Aug 20 2009
Post-Coup Government in Honduras Accused of Widespread Abuse
Honduran coup leader Roberto Micheletti on Tuesday ordered Argentine diplomats to leave the country within three days, citing that Argentine support for ousted President Manuel Zelaya constitutes unacceptable interference in Honduran internal affairs. Micheletti recently gave the same order to Venezuelan envoys, who have stayed, refusing to accept orders from a leader they consider illegitmate. Argentine envoys don’t plan to leave either. Foreign Relations Secretary Jorge Taiana stated, “We maintain diplomatic relations with the legitimate government [of] Honduras.” Amnesty International released a full report on the current human rights climate in Honduras yesterday. The report includes photos and testimony of many of the hundreds of people detained by police for participating in a peaceful march on July 30th in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Amnesty International expressed concern about the use of “excessive force,” “mass arbitrary detentions,” “harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders; limits imposed on freedom of expression and the number of attacks against journalists,” “closure of media outlets,” “confiscation of media equipment,” and “physical abuse of journalist and camerapersons covering events.” A link to the full report will be available on our website. Meanwhile, President Obama has suspended military aid to Honduras and revoked some interim leaders’ visas, but some demand stronger U.S. action.
GUEST: Zahir Janmohammed, Advocacy Director for International Affairs with Amnesty International
Read the entire Amnesty report here: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR37/004/2009/en/fa065539-1131-49d1-85d2-6a2b84a30c6b/amr370042009eng.html
3 Responses to “Post-Coup Government in Honduras Accused of Widespread Abuse”
I’ve signed plenty of petitions to U.S. politicians and have written letters, but our policy in this situation is only getting worse. IMO, we need to boycott Dole, Chiquita (formerly United Fruit), and any other U.S. companies that support and are benefiting from this coup. I think that could have a greater impact than talking to “our” politicians.
Here’s a list of info. I’ve put together about the coup and who supports it:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=1504245&blogId=500343337
The “abuse” is to those who have thrown rocks at police, set fire to businesses and buses, and are only there to disrupt the everyday activity of the other 80% of Hondurans who support the new government. Get your head out of your a** and realize that the checks and balances put in to the Honduran constitution actually WORKED!!! No to Mel, Chavez and Castro!!!
Honduran David, you are a fascist! People like you are the reason for the Hard Left. I hope you end up devoured by wave of revolution…You deserve to end up buried by history alongside Hitler, Stalin, and Pinochet. You are an embarassment to Honduras.