Friendship Office of the Americas

The Friendship Office of the Americas is a social justice organization that fosters solidarity between the peoples of Nicaragua, Honduras and the United States and pursues polices of peace and friendship.

Protest against paid DC backers of Honduras coup Monday Oct 19

What?

A protest in front of the DC-based lobbying firm that has been hired by the Honduran coup regime.

Why?

On June 28 the democratically elected President of Honduras Mr Manuel Zelaya was kidnapped and exiled at gunpoint. Swiftly after, a coup regime led by Mr Roberto Micheletti, illegally grabbed power. Since that time there have been hundreds of human rights violations at the hands of the military and police (under the orders of Mr Micheletti).

U.S. Representatives ask President Obama to denounce human rights abuses in Honduras

Yesterday Representatives Raul Grijalva and Jose Serrano circulated a Dear Colleague Letter addressed to President Obama asking him to denounce the human rights situation in Honduras. The letter is posted in a document below. The suspension of Constitutional Rights remains in effect, repression and detentions continue and the radio and TV outlets which were closed by the coup government remain closed. Please send the letter to your Representatives and ask them to be co-sponsors of the letter.

Results of the negotiations of Tuesday Oct. 13th

This morning, Juan Barahona, who represented the national civic committee against the coup and served as one of the three negotiators assigned to represent President Zelaya, resigned from the negotiations. He had been asked to sign on indicating his agreement with a statement that renounced the call for a Constituent Assembly. He indicated that he was never and would never be in favor of such a statement. He was replaced by Rodil Rivera, an advisor to President Zelaya.

Augstina Flores- teacher from La Esperanza released on bond

October 13th- Last night Augstina Flores Lopez was released on bond after having spent 21 days in jail. The day that President Zelaya returned to Honduras, Augstina joined a multitude of people from her community of La Esperanza and headed to Tegucigalpa to see the President. The following morning, the police attacked the crowd with tear gas, water cannons and their long clubs. Augstina was sitting on a curb when the police came up and began beating her with their clubs in her face and on her back. They eventually arrested her and charged her with criminal destruction of property and sedition.

The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) asks the EU for strong measures

The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) today asked that the European Union “act in a consistent way” against the coup in Honduras and asked that the Foreign Ministers of Twenty Six countries to not recognize the electoral process underway. FIDH, in an open letter to the EU “again invited that the EU expel all of the members of the diplomatic corps of Honduras who have aided the coup d’état and that they establish migratory restrictions for any officials or business people who have aided the de facto government” of Roberto Micheletti.