Author Archives: toml

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Preliminary Observations on visit to Honduras

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, August 21, 2009 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) today concluded its on-site visit to Honduras, which began on August 17, 2009. The purpose of the visit was to observe the human rights situation in the context of the coup d’état of June 28, 2009. The delegation was composed of the IACHR President, Luz Patricia Mejía; the First Vice President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President and Rapporteur for Honduras, Felipe González; Commissioner Paolo Carozza; and Executive Secretary Santiago A. Canton. The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Catalina Botero, was also part of the delegation.

Honduras: Out of the vortex—into the vacuum

I returned on Saturday from an intense two weeks of accompanying International delegations in Honduras.

Join a Quixote Center Delegation of Solidarity, Accompaniment, and Observation to Honduras

 
Please Join a Quixote Center/Hemispheric Social Alliance
Human Rights Observation Delegation to Honduras
 
Since a military coup removed President Zelaya on June 28th, the situation in Honduras has become increasingly tense. Honduran human rights and civil society groups continue to report serious violations of civil and human rights against activists, journalists and other social leaders expressing opposition to the coup. 
 

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Thursday, August 13, 2009

Wednesday’s Events in Tegucigalpa

We had breathed a collective sigh of relief that the mass mobilizations of Tuesday had passed without major incident.  In the morning on Wednesday, part of our delegation went to join that day’s march which, after an extended assembly at the University headed off towards downtown Tegucigalpa.  Three of us who have been coordinating spent the morning writing a framework for an ongoing presence of delegations.

Tegucigalpa: Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Our plan for the day had been to divide our delegation into three groups, with each group joining marches from different directions.  At the last minute we were advised that the marchers coming in from the North, from Siguatepeque and La Esperanza, were the smallest group and thus thought to be the most vulnerable.  As it turned out, they were also the group that was the farthest away from the city.

Tegucigalpa: Monday, August 10, 2009

The march in Tegucigalpa today was massive and spirited.  It would be hard to get an accurate count of how many people participated, but it spread out for blocks and blocks.  It left from the Pedagogic University and we walked for several miles to the headquarters of the United Nations.  A letter asking for UN accompaniment had been prepared beforehand which was delivered to the representative.

A Day of Reckoning in Honduras

Something unprecedented is occurring in Honduras.  Since the military coup which occurred on June 28th, the people of Honduras have mounted 6 weeks of sustained, massive, non-violent resistance to the violent take-over of their country.   Perhaps even more astounding, is that this resistance shows no signs of tapering off.  On the contrary, the movement continues to build in momentum and numbers despite violent repression on the part of the military.

Last week, hundreds of thousands of people began walking 10-12 miles per day, from all parts of the country, to converge on the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula on Tuesday, August 11.  The columns of people, filling two to three lanes of traffic, camp out in towns along the way at night, picking up more marchers at every stop.  Reminiscent of Ghandi’s great salt marches, the people of Honduras are writing a new chapter in the history of non-violent struggle in Central America.

Sunday, August 9: Tegucigalpa

Saturday we went to a cultural event in the Central Park of Tegucigalpa, where poets and singers entertained an animated crowd. The event was titled “Youth armed with Culture against Barbarity”.  It was a lively and uplifting time.

Part of our group then headed to Sabana Grande, one of the locations where people who are part of the 7-day march are walking into Tegucigalpa.  By the time the delegates arrived, people were done walking for the day, and many were already in houses which had offered spaces to sleep.  There were at least 2000 people on the walk by then, and about 200 of them were at a school, where they had a spirited encounter.  For many on our delegation, this was their most memorable moment. The spirit of resistance bubbled from the crowd, many of whom have walked 10-15 miles a day for almost a week.

Delegation takes Message of Solidarity to Saturday's Manifestation in Tegucigalpa

Sábado 8 de agosto de 2009

Buenos Días, Gente de la Resistencia!

Le brindamos saludos de parte de todos los pueblos del mundo, especialmente la gente solidaria de los EEUU. Nosotros somos un grupo de estadounidenses que venimos aquí tras la invitación de ustedes, y continuando una presencia internacional representando la Alianza Social Continental, el Centro Quijote, la Búsqueda para la Paz,  Enlazando Alternativas y otras delegaciones internacionales de derechos humanos. Venimos aquí como observadores porque sabemos que es sumamente importante la presencia internacional durante este periodo crítico de este pueblo. Los ojos del mundo tienen que quedarse firmes en este país, con este pueblo y sus manifestaciones claras de amplia resistencia.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Friday, August 7, 2009

Yesterday (Thursday), part of our delegation traveled to the department of Olancho, where we met with David Murillo, the father of a young boy, Isis Obed Murillo Mencias, who was shot in the head at the airport the day President Zelaya tried to return to the country in a plane. We visited David in the central penitentiary located outside of the rural town of Juticalpa.