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.
by Lisa Sullivan, School of the Americas Watch /Quixote Center Accompaniment Delegation
I came to Honduras with the to participate as a human rights observer of the electoral climate in a delegation organized by the Quixote Center. Several delegations converged, connecting some 30 U.S. citizens with dozens more from Canada, Europe and Latin America. In the days prior to the elections we scattered to different cities, towns and villages, meeting with fishermen, farmers, maquila workers, labor leaders, teachers and lawyers, as well as those who were jailed for carrying spray paint, hospitalized for being shot in the head by the military, and detained for reporting on the repression. It was, most likely, a bit off the 5-star, air-conditioned path of most of the mainstream journalists who are filling your morning papers with the wonders of today´s elections.
Two of the leaders of the Frente (the resistance coalition) in this region met with us to give more information about the situation and to work out what we will do tomorrow, on election day.
As I write this at ten at night, the streets are deserted and all the shops and restaurants closed. Last night these same streets had a steady stream of cars and people walking along the sidewalks. The hotel, tonight, has a guard armed with a shotgun circulating around the hotel.
U.S.HUMAN RIGHTS OBSERVERS IN HONDURAS *
29 November 2009
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS: The streets are empty, as are the polling places. The majority of activity outside of the polling places is at the kiosks whose existence–replete with illegal election propagando, balloons, and cheerful and helpful citizens–is meant to encourage and motivate people to vote in the face of what is already a clearly successful people’s boycott of elections.
INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE TO OBSERVE THE ELECTORAL CLIMATE
QC Delegation reports that the military crackdown in San Pedro Sula continues. The downtown area is totally militarized with groups of security forces armed with M-16’s are positioned on every corner for 10 square blocks. People on the street are grabbed and detained – tear gas canisters are thrown into the streets to disperse people. A helicopter if flying overhead. The full number of wounded and detained is not yet known.
