; the decree restricting freedom of movement,
assembly and of the press; and the closing down of two media loyal to
Zelaya, Radio Globo and Channel 36 - must be lifted.

Honduras Congress not yet called back into session

2009-11-03T10:54:00.000Z

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ (AP)
The leadership of Honduras' Congress will meet Tuesday to begin consideration of an accord that could reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya, but no date has been set for bringing the issue to the floor.
Congressman Carlos Lara Watson told HRN Radio late Monday that he and other legislative leaders would decide when to submit the measure to the full Congress for debate. He said the leaders also would consult the courts and prosecutors.
Under the U.S.-brokered pact, lawmakers must decide on whether Zelaya should serve the remaining three months of his term, a decision that could end the country's debilitating, 4-month-old political crisis.
Congressional president Jose Alfredo Saavedra said earlier Monday he would not be rushed despite calls from diplomats not to delay the vote. He said he wanted to consult first with the Supreme Court, which ordered Zelaya's June 28 ouster.

"Once congressional leaders understand the reach of the pact, once they understand its dynamics, then we'll decide what path to follow," Saavedra told HRN radio.
While the legislature backed Zelaya's ouster, congressional leaders have since said they won't stand in the way of an agreement that ends Honduras' diplomatic isolation and legitimizes a presidential election planned for Nov. 29.
The international community has threatened to not recognize the vote if Zelaya is not reinstated.
About 300 Zelaya supporters, who have said they will boycott the election if he is not returned to power, demonstrated at the congressional building Monday.
"We want our president to return and help fight the poverty that we have here," said Juan Sanchez, a 55-year-old unemployed farmworker. He said the group of Zelaya's supporters planned to stay outside Congress indefinitely.
U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos were expected to arrive in the Central American country Tuesday accompanied by high-level officials from the Organization of American States.
The two were named to a four-member commission that is to monitor implementation of the pact. The other members will be representatives from Honduras' two major political parties.
The commission will monitor the creation of a power-sharing government, encourage all factions recognize the November elections and ensure the military is put under the command of electoral officials to safeguard the vote's legitimacy.
As part of the accord struck Friday, the commission will also monitor the creation of a truth commission assigned to investigate the coup that ousted Zelaya, who was rousted from his bed by soldiers and flown to Costa Rica.
Zelaya has been inside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa since Sept. 21, when he made a surprise return to the Honduran capital.

Zelaya demads end to manipulation of the deal

2009-11-03T10:31:00.000Z

Tegucigalpa, Nov 2, (PL).- Honduran Constitutional President Manuel Zelaya called putschists to stop manipulating the agreement reached to end the political crisis in this Central American nation.

Zelaya, overthrown in June by a coup, demanded that the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti stopped playing dirty games and delaying strategies to apply the pact signed on October 30, according to which National Congress must declare itself on the return of Zelaya, as part of measures to restore institutionality.

In Zelaya's opinion, it is a matter of urgency to make this analysis effective in Congress, as "we have stood enough harm already as a country, for anyone to try to continue manipulating the crisis."

"None of the parties must use dirty games, delaying strategies or measures that make us lose credit and respect we deserve as a country before the international community," he added.

Zelaya's remarks come as several sectors in the country think National Congress may delay the materialization of what was agreed during negotiations.

His restitution in the presidential post is not at stake, he said, and urged the de facto regime to comply with the agreement as soon as possible.

"Any interpretation out of this context would constitute a new affront to the Honduran people and the international community," said Zelaya, who returned to Tegucigalpa on September 21 and remains at the Brazilian embassy.

In this agreement, the post of President of the Republic of Honduras, constitutionally elected by the people, is beyond discussion.

Congress must act with required diligence and speed in order to "regain the homeland's dearest interest, that is democracy, which is broken," said Zelaya.

At least 65 of all 128 deputies must vote in favour of the restitution to make Zelaya's return effective.

Meanwhile, the Committee for Verification of agreements to overcome the crisis triggered by the coup in Honduras will be installed on Tuesday and not today, as originally informed.

The pact signed by representatives of the constitutional government and of the de facto regime set the installation of the Committee for today, but Spokeswoman for the putschists, Vilma Morales, announced that the ceremony will be on Tuesday.

Honduras legitimate President Manuel Zelaya appointed Ambassador to the UN Jorge Arturo Reina as his representative, while the de facto regime appointed businessman Arturo Corrales.

The international community will be represented by former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, who are expected to arrive in Honduras on Tuesday.

The objective of the mission is to observe implementation of the agreements adopted on Friday to put an end to the cris

Otto Reich: Zelaya not automatically to be re-seated as President in Honduras.

2009-11-02T13:17:00.000Z

In an article Otto Reich, who served under President Bush from 2001 to 2004, first as assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere and later in the National Security Council, states:

Contrary to press reports, Zelaya is not in any way automatically returned to office by the accord. First, there must be a vote by the entire Honduran congress on whether Zelaya is fit to return to office. Prior to that, the Honduran supreme court, which ruled against Zelaya in June by a vote of 15 to 0, must issue an opinion on the same.

Zelaya warns that deal must be implemented in full

2009-11-02T09:32:00.000Z

MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said he will refuse support to the country's reconciliation government if he is not be reinstated ahead of national elections next month, the EFE news agency reported on Monday.

The reconciliation government was agreed to be established during Friday's meeting between representatives of Zeleya and the country's de facto leader, Roberto Micheletti.

"The reconciliation government can only be established if we reach an agreement," Zelaya told EFE in a telephone interview.

"No agreement - no reconciliation government," he added.

According to the deal, the Supreme Court is to decide whether the ousted leader will be reinstated ahead of national elections next month. The issue has been the sticking point between the two sides.

Micheletti says the agreement contains no guarantee that Zelaya will return to power.

Many countries and international bodies had warned they would not recognize the results if the Honduran elections were held under the Micheletti presidency.

Micheletti has argued that Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup.

Zelaya was bundled out of Honduras on June 28 by the military, acting on instructions from the Supreme Court and parliament, over efforts to seek an unconstitutional second presidential term. He was flown to Costa Rica, and his place was taken by Micheletti, the parliamentary speaker.

The ousted president secretly returned to the country on September 21 and took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.

Honduran National Front of Resistance to the Coup on deal to restore Zelaya.

2009-10-31T16:48:00.003Z

The National Front of Resistance to the Coup d'Etát, facing the imminent signing of a negotiated agreement between the commission representing the legitimate President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and the representatives of the de facto regime, communicates the following to the Honduran people and the international community:

1. We celebrate the upcoming restoration of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales as a popular victory over the narrow interests of the coup oligarchy. This victory has been obtained through four months of struggle and sacrifice by the people who, in spite of the savage repression unleashed by the repressive forces of the state in the hands of the dominant class, have been able to resist and grow in their levels of consciousness and organization and turn themselves into an irrepressible social force.

