With the chaos following the June 28th coup and the shuttering of media outlets, it has been hard to learn about the state of human rights in Honduras. That’s why it’s so important to read the report that the Honduran Association of the Detained and Disappeared, COFADEH, released July 15t on the human rights situation in Honduras since the coup on June 28, 2009.
by Millie Moon and Vanessa Kritzeron July 10, 2009
“I urge all leaders in the Americas to see the Honduran crisis for what
it is: an urgent call for the profound social and institutional changes
our region has delayed for far too long.”
This is how Costa Rican President Oscar Arias closed his strongly
worded op-ed, which was published in the Washington Post on Thursday,
July 9th.
Military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of
Tegucigalpa, Honduras as the Honduran military ousted President Jose
Manuel Zelaya yesterday, June 28. This marks the first military coup
in Honduras in thirty years and brings back ugly memories of darker
times for democracy in Latin America.
LAWG calls for the restoration of democratic order in Honduras,
including return of democratically-elected leader Manuel Zelaya and the
restoration of full civil liberties and freedom of the press.
Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Honduran President
Zelaya and announced, following the meeting, that Costa Rican President
Oscar Arias has agreed to act as a mediator and has been accepted by
both President Zelaya and the leader of the de facto government,
Roberto Micheletti.
“But it has been my view for several days that the most useful role
we could play is to convince all that are directly concerned, not only
President Zelaya, but also the de facto regime, the OAS, the UN,
everyone, that we needed to have a process where the Hondurans
themselves sat down and talked to each other,” said Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton at the daily press briefing. “And that is –
that’s been my goal, and I believe that we are on the brink of that
happening. I’m hoping that it actually occurs soon. So we have tried
through our good offices to get people to this point. And we’re very
grateful for the willingness of President Arias to serve in this
position, and we’re also appreciative of the efforts of the OAS as
well.”
The situation in Honduras has only worsened since the coup on June 28th when the Honduran military rousted President Manuel Zelaya from his bed, and flew him to Costa Rica in his pajamas.
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