January 27, 2010
Today, Pepe Lobo will be inaugurated as the new President of Honduras in what many consider to be an institutionalization of the coup d’état which took place seven months ago. Lobo comes to the Presidency as a result of a highly disputed election process carried out by the coup regime. The elections, which have been widely condemned as illegitimate were boycotted by a large percentage of the Honduran population.
This morning, after preparing our letter to Ambassador Llorens, we rushed off to the US Embassy for a meeting. After a wait, we were greeted by Mike Gorman, the person responsible for ‘human rights’. He was very courteous, but unfortunately used the same double speak that those in the State Department have refined so eloquently.
The situation here continues to deteriorate. For the last week nearly every day there have been reports of police and military attacking unarmed protesters. Our delegation just returned from San Pedro Sula, where there was an unprovoked attack on a peaceful march on Monday. Over 2000 protestors had organized a caravan in San Pedro Sula calling for an end to the coup and the restoration of democracy. When the military cordon began advancing on the caravan, protest leaders called on the people to withdrawal.
Yesterday, Sunday August 2nd, our Emergency Delegation of Solidarity, Accompaniment and Witness arrived in Honduras. The arrival of the nine person team assures an international presence on the ground this week and carried urgently needed assistance to the social movements of Honduras.
Please Join an Emergency Delegation to Honduras!
Yesterday we received a request from social movements in Honduras for international accompaniment during this critical period. Starting next week, there are no international delegations scheduled to be in Honduras.
On Sunday, a coup d’état was carried out against President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras by military and political forces hostile to his government. Heavily armed, hooded soldiers arrived at his residence at 5am and, after a scuffle with his security forces, kidnapped Zelaya and flew him to Costa Rica.
Later Sunday afternoon, the Honduran Congress convened an emergency session, where a letter of resignation, supposedly signed by Zelaya was read, and the previous head of Congress, Roberto Micheletti, was sworn in as the new President. Most of Zelaya’s Cabinet has been taken into custody, including Foreign Minister, Patricia Rodas, who was kidnapped by the military despite efforts on the part of Ambassadors from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to prevent her arrest.
Hurricane Felix blasted Nicaragua at dawn on Tuesday morning September 4, hitting shore between Sandy Bay and Puerto Cabezas, as a category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. Early reports spoke of roofs blowing off and houses destroyed in Puerto Cabezas as well as many unanswered distress calls. Approximately 10,000 residents of Bilwi were evacuated as well as the local hospital. A preliminary report from the Ministry of Education reports that 80% of schools in the north have lost roofs.
Hurricane Felix blasted Nicaragua at dawn on Tuesday morning September 4, hitting shore between Sandy Bay and Puerto Cabezas, as a category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. Early reports spoke of roofs blowing off and houses destroyed in Puerto Cabezas as well as many unanswered distress calls. Approximately 10,000 residents of Bilwi were evacuated as well as the local hospital. A preliminary report from the Ministry of Education reports that 80% of schools in the north have lost roofs.