2. The signing on the part of the dictatorship of the document which mandates "returning the holder of executive power to its pre June 28 state," represents the explicit acceptance that in Honduras there was a coup d'état that should be dismantled in order to return to institutional order and guarantee a democratic framework in which the people can exercise their right to transform society.

3. We demand that the accords signed at the negotiating table be processed in an expedited fashion by the National Congress. We alert all our comrades at the national level so that they can join the actions to pressure for the immediate compliance with the contents of the final document from the negotiating table.

4. We reiterate that a National Constituent Assembly is an unrenounceable aspiration of the Honduran people and a non-negotiable right for which we will continue struggling in the streets, until we achieve the re-founding of our society to convert it into one that is just, egalitarian and truly democratic.

"At 125 days of struggle, nobody here surrenders!"
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. October 30, 2009

Translation by the Nicaragua Network

Zelaya set to return to power in Honduras

2009-10-30T08:13:00.001Z

There are press reports that a deal has been reached in Honduras for President Zelaya to return!

According to Retuers elected President Manuel Zelaya said "We are satisfied. We are optimistic that my reinstatement is imminent" and that "Tomorrow will be the day that the plan will be signed to restore democracy to the country,"

He said "It is a triumph for Honduran democracy".

In a late night statement on October 29, Micheletti said, "I am pleased to announce that a few minutes ago my negotiating team signed an agreement that marks the beginning of the end," of the Central American state's political instability, AFP reported.

Boycott

2009-10-28T16:01:00.001Z

There are 2,896 candidates up for election in November in Honduras, at all levels of government from President and Congress to mayors, and aldermen. While two of the presidential candidates, Cesar Ham (UD party) and Carlos H. Reyes (Independent), have said they will not run without a return to democratic order in Honduras, few at other levels of government have made public statements about the elections.

Earlier this week, the leadership of the UD party indicated they would not participate in the november elections without the restitution of Zelaya. The majority of the leadership of the Party of Innovation and Social Democratic Unity (PINU-SD) issued a statement rebuking their candidate for President, Bernard Martinez, for supporting the coup, and indicating that it would not participate in the November elections unless there was a restitution of democratic order in Honduras. This faction of the PINU-SD party indicated that 100 of its candidates for office would not participate in the November elections without a return of the democratic order.

However, the report in Tiempo this morning that a faction of the liberal party held a convention yesterday, and that 300 of its candidates will not participate in the election if Zelaya is not returned to power comes as something of a surprise. Six of them are candidates for the Congress (El Heraldo says 26). All of these candidates stood for election in the internal party elections last November and won. They come from a variety of factions within the liberal party, including those of Roberto Micheletti, Elvin Santos, Eduardo Maldonado, and José Nolasco.

This scares the de facto government. Why else would they continue to issue threats to throw those who boycott the elections in jail? Denis Gomez, one of the alternates for the Magistrates of the Supreme Election Court (TSE), said yesterday "we will have to, according to articles 209 and 210 of the Law of Political Organizations, process in court those who try to boycott [the elections]". This crime is punishable by imprisonment for four to six years. He points out that the political parties will be able to subsitute for any candidate that withdraws, but laments the cost to the government.

A simple boycott, not participating in the election, is not punishable under articles 209 or 210 of the "Ley Electoral y de las Organizaciones Politicas". The threats are either empty, or involve a more active definition of "boycott" than that advocated by those boycotting. Article 209 is the relevant article.

209. Coercion and Electoral Threat
The following are sancioned by imprisonment of four to six years:
1. Anyone, not legally authorized, who impedes another, with or without the use of violence, from exercising their political rights.
2. Anyone who does not permit or otherwise blocks the election organization from the public sites necessary for it to function.
3. Anyone who alters or blocks legitimate campaign materials.
4, Anyone who impedes election officials in the fullfillment of their job and
5, Anyone who impedes the opening of voting, or causes it to be interrupted, or to have to move.

Article 210 is about falsification of election documents and so appears to be an empty threat like so many of those of the de facto government.

So what kind of boycott is Denis Gómez anticipating? He might be thinking about pickets outside the polling place, of school teachers who refuse to end the school year early and turn over their classrooms for voting or the removal and alteration of the campaign signs rampant in the country as a violations of Article 209. The one thing he can't be thinking about is people boycotting by staying home and not participating, because that is not a punishable crime in Honduras.

From http://hondurascoup2009.blogspot.com/

Honduras: People to Not Approve Electoral Farce

2009-10-28T15:52:00.000Z

Oct 27 (Prensa Latina) The National Front against the Coup d'Etat in Honduras stated Tuesday that it will not recognize the November 29 elections if constitutional order is not re-established and President Manuel Zelaya is not restituted.

"The people will not approve the electoral farce the putschists are preparing," rural leader Rafael Alegria told Prensa Latina.

Traditional parties and the de facto government insist that these elections are a solution to the dangerous crisis unleashed in the country after the breaking of democratic order.

"The only solution to the conflict in Honduras is the restitution of democratic legality and the president elected by the people," Alegria said.

Juan Barahona, general coordinator of the Front, stressed that if those objectives are not achieved, the future of elections is uncertain.

International community organizations and several governments, included the United States, stated that they will not recognize the elections results if they are not organized in the current circumstances.

The Lonesome Death of Pedro Munoz

2009-10-28T15:46:00.003Z

A young Honduran activist was almost certainly tortured and killed by the military.

By Jeremy Kryt

A life-sized sketch of Pedro Munoz, in the offices of COFADEH; surrounding placards depict other victims of government violence. Such signs are carried by the nonviolent resistance during marches and rallies as a tribute to the fallen. (All photos by Jeremy Kryt)

The only clues left by Munoz's assailants were footprints—tracks identified as belonging to military-style combat boots were found in the rain-freshened mud around the body.

TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS—Despite the intense repression that has plagued Honduras since the military-backed coup in June—including random beatings and sexual assaults by cops and soldiers, and the gassing and shooting of peaceful demonstrators–there is still one case that stands out above the rest, unique in its grisly details and implications.
For many in the pacifist, anti-coup resistance movement, the story of the detention, torture and killing of a young protester named Pedro Munoz in July has become a powerful inspiration to continue the struggle. For others, it is a grim reminder of the lengths the coup regime will go to as it struggles for hegemony.

“The police put this man through agony before they killed him—that was done to send a message, about the price of involvement in the Resistance,” said Mery Agurcia, the human rights case worker in charge of the ongoing investigation into Munoz’s death, when we spoke in her office. “But, of course, nothing can be proven against those who did it. Since the coup, there’s no longer any kind of transparency in the government.”

The turmoil in Honduras began last June 28, when democratically-elected President Mel Zelaya was forcibly sequestered and exiled by the military, which traditionally serves the country’s economic elite. Zelaya had been pushing for political and economic reforms intended to combat poverty and promote democracy, but such amendments threatened the ruling class’s hold on power.

Since the coup, a nonviolent resistance movement has sprung up, uniting various sectors of Honduran society, and demanded civil rights amendments to the national charter of this impoverished but rapidly growing nation. (Zelaya slipped back into Honduras on September 21, but remains effectively imprisoned in the Brazilian Embassy.)

The de facto regime has imposed martial law several times, shuttering independent media and violently dispersing peaceful anti-coup marches and rallies. Human rights groups report that thousands have been detained, and hundreds more hospitalized for wounds received from soldiers and riot police. At least 17 people have died, including one 24-year-old construction worker turned hapless martyr, Pedro Magdial Munoz.

‘They want us to be afraid’

Mery Agurcia is a patient, humble woman, just entering middle age, who heads up the research department for the Committee for the Families of the Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH). “From here, I have two views of Tegucigalpa,” she said, looking out the window of her musty, cluttered, third-floor office on the day I came to talk about the Munoz killing.
“The rich are over there,” she said, pointing to the sprawling downtown, with its banks and hotels. “And over here are the poor,” she said while gesturing out the other window to a maze of crowded streets and ramshackle houses.
Agurcia said that Pedro Munoz’s mangled body was found nearly three months ago, after a resistance march near the town of El Paraiso, on the Nicaraguan border. COFADEH’s investigation is ongoing, but the Munoz case, with its implications that authorities were involved in torture, has already attracted international recognition.
Paolo Carozzo, former president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), heard testimony concerning the Munoz incident while on a fact-finding visit to Honduras in late August. During a recent phone interview, Carozzo said he found the details of the young man’s death to be “moving and disturbing,” and that he had no doubt the authorities were responsible for his murder. “Whoever is controlling the state has to be limited,” he said, adding that, under current conditions, “most of the population of Honduras is being victimized.”
For many members of the resistance movement, Munoz has become a symbolic, even heroic figure. His name is often invoked during rallies, and his images of his face appear on placards and cardboard “coffins” which peaceful crowds carry in the street during daily marches.
“We all knew that [Munoz’s killing] was a warning to the rest of us,” said Gilda Batista, an anti-coup resistance organizer based in Tegucigalpa, the capital. “It’s something [the authorities] still practice, the way they tortured him. That’s why Billy Joya was brought in,” Batista said, referring to a top advisor of de facto Honduran President Roberto Micheletti with links to an 1980s-era death squad. “They want us to be afraid.”

A short-lived political life

According to those who knew him best, Pedro Magdial Munoz was a quiet, hard-working young man who liked to play football on the weekends and was hoping to marry his high-school sweetheart. He lived his whole live in the desperately poor barrio of San Francisco, located just outside the capital.
The barrio was always a harsh place, but the local economy worsened rapidly after the coup, as Zelaya’s anti-poverty initiatives were canceled by the far-right regime. Munoz — a thin, brown-eyed young man with a clear complexion — did not become politically active until Zelaya was kidnapped and exiled. He immediately joined the nonviolent resistance.
On Friday, July 24, Munoz traveled by bus with a group of friends to the Nicaraguan border to march in support of an earlier return attempt by deposed President Zelaya. When a combined force of riot police and soldiers attacked the unarmed marchers along a remote stretch of country road, Munoz and his friends were separated.
“Everyone was running and screaming. I ran too,” said Ernesto Cerna, a childhood friend of Munoz, and one of the last to see him alive. “The last time I saw Pedro, he looked to be unconscious, and the police were dragging him away by the shirt.”
Unwilling to abandon their companero, Cerna and the others spoke to police, who assured them Munoz would be released the next afternoon. The friends spent the night camped out near the road with some other demonstrators, although it was raining hard. Around dawn, when the rain stopped, a woman walked out from the road to urinate, and found the bloody body of Pedro Munoz sprawled in the low weeds.
“I knew it was him right away. Even before I saw him,” said Cerna, a nineteen-year-old who worked as a mechanic, until the economic backlash from the coup cost him his job. I met Cerna in the offices of COFADEH, and several times, as he spoke about that day in July, his memories left him speechless, sobbing. “As soon as they said a body had been found, I knew who it would be,” he said.
According to the coroner’s report, Munoz’s corpse showed signs of brutal and thorough torture. The young man’s right hand and fingers had been smashed, and his head, neck and torso were riddled with 42 carefully-placed puncture wounds, most likely from a bayonet. (The official coroner’s photos are also available on the Internet, but readers should be warned that the images are uncensored and graphic.) The cause of Munoz’s death is listed as “failure of vital organs and/or severing of the carotid artery.”
The only clues left by his assailants were footprints; tracks identified as belonging to military-style combat boots were found in the rain-freshened mud around the body.

‘He wanted a different Honduras’

Micheletti’s office did not respond to repeated phone calls for an interview, but an official statement issued by the regime has indicated there will be no government investigation into Munoz’s death. The police and military have both denied responsibility.
But Cerna said that’s hard to believe.
“Of course they would lie,” he said, again fighting back tears. “When I asked the commanding officer where Pedro was, the officer told me they would hold him for 24 hours. That at was at three in the afternoon. But his body was found at dawn the next day. So who else could have done it?”
A number of people I spoke to regarding the investigation also pointed out that, on the day Munoz was arrested, a strict curfew was in place after 3 p.m. Armed troops patrolled all the local roads that night, because the regime feared Zelaya’s imminent return.
“The troops and soldiers were the only ones to able to move around during the night,” said Agurcia, the COFADEH case worker. “How could someone have been out there torturing Pedro, without the patrols seeing it?”
Although there seems to be little plausible doubt that Munoz died while in the custody of Honduran authorities, there is some mystery concerning the motives behind the particularly brutal methods of torture used on him. Agurcia told me some eyewitnesses claimed Munoz was taking photos of an ambulance from El Paraiso, which was illegally ferrying tear-gas shells for the police. Munoz’s cell phone was found a short distance away from the corpse, but all photos had been erased.
Others tell still a different story.
“One very reliable witness testified that Pedro threw a stone, from about three or four meters away, that struck a soldier in the face,” said Agurcia. She believes that might account for the torture and violent death, as the Honduran military is infamous for such overblown retaliations.
But both Cerna, Munoz’s best friend, and resistance organizer Gilda Batista refute the notion that he hurled a stone. “Pedro was a calm man, a gentle man,” Batista said. “He wouldn’t have been throwing things.”
If a trooper was hit in the face with a rock, it couldn’t have been too serious a blow: there are no records of the military reporting even a minor casualty that day.
“We’ll probably never know the details,” admitted Agurcia, who maintains several bulging manila folders with documents and photos relating to the case. “[The police] killed my friend horribly, like an animal,” Cerna said, touching a small, hand-carved wooden cross Munoz had given him for luck on the same day he died. “But Pedro was a patriot who lost his life for his country. That is how I would like him to be remembered.”
Batista believes a mixture of outrage and compassion at Pedro Munoz’s intense suffering had helped unite the Resistance. “He wanted a different Honduras, a better Honduras. That’s why he died,” she said. “Sometimes, when I’m very tired, I remember the sacrifice he made, and it motivates me… When I want to rest, it keeps me going.”
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Poll Shows Growing Opposition to Coup

2009-10-28T15:44:00.000Z

On Oct. 23 the Washington, DC-based polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner released the results of a survey involving face-to-face interviews held Oct. 9-13 with 621 randomly selected Hondurans; the firm didn’t give the margin of error. According to the survey, 60% of Hondurans disapproved of the June 28 removal of President Manuel Zelaya from office, while only 38% approved. Some 19% rated Zelaya’s performance in office as “excellent” and another 48% as “good”; the poll showed 57% personally disapproving of Roberto Micheletti, de facto president since Zelaya’s overthrow, while 28% approved.

