Reports coming in from Quixote Center delegates who deployed to four different regions of the country during the last week to observe the electoral climate and the human rights situation point to a systemic pattern of militarization, intimidation, human rights violations and generalized repression. This, coupled with extremely low voter turnout.
Delegates in San Pedro Sula were caught in the midst of a military and police attack on peaceful protestors who were singing the Honduran national anthem and chanting, “We are not afraid” when they were attacked with tear gas, pepper spray, high pressure water cannons and clubs.
This is #1 of 10 videos of the military violence in San Pedro Sula. The link to the subsequent videos is right below this video.
Delegate Scott Marshall of Common Frontiers reported:
”They fired 2 tear gas cylinders at us, one landing right beside us. We managed to get back into the hotel safely, with some exposure to the tear gas. After the tear gas dispersed we got back into the van and drove to a police station where we believed they were detaining some protestors from the afternoon march. When we arrived some other human rights advocates had arrived at the station to assist with the release of the detained citizens. We saw a young man (probably twenty-one years old) being released from the police station. His eyes were swollen shut (he said he was sprayed with tear gas), and his head was bleeding and his shoulder limp. He told us he had been hit and stomped on by the police when they arrested him at the demonstration. We then drove to another police station where we were told more protesters were being detained.”
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Among those detained were international Human Rights Observers from SEPAJ (Service for Peace and Justice) and observers from the Latin America Council of Churches.