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LEGISLATIVE ACTION NEEDED! Contact the Foreign Policy Staffer in the Washington DC Office of Your Senators! On Thursday, May 23, 2013, U.S. Senator Cardin (D-MD) circulated a Senate sign-on "Dear Colleague" letter to Secretary of State John Kerry addressing deepening concerns about Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Honduras. The letter highlights “credible reports that security sector violence and impunity in Honduras have reached a critical level” and cites concerns related to extrajudicial killings, linkages to death squads, and increasing militarization of civilian law enforcement. The letter also raises the concern that State Department certifications “intended to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance supports the rule of law in Honduras, may contradict the reality on the ground.” Please call the foreign policy aide in your Senators DC office and urge your Senator to sign the letter. The Congressional Switchboard number is: (202) 224- 3121 (To identify your Senator, go to the website below and select your state from the menu in the upper right hand corner http://www.senate.gov/index.htm) Ask to speak with the aide who handles foreign policy and use the script below. If the foreign policy aide is not is not available, ask to leave a message on his/her answering machine. Be sure to ask for the name of foreign policy staffer so you can follow up. Script: "My name is _____. I am a constituent in (town / city neighborhood). I am calling to ask Senator _____ to sign the Benjamin Cardin letter on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Honduras. Has Senator ____ seen this letter? Can I count on him/her to sign on? Please call me this week at (your phone number) to let me know if you have seen the letter, and if Senator_____ will sign it. Thank You." In your phone conversation or email request, highlight that you are: concerned that the human rights crisis, deterioration of the rule of law and mounting impunity in Honduras has reached extreme and intolerable levels. State that U.S. policy must change course and security assistance to Honduras should be suspended. *See this list of key Senators to contact for this letter. (LINK) The deadline for sign-on is Friday June 7 at 5:00 PM. To sign on to the letter, the legislative staffer who handles foreign policy must call or email algene_sajery@cardin.senate.gov or nate_somers@cardin.senate.gov Let us know if your Senator agrees to sign on, jenny@friendshipamericas.org. Thank you for taking action on behalf of human rights in Honduras. Jenny Atlee Friendship Office |
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