The pretext for the coup was a claim that Zelaya’s purpose in calling for a constituent assembly was to end the Constitution’s ban on second terms for presidents. According to the survey, Hondurans favor allowing re-election by a solid 55% to 43%, while 54% support holding a constituent assembly as a solution to the current crisis, with 43% opposed. While the Honduran right depicts Zelaya’s supporters as backers of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez Frías, only 10% of Hondurans feel “warm” towards Chávez, while 83% have a negative impression, according to the survey. (Greenberg press release 10/23/09; Honduras Coup 2009 blog 10/24/09; Bloomberg 10/23/09)

The Greenberg poll, although based on a relatively small sampling, gives results similar to those from the two other polls published since the coup: a survey by the Costa Rican-based CID Gallup firm in early July and a poll the Tegucigalpa firm Consultants in Investigation of Markets and Public Opinion (COIMER & OP) conducted Aug. 23-29. The July CID Gallup survey showed a plurality of 46% opposing the coup, while the August COIMER & OP poll showed 52.7% against Zelaya’s removal, with only 17.4% supporting it (the rest didn’t answer). If the surveys are correct, opposition to the coup has grown steadily over the past four months, with large majority now rejecting Zelaya’s removal. (Daily Kos 7/12/09; Narco News 10/6/09; Honduras Coup 2009 blog 10/7/09)

Honduras: Talks Stall, Election in Doubt

2009-10-28T15:43:00.001Z

From http://weeklynewsupdate.blogspot.com/

On Oct. 23 negotiators for deposed Honduran president José Manuel Zelaya Rosales gave up on talks to end a four-month political crisis in Honduras. The negotiations had been “worn down” by the intransigence of de facto president Roberto Micheletti Bain’s government, Zelaya representative Mayra Mejía announced in Tegucigalpa.

Zelaya had already given up key points in the talks, which began on Oct. 7 with the support of the Organization of American States (OAS). His concessions included acceptance of a government of national reconciliation and the renunciation of calls for a national constituent assembly to rewrite the 1982 Constitution, a demand still strongly supported by grassroots organizations. But Micheletti’s representatives refused to negotiate seriously on Zelaya’s return to office before the scheduled Nov. 29 general elections, according to Zelaya’s representatives. Zelaya, who was deposed by a military coup on June 28, ends his four-year term on Jan. 27.

The de facto government’s intransigence was “a second coup d’état,” Zelaya said in an interview with the British network BBC on Oct. 25.
He also charged that the military was subjecting him to “psychological torture” by playing loud music through the night outside the Brazilian embassy, where the deposed president has been living since slipping back into the country on Sept. 21. Supporters say the soldiers have also been shining stadium lights into the building. But in a interview with opposition radio station Radio Globo the same day, Zelaya said he still expected a solution: "I cannot give details of how this will be achieved, but Honduras cannot remain in this situation.” (La Jornada (Mexico) 10/24/09 from AFP, DPA, Reuters; Europa Press 10/25/09 via Yahoo; Bloomberg 10/23/09; Xinhua 10/26/09)

The de facto government apparently hopes to end the crisis by getting the US to recognize the results of the November elections. There is pressure for this in US governing circles. In an op-ed in the Washington Post on Oct. 17, former US secretary of state James A. Baker III (1989-1992) argued that “a free and fair election in Honduras would go a long way toward resolving the constitutional crisis there.” The US government should support the elections, he said, just as the administration of President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993) backed elections in Nicaragua under the leftist Sandinista government in 1990. (WP 10/17/09)

However, on Oct. 23, the Carter Center—an influential election-monitoring organization founded by former US president Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)—indicated that it wouldn’t observe the November elections unless the coup was reversed. (LJ 10/24/09 from AFP, DPA, Reuters)

Honduran opponents of the coup are calling for an election boycott. Independent presidential candidate Carlos H. Reyes and legislative deputy César Ham, presidential candidate of the small leftist Democratic Unification (UD), announced on Sept. 9 that they would refuse to participate in elections held under the coup regime [see Update #1004]. Most candidates of the two traditional parties, the National Party (PN) and the Liberal Party (PL), continue to campaign, but on Oct. 24 some 300 Liberal candidates for the National Congress and municipal posts, announced that they would boycott the election. Both Zelaya and Micheletti are members of the generally conservative PL.

The Nov. 29 elections are mandated to fill 2,896 positions, including the presidency, all 128 deputies in the National Congress, 20 deputies to represent Honduras in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), 298 mayors and some 2,000 municipal officials. (El Tiempo (San Pedro Sula) 10/24/09)

CONDEMNATION OF THE ACTS OF INTIMIDATION AGAINST THE EMBASSY OF BRAZIL IN HONDURAS

2009-10-23T10:13:00.004+01:00

(Approved by the Permanent Council at its meeting of October 21, 2009)

The Permanent Council denounces and strongly condemns the hostile action by the de facto regime against the embassy of Brazil in Tegucigalpa and the harassment of its occupants through deliberate actions that affect them physically and psychologically and violate their human rights.

The Permanent Council calls on the de facto regime to put an immediate end to these actions, to respect the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and international instruments on human rights, and to withdraw forthwith all repressive forces from the areas surrounding the Embassy of Brazil, without neglecting the due security of the Mission.

The Permanent Council appeals for guarantees for the right to life, integrity, and security of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales and of all persons in and around the Embassy of Brazil, as well as for the protection of their dignity, and it urges the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to follow up on this situation.

The Permanent Council issues a strong appeal for continuation of the dialogue already well under way in Honduras, under the terms of the proposal of the San José Agreement, without any attempt to open topics other than those contained in said proposal.ENDS

THIS FILM HIGHLIGHTS THE ABUSE OUTLINED ABOVE

Zelaya's negotiators declare Honduras talks dead

2009-10-23T10:04:00.000+01:00

TEGUCIGALPA 23 October — Negotiators for ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said in a midnight statement that 16 days of dialogue with the de facto government had failed and talks were now dead.

"We consider the dialogue has been exhausted, we cannot continue to give deadlines," said Mayra Mejia, a member of Zelaya's negotiating team.

Zelaya had set a deadline of midnight Thursday for the de facto government led by Roberto Micheletti to accept his return to power, and had vowed to break off negotiations if the regime failed to agree.

The deposed president was ousted in a military coup on June 28, and has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy here since making a surprise return to the country in September.

His ouster prompted concern throughout the region, and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias headed up efforts to seek a peaceful end to the political crisis.

He drew up the so-called San Jose Accord that includes as a central condition the return of Zelaya to office until the end of his term in January.

But Micheletti's government has steadfastly opposed Zelaya's return, extending a crisis that has divided the country, one of the poorest in the region.

EU says no possibility of sending observers to presidential elections in Honduras

2009-10-23T10:03:00.000+01:00

The EU discarded the possibility of sending observers to the presidential elections in Honduras scheduled for Nov 2009, pointing out that conditions in that country do not exist for the elections to be free and democratic.

"Under no circumstances are we going to send observers", stated the Head of the Unit for Central America of the European Commission, Petro Mavromichalis.

(From AOL Noticias Latino: http://noticias.aol.com/articulos/_a/descarta-ue-supervisar-elecciones-en/n20091022183209990034

Communique Number 30 of National Front of Resistance Against the Coup d'Etat

2009-10-23T09:58:00.004+01:00

The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup d'Etat in Honduras communicates to the Honduran population and the international community:

1. We denounce the manipulative acts and delay tactics with which the de facto regime tries to buy time and get to the electoral farse of November 29th without having re-established the institutional order and
without having returned to his post the legitimate President Manuel Zelaya Rosales.

2. We reiterate that the Honduran people will not recognize the campaign and the results of the electoral process of the 29th of November while the dictatorial regime that the oligarchy sustains through armed force continues.

3. We condemn the disinformation campaign carried out by the media in service of the oligarchy through which they attempt to present the National Front of Resistance Against the Coup d'Etat as a violent organization. We reiterate that the methods of peaceful struggle are the only ones that we have used throughout 115 days of resistance.

4. We denounce the economic crisis through which the de facto regime is taking us and which is provoking an increase in the levels of poverty of the population.

5. We express our indignation at the continuation of the repression by the police and military bodies of the
State, which is expressed in assassinations of militants of the Resistance, actions of intimidation and surrounding the marches and rallies, the illiegal and immoral juridical processes which persecute
and jail our sisters and brothers and, more recently, the actions of harassment and intimidation against teachers throughout the country.

6. We reiterate our unbreakable will to install a democratic and popular National Constitutional Assembly with which we will refound the country and rescue it from a minority economic class that exploits the working class.

“AT 115 DAYS OF STRUGGLE, HERE NOBODY IS GIVING UP”
Tegucigalpa, Honduras October 20th, 2009

Coup's Impact on Honduran Women

2009-10-23T09:53:00.001+01:00

Margaret Knapke | October 22, 2009 Foreign Policy In Focus www.fpif.org

Ms. Magazine's inaugural cover featured President Obama in Superman pose, ripping open his suit coat and dress shirt to reveal a T-shirt that proclaims: "This is what a feminist looks like." Photoshop tricks aside, Honduran women need this to be true. They need the Obama administration to fully grasp the plight of Honduran women and their families and act decisively on their behalf.

Since the June 28, 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya from office, the de facto regime has tried to stanch the flow of incriminating information coming from Honduras. But human rights organizations and grassroots delegations keep working to focus the Obama administration's gaze on the dire situation, particularly for Honduran women.

The Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared of Honduras (COFADEH) began investigating abuses immediately after the coup, searching hospitals and jails. Their July 15 report documents 1155 human rights violations during the first two weeks of the coup. These include 1046 illegal detentions, 59 beatings, 27 assaults on reporters and the independent press, and four executions. Three of those killed are named: Isis Obed Murillo Mencías (19-years-old), Gabriel Fino Noriega (radio-journalist), and Caso Ramon Garcia.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued their first and most comprehensive report on the Honduran crisis on August 21. Consistent with COFADEH's findings, the IACHR charged the coup government with "disproportionate use of public force, arbitrary detentions, and the control of information aimed at limiting political participation by a sector of the citizenry."

A scant six weeks after that IACHR report, at the end of September, the National Front Against the Coup in Honduras (FNR) estimated more than 100 coup fatalities — an appalling escalation.

But if the violence appalls, it is not unprecedented. During the 1980s, the Battalion 3-16 death squad was responsible for forced disappearances, detentions, and torture in Honduras. COFADEH warns that members of the Battalion are returning to positions of power and influence. A particularly notorious Battalion leader, Captain Billy Joya Améndola, is now special security adviser to "Interim President" Roberto Micheletti.

And it should be noted, the notoriety of Battalion 3-16 reaches back to the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), where 19 Battalion members were trained, as were the generals who deposed President Zelaya.

Gender Violence

Women often pay a special price during military conquests, and Honduran women have paid dearly for demanding a return to democracy. The IACHR notes that, "in the context of the demonstrations and the repression and detentions carried out by police officers and members of the military, women were especially subject to acts of violence and humiliation because of their gender."

Salvador Zuniga, of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), believes the June coup was prompted in part by a socially conservative religious reaction to feminist organizing around reproductive rights. "What I can say is that the feminist compañeras (companions or comrades) are in greater danger than any other organization," he says.

A young mother named Irma Villanueva made her own story public in mid-August. She told Radio Progreso how she had been arrested at a recent demonstration and then raped by four policemen. One of the rapists implied they were punishing Villanueva for her political activity: "[N]ow you're going to see what happens to you for being where you shouldn't be."

Villanueva is not alone. Honduran Feminists in Resistance, a group formed immediately after the coup, reported to the Latin American Herald Tribune on September 3 that they had documented 19 cases of rape committed by Honduran police. Honduran feminists believe that this number is probably conservative.

Yet despite and perhaps because of all this, Women's Human Rights Week was vigorously observed in Honduras in August. An international fact-finding mission participated, speaking with representatives of the European Union and United Nations in Honduras, local authorities, lawyers, academics, human-rights workers, and popular organizations. The mission reports that, according to the special prosecutor for women, 51 Honduran women were murdered in the month of July; the mission calculates that "femicide has increased by at least 60 percent."
Women Respond

The Feminists in Resistance wrote Obama a rather "tough love" open letter in July. "Mr. President, Honduras was among the countries in the world that saw with great hope your arrival to the presidency…We applauded your expressed desire to establish [a] new type [of] relations with the region." But six months and many deaths later, their great hope is on hold. There is suspicion of U.S. actors, rogue or otherwise, having been complicit in the coup. At the very least, the Feminists in Resistance see the Obama administration's response to the coup as weak and "leading to a situation of violence in our country that we do not deserve."

And U.S. activists have appealed to Secretary of State Clinton as an advocate for women. Women of Steel, an organization within the United Steelworkers, wrote Clinton on August 31, asking her "to denounce this violence (against Honduran women) just as you have recently denounced such violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."

Clearly, the Honduran crisis is a real opportunity for Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to prove their human-rights and feminist mettle. Conversely, a failure of resolve toward the illicit and abusive coup regime could do lasting harm to Obama's and Clinton's political credibility — and cost many more Honduran lives.

Margaret Knapke is a longtime Latin America human-rights activist and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus.

De facto Honduran government stalls for time before election

2009-10-23T09:50:00.003+01:00

Oct 22, 2009. Mica Rosenberg.Reuters.

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras' de facto leaders are hunkering down to stay in power until a November election, tightening controls on protests and grinding down ousted President Manuel Zelaya by blasting his refuge with rock music.

With Central America's worst political crisis in years now in its fourth month, talks between Zelaya's camp and that of de facto ruler Roberto Micheletti are stalled with no sign of compromise on the main sticking point: returning the toppled leftist to power temporarily as part of a solution.

Micheletti is drumming up support for the November 29 election, saying it is the only way to end the deadlock sparked by a June 28 army coup that is testing U.S. President Barack Obama's seriousness about wanting better relations with Latin America.

So far, Washington has taken a backseat role in resolving the crisis and let regional leaders and the Organization of American States take the lead.

The de facto government hopes the November vote will be recognized by foreign governments, bringing Honduras back into the fold of the international community after it was denounced for sending soldiers to roust Zelaya from his bed and fly him into exile.

With or without an agreement to resolve the crisis, Micheletti's camp says the vote will move forward.

"Whatever happens with these negotiations, the elections are the way out of this crisis," said Marcia Facusse, a congresswoman from Micheletti's Liberal Party and a close ally of the caretaker leader picked by Congress.

Zelaya, a ranching and logging magnate, split his Liberal Party by moving closer to Venezuela's hardline socialist President Hugo Chavez during his term, which is set to end in January.

If dialogue between the two sides fails, Zelaya will be left in the lurch. He has been camped out at the Brazilian Embassy for a month with his family and a handful of followers and journalists since he snuck back into Honduras last month.

This week the army set up giant speakers to blast the embassy through a full night with loud, grating noise ranging from military band music to pig grunts and imposed new controls on street protests, which are mainly pro-Zelaya.

DANGEROUS BET

The United States suspended military aid to Honduras and froze visas of key figures in the coup but analysts say the pressure is not enough to force Micheletti to back down.

"I would be really surprised if they reinstate Zelaya because they have been so incredibly recalcitrant and truthfully there is no pressure on them to do otherwise," said Central America expert Christine Wade at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.

Recognizing the elections for political expediency could set a dangerous precedent for the volatile region, she said.

Zelaya also opposes going ahead with the November election without a prior solution. "Holding elections under these conditions is opening the door to coups," he told a local television station by telephone. "It's an aberration."

The Supreme Court, backed by Congress, ordered Zelaya's June ouster, saying he violated the constitution by seeking to reform the constitution to allow presidential re-election.

Zelaya denies the charge but the coup backers argue he was legally stripped of his powers and cannot come back.

Meanwhile, the election campaign is moving along in full swing, with the leading candidates from Zelaya and Micheletti's Liberal Party and the main opposition National Party airing peppy spots, holding rallies and talking to the local press.

"They are waiting for international opinion to fracture, until more and more countries see recognizing the elections as the most acceptable alternative," said Armando Sarmiento, the former tax chief in Zelaya's finance ministry said.

Sarmiento said the de facto leaders might be looking to the example of the African country of Mauritania where the leader of an internationally chided military coup won an election this year and was quickly recognized by France.

But human rights groups accuse the de facto rulers of major abuses, including deaths, and say a free and fair election is impossible after Micheletti temporarily shut down pro-Zelaya media and banned protests with an executive decree last month.

"The elections are not a magic wand that will solve the country's problems. Those who believe that are wrong," Honduran political analyst Efrain Diaz said.

(Additional reporting by Adriana Barrera and Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Catherine Bremer and Eric Beech)

Brazil Foreign Affairs Adviser Faults Obama's Handling of Honduran Coup

2009-10-23T09:49:00.001+01:00

EFE. October 22, 2009.

BRASILIA - The top foreign affairs adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that Barack Obama's administration "should put more pressure" on the de facto regime in Honduras to agree to the reinstatement of ousted President Mel Zelaya.

A month after Zelaya, who was sent into exile after the coup, slipped back into Honduras and took up residence at the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Marco Aurelio Garcia said that Lula's government still hopes for "firmer" action from the United States.

"The ideal would be that President Obama takes a more active position in the search for a political accord" in Honduras, Garcia told TV Brasil.

"I believe the United States could put more pressure on the putschists," Lula's aide said, though adding that "Latin America is not a priority for the United States now, because it's a region at peace."

Obama condemns Zelaya's ouster and calls for his reinstatement, but is so far unwilling to exercise the enormous leverage that Washington has over Honduras, a nation whose economy is almost entirely dependent - through trade, aid and remittances - on the United States.

Garcia also insisted Wednesday that the Brazilian government has "acted correctly" and in defense of democracy and the rule of law by giving Zelaya sanctuary at the embassy.

After acknowledging that some members of Brazil's foreign service were initially uncomfortable with the decision, Garcia said: "The diplomats know an embassy is not just for political gatherings and receptions."

The Honduran de facto regime contends Zelaya's ouster was not a coup, insisting that the soldiers who dragged him from the presidential palace and put him on a plane to Costa Rica were simply enforcing a Supreme Court ban on the president's planned non-binding plebiscite on the idea of revising the constitution.

Though the coup leaders accuse Zelaya of seeking to extend his stay in office, any potential constitutional change to allow presidential re-election would not have taken place until well after the his term ends in January.

Time is running out to settle the conflict before Honduras' Nov. 29 presidential elections, as both the European Union and Washington have said they will not recognize the winner of that balloting unless Zelaya is restored to office beforehand.

Though Zelaya has accepted the conditions suggested by mediators, the coup regime is balking at restoring the elected president. EFE

Brazil denounces 'torture' of its embassy in Honduras

2009-10-23T09:47:00.000+01:00

October 22nd, 2009. DPA.

Washington, Oct 22 (DPA) Brazil Wednesday at the Organisation of American States (OAS) denounced the "situation of torture" that the de facto government in Honduras is imposing on the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

The building has become the centre of the political crisis in Honduras after ousted President Manuel Zelaya returned to his country and took refuge in the embassy, months after a June coup.

