“If that kind of barbarity can be directed against the highest-ranking
person in the country, what will happen to the rest of us?” asked the
activists at COFADEH, the Committee of Families of Detained and
Disappeared in Honduras, right after the June 28th coup that sent
President Manuel Zelaya into exile. Now the answer to that question
can be seen in COFADEH’s hard-hitting October 22nd report, “Statistics
and Faces of Repression.”
LAWG celebrates—and I personally celebrate—that yesterday the
U.S. House of Representatives approved H.Res. 761, introduced by Rep. Jim
McGovern and 33 co-sponsors. This resolution remembers and
commemorates the lives and work of the six Jesuit priests and two women
who were murdered in El Salvador nearly twenty years ago, on November
16, 1989.
After a long life, touching millions of people with her powerful voice
and commitment to social justice, Argentine folksinger Mercedes Sosa
passed away on Sunday, October 4th, 2009. Sosa set an incredible
example of how music can change the world.
Her deep, rich voice and emotionally charged performances became the
rallying cry for a generation of Latin Americans oppressed by
dictatorships. In a time of terror, she chose to be “the voice for the
voiceless ones” and sing words that were forbidden. In her more than
fifty-year career, she pioneered a new movement in music, which buried
itself deep into the soul of every listener, as personal as it was
political.
Soon after its world premier at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, multiple awards began recognizing Crude
as one the most poignant documentaries hitting theaters this year. For
all of you deeply concerned about human rights violations, the
displacement and destruction of indigenous cultures, increased
environmental degradation, or irresponsible development by
multinational corporations, Crude is being recognized as an
artistic masterpiece that tells the story of the “Amazon Chernobyl” case
in which all these areas of concern intertwine. The final result is the
creation of a powerful message for increasing awareness among
individuals of how the gas they pump has tangible effects on
individuals in other parts of our world.
As international and domestic concern mounts over the suspension of
constitutional rights declared by de facto Honduran President Roberto
Micheletti on September 26th, the government promises to restore
rights, but does not yet act to do so, and human rights violations
continue.
Despite the Micheletti government’s announced intention following
international and national pressure to lift the state of siege, the
notice has not yet been published in the official gazette, and rights
violations continue. The de facto government issued a new decree
allowing the government’s telecommunications agency to revoke licenses
for radio and television stations that transmit messages that promote
“social anarchy,” ensuring that censorship can continue. Police
continued excessive use of force against protestors, and some
protestors remain in detention. Meanwhile, hopes for dialogue increased
as the Organization of American States negotiators arrived, but no end
to the crisis is yet in sight.
Apelamos al gobierno de facto de Honduras para que restablezca las libertades civiles garantizadas en la Constitución, respeten los derechos humanos y la libertad de expresión, acepte la supervisión y mediación internacional, y retome el diálogo con la administración del constitucionalmente elegido Presidente Manuel Zelaya. Apelamos a todos los hondureños para que resuelvan este conflicto por medios pacíficos.
Estamos muy preocupados por la decisión del gobierno de Micheletti de suspender, mediante el decreto publicