Honduras: A time of no time
Tom Loudon, Monday, October 19th.
Tom Loudon, Monday, October 19th.
According to one of the negotiators of President Zelaya, he has just announced that he was rejecting as “absolutely inacceptable” the proposal of the de facto government that it be the Supreme Court which decides his restitution. At the same time they announced that the dialogue would continue.
Al Jazeera documentary on the Honduran resistance, in two parts.
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).
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.
The EU announced that it is determined to sustain pressure on the Micheletti government until a solution is reached to the crisis in Honduras. The EU will prepare a list of coercive measures to be applied to members of Michelettis cabinent. It is also considering if the countries of the EU will recognize the November elections as legitimate.
October 5, 2009
Today marks 100 days since a military coup was carried out against President Zelaya in Honduras. It also marks 100 days of massive, sustained, nonviolent resistance on the part of the Honduran people who are saying no to this brazen attempt to return to the days of dictators.
Every day brings more acts of threats and repression. Today a denunciation was reported to the Honduran Human Rights group COFADEH that an Italian-Argentinean artist named Maria Luisa Fiaso, who is in currently in the country with the Artistic group Zapayasos, was threatened twice between last Friday night and Saturday.
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.
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.