Being Better Neighbors towards Latin America

87 Members of Congress Condemn Human Rights Abuses in Honduras

On May 31, 2011, one day before Honduras was readmitted to the Organization of American States, 87 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Clinton expressing concerns about the country’s human rights situation nearly two years after the military coup that promted Honduras’ OAS suspension in the first place.

To read the letter, click here.

Citing reported abuses against journalists, campesinos, human rights defenders, labor activists, and opposition voices, the letter urges the State Department to more actively press the Honduran government to end abuses by official security forces. The group of representatives also calls for the suspension of U.S. aid to the Honduran military and police until “mechanisms are in place to ensure security forces are held accountable for abuses.”

"As member States prepare to meet and reinstate Honduras to the OAS, it's important to remember that there are serious human rights issues in Honduras that urgently need to be addressed," Rep. McGovern said.

For the Spanish version of the letter, click here.

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Honduras: Ask Your Member of Congress to Sign Human Rights Letter

Reps. McGovern (D-MA), Schakowsky (D-IL) and Farr (D-CA) are asking other members of the House to sign a letter to Secretary of State Clinton that calls on the Honduran government to address severe human rights problems in the country.

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Message to Congress: Don’t Turn Your Backs on Vulnerable People in Latin America


U.S. aid that helps people in need, as they recover from natural disasters, flee from conflicts, and struggle in poverty, is on the chopping block as the Congress takes up the President’s FY2012 foreign aid budget request.   Based on a letter we sent with our partners, the Latin America Working Group’s director Lisa Haugaard testified before the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee with the following appeal.

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Guatemala: Six Months to Examine the Past and Define the Future

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The Spirit of Perseverance

This past March in the Rayburn Foyer Room, here on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, images and stories of Haitians were exhibited as a “commemorative piece that captures the ongoing plight of Haitians, their spirit of perseverance, and how grassroots and other civil society leaders are striving to create a more equitable Haiti." 

haiti1
By Ezra Millstein

As Church World Service reported, this exhibit was promoted in conjunction with “Haiti Advocacy Days” in which 50 civil society leaders from Haiti, the Haitian diaspora and U.S. humanitarian agencies came to DC to meet with officials in the U.S. State Department, Obama Administration and U.S. Congress.

haiti 3
By Ben Depp






This exhibit was sponsored by the Haiti Advocacy Working Group (HAWG) which was formed shortly after the devastating January 12th, 2010 earthquake to coordinate advocacy efforts for effective and just disaster relief, reconstruction and long term U.S. development policy toward Haiti.

haiti2
By Elizabeth Whelan

View more photos and read stories from the catalogue here.

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President Obama's Speech in Chile


On March 21, President Obama delivered his second major policy speech on Latin America, since assuming office, to an audience gather outside of the Palacio de la Moneda Cultural Center in Santiago, Chile.

Reports and analyses on the President’s Latin America tour are pouring in – keep checking our blog for ours – and we wanted to present a couple of them:

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