"Brazil asks the international community to condemn these actions unequivocally and forcefully and reserves for itself the right to launch before the relevant international organs initiatives to punish those responsible," said Brazil's Ambassador to the OAS Ruy Casaes.

Before the OAS Permanent Council, Casaes stressed that measures against the building constitute "an attack on human dignity."

The Brazilian embassy - which currently holds about 40 people - is being subjected to "severe intimidation and demoralisation measures which are tantamount to torture," Casaes said in Washington.

Zelaya was ousted from power and sent into exile June 28. On Sep 21 he secretly returned to the country and sought refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he had remained since then.

Casaes denounced the application of "new forms of psychic torture" in recent days, including the use at night of two very powerful lamps directed at Zelaya's room.

"Even at night it looks like daytime given the intensity of the light," Casaes said.

There are also "horns that play non-stop making it impossible to sleep" as well as "noises made by policemen imitating animal sounds."

Casaes noted that the supply of food is "limited" and sometimes delayed, which has led to "generalised diarrhoea" within the building. The food is, moreover, invariably "smelled by dogs."

OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza expressed concern over "hostility" against the embassy.

"It does not help have greater understanding and the better atmosphere in which we all want this issue to develop," he noted.

100 days of resistance

2009-10-20T17:02:00.002+01:00

Hondurans Want Micheletti to Step Down

2009-10-20T16:50:00.001+01:00

October 19, 2009

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Honduras think interim president Roberto Micheletti should resign, according to a poll by COIMER&OP. 60.1 per cent of respondents say the de-facto head of state should step down, while 22.2 per cent disagree.

In November 2005, Liberal Party (PL) candidate Manuel Zelaya won the presidential election with 49.9 per cent of all cast ballots, defeating Porfirio Lobo Sosa of the conservative National Party (PN). Less than 69,000 votes separated the two contenders. Zelaya took office in January 2006.

On Jun. 28, a group of military officers stormed into Zelaya’s residence and took him to the airport, where he was flown to Costa Rica.

On that same day, Hondurans were supposed to vote in a non-binding referendum proposed by the president. Voters were to decide whether they should be consulted in an election scheduled for November on the potential creation of a Constituent Assembly to re-write the Constitution.

The Honduran Supreme Court had deemed the plebiscite illegal, but the president had decided to go ahead with the vote. Opponents claimed that Zelaya planned to ultimately alter the Constitution in order to scrap presidential term limits and instate a "socialist" model. But Zelaya denied this, saying that the national frame of laws needed an update and that changes would only happen after the end of his term—so he could not be really planning to run for re-election.

Micheletti—the Congress leader and also a PL member—was appointed interim president that same day. The Supreme Court had issued a secret arrest warrant for Zelaya on Jun. 26.

Costa Rican president Óscar Arias—a Nobel Peace Prize laureate—is currently leading efforts to solve the Honduran crisis, promoting a dialogue between Zelaya and the interim administration. The Organization of American States (OAS) is also involved. Zelaya is currently staying at the Brazilian embassy in Honduras, in order to evade the arrest warrant.

Hondurans are supposed to vote in a general election on Nov. 29, but the interim government is pondering whether to hold the ballot at an earlier date.

On Oct. 13, Zelaya said that he must be reinstated as president before the next election, declaring, "Elections without the reinstatement of the constitutional [elected] president would legitimize and authorize more coups."

Polling Data

Should de-facto president Roberto Micheletti step down?

Yes 60.1%

No 22.2%

Not sure 17.7%

Source: Consultores en Investigación de Mercados y Opinión Pública (COIMER&OP)

Half A Million Dollars of Persuasion

2009-10-20T16:35:00.004+01:00

As the Honduras Coup 2009 blog reports the de facto regime of Roberto Micheletti Bain, and its friends, have spent slightly more than $590,307.69 in lobbying the United States goverment since June 28, 2009. That's a lot of persuasion.

$20,000 - The Honduran Association of Maquiladores hired The Cormac Group on 6/19 to lobby over US-Honduran relations. Partner John Slade and Mark Vogel worked on their behalf. On the registration form they indicate a payment of $8,000. They indicated on the termination report, filed 9/9, that they had been paid $20,000 to lobby the US House and Senate on US-Honduran relations.

So who is the Honduran Association of Maquiladores? Jesús Canahauti is its president. Danilo Canahuati is its past President. He is well known in Washington, D.C. because of having been called to testify before Congress on the labor and anti-union practices of the textile industry in Honduras. In 1995, reportedly tired of being called to Washington, D.C. he allowed the textile unions to form, with a tightly controlled mediation board to resolve all differences.

$8,000 - The Honduran Association of Maquiladores hired Vision America on 7/6 to have Roger Noriega and José Cardenas lobby for them to "support the efforts of the Honduran private sector to help consolidate the democratic transition in their country." Roger Noriega was US Permanent Representative to the OAS 2001-2003, and then was named as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs where he served until 2005. The person who filled out the form for Vision America checked that there were no foreign entities involved. The amended registration of 8/3 did identify them as a foreign entity, and indicates an $8,000 payment. On 8/3 they also filed a second quarter lobbying report that indicates they received less than $5000 by 6/30/2009. This form indicates that they did lobby the US House, Senate, Department of State, and the National Security Council to again "support the efforts of the Honduran private sector to help consolidate the democratic transition in their country." Their third quarter/termination report, also filed on 8/3 indicates a total of $8,000 in income from the Association.

$210,000 - On 7/6 CEAL, the Consejo Empresarial de America, Capitulo Honduras hired the firm of Orrick, Herrington, & Suttcliffe LLP. to lobby using Lanny Davis, Adam Goldberg, and Eileen O'Connor. Lanny Davis was a special counsel to President Clinton, and Adam Goldberg was an assistant counsel in the same office. In its registration statement, Davis said that the firm was "providing facts relating to the removal of Mr. Zelaya." While in its termination filing, he said he was paid to lobby the House, Senate, and Department of State on "US policy regarding the removal of Mr. Zelaya from Honduras." He further noted, "CEAL, Grupo Financiero Ficohsa, and Organizacion Publicitaria, all identified on LD-1, support a peaceful and democratic resolution to the Honduran constitutional crisis."

CEAL in Honduras is headed by Camilo Atala Faraja. Other top officials of CEAL listed on the organizations website include Jesús Canahuati (vice president and head of Maquiladoras Association), Victoria Asfura (ex president of Banco Central of Honduras under President Maduro, ex member of Millenium Challenge Association - Honduras board of directors), and Miguel Mauricio Facusé Saenz (Dinant, Corp., uncle of former President Carlos Flores Facussé).

Interestingly CEAL didn't pay its own bills. The lobbying form lists the Grupo Ficohsa and Organizacion Publicitaria, S.A. as the two firms dividing the bill equally. Grupo Ficohsa consists of a bank, a financial services firm, a currency exchange, and an insurance company. When we look at the Grupo Ficohsa, not suprisingly we find that Camilo Atala Faraj is President. Camilo Atala Faraj is also one of the principal investors in the national World Cup soccer team. Organizacion Publicitaria, S.A. is the parent company of the newspaper, La Prensa, owned by Jorge Canahuati Larach.

$352,307.69 - On 9/18 the de facto government signed a lobbying contract with the firm Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter, and Associates for $292,307.69 for services, with an additional $10,000 for travel per-diem, a $20,000 for costs related to the development of a web site, and $30,000 for costs related to mobilizing and communication of experts in other key countries.

Sources in Honduras familiar with the contract indicate that it outlines 10 major goals for the firm:

Analyze international news coverage to understand current public opinion.
Conduct a public opinion survey.
Define, develop, and implement a communications plan for management of the political situation to permit the realization of the desired opinions.
Identify and train spokesmen for the de facto government.
Design and imlement a strategy for the pertinent communications.
Implement a messaging plan with leaders of public opinion.
Identify scenarios, actors, and their influence on public opinion, and their management in accord with the interests of the government of the Republic.
Implement a worldwide communications campaign.
Implement a positioning campaign to create a public climate open to the introduction of public proposals such as the elections of November.
Design a campaign to persuade international audiences, particularly the Congress and Senate of the US, the UN, and the Central American Integration System. Also form strategic alliances with foundations or organizations.

Interestingly, the contract cites an executive decree, PCM-M-011-2009, issued on the 8th of September, that exempts it from getting competitive bids for this contract. Payment, according to the contract, was divided into three payments, each with its own milestones. The contract runs until 12/31. It sets up an account in the Banco Central with the funding. The FARA registration form indicates that they lobbying firm interacts with Javier Caceres, chief of staff of Roberto Micheletti, while the contract itself is between Rafael Pineda Ponce, a Presidential Advisor, and Peter Schechter.

Tiempo reports that on September 23 Rafael Pineda Ponce issued an order to draw the initial contract payment , $131, 538.46 from that account. At the same time, another $132,000 (2.5 million lempiras) was drawn from the same account, for payment to ANDI. Is this a payment for further, as yet unrevealed lobbying expenses?

This small group of families, the Canahuatis, the Facussés, the Faraj, are a series of intermarried families that control much of Honduran business, and clearly are willing to spend a lot of money to keep their names shiny. A half million dollars buys a lot of polish.

(Lobbying data can be queried from the Senate Lobbying Database.

Emergency Committee Against the Coup in Honduras

Blaring Impunity: Unrelenting Assassinations of Honduran Journalists, the Government Remains all but Quiescen

FNRP Communiqué regarding the integration of the political movements within the electoral-political instrument

Hondurans celebrate another inspiring `September 15’

Resolutions of the "Seeds of Liberty" Extraordinary Assembly

Porfirio Lobo launches crackdown on Trade Unions

Police & Military Attack Protestors in Tocoa, During Pro-Independence Parade

Emmo: A Resistance Symbol Killed

Honduras radio reporter killed - the 16th journalist assassinated

Massive Turnout for Zelaya Launches New Chapter of Honduran Struggle

Zelaya's return to Honduras: victory for Latin American and Honduran democracy

WE ARE NOT AFRAID: INSIDE THE COUP IN HONDURAS (DOCUMENTARY)

Washington’s Invented Honduran Democracy: Seven journalists slain since March

Honduran campesinos under the gun Pt2

Honduran campesinos under the gun Pt1

Bio

URGENT!!! Violent eviction of peasants in Aguan being prepared by Honduran Army

URGENT!!! Violent eviction of peasants in Aguan being prepared by Honduran Army!!

Monday, April 12, 2010

Honduras: New president, but old problems

‘More Terror’ in Honduras, as Another Unionist Murdered

COFADEH: State terrorism contradicts discourse of reconciliation

Honduran Resistance in the Streets of Tegucigalpa

Colombia's Uribe Signs Security Pact with Honduras' Lobo

US alone in boosting Honduran ties after Zelaya's exile

Bolivia rejects new Honduran government

Nicaragua Not Recognizing New President of Honduras

The US game in Latin America

Amnesty International issues human rights plan for Honduras

Indigenous Organization COPINH: We march against the developers, planners, executors and inheritors of the Coup d'Etat

IACHR: HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BBC Survey: 51% believe election of Lobo legitimised coup d'etat against Zelaya

Election officials revise down participation rate

Honduran MPs vote for the coup

Tragedy of Honduras appears lost in news

Zelaya urges region to reject vote

Colin Burgon MP welcomes Government description of Honduras election as not valid – Calls for non–recognition of Honduras government.

Voting figures not to be released for weeks

Amnesty International on the elections

EU does not regard Honduran elections as "normal"

International voices against coup elections

Latin America rejects elections in Honduras under dictatorial regime

Elections not observed by mainstream bodies - Amnesty reports abuse.

Real news election day coverage

Zelaya: Honduran people don't accept electoral process as valid

International opposition to coup elections

Honduran Elections Marred by Police Violence, Censorship, International Non-Recognition,

Only 5 countries have said they will recognise elections

Amnesty International denounces intimidation in Honduran elections

Honduras Coup Regime Declares New State of Emergency Prior to Sunday “Election”

Military to oversee elections

Leading voices in Britain call for non-recognition of Honduras coup elections.

Ousted Honduran president won't recognize 29 November elections

Britain 'must get behind Zelaya'

National Front of Resistance Against the Coup: The elections will not be recognized, the struggle continues

Letter to the President: Honduras Human Rights Violations and Elections

Ousted president says U.S. lacks commitment to reinstatement

Brazil: Honduras is a "badly written soap opera, with sinister characters played by the de facto regime, which history will judge."

Honduran crisis 'threatens democracy'.

Manuel Zelaya's backers: Boycott Honduran election

Manuel Zelaya's backers: Boycott Honduran election - 5-Minute Herald - MiamiHerald.com

Public Prosecutor Threatens Congress

OAS will not recognise elections

Honduras' Congress says no guarantee it will vote on Zelaya before elections; candidate withdraws

Spain believes that a government without representatives of Zelaya unit is "a flagrant breach" of the agreement

Honduras: Communiqué No. 33. Message from the National Front of Resistance.

Talks over Honduras crisis crumble

Zelaya will not recognise elections

Deal over Honduran crisis 'dead' - President Zelaya

London protest demands immediate reinstatement of Zelaya

President Obama's Credibility on the Line in Honduras

Decision on Zelaya's return postponed

Ousted Honduran leader asks Clinton stand on coup

Ongoing pressure needed to ensure return of President Zelaya

PROTEST AT THE US EMBASSY - End all US economic, political and military support to the dictatorship in Honduras now!

Letter from TUC regarding Honduras

Continuing crisis in Honduras

Honduras Congress not yet called back into session

Zelaya demads end to manipulation of the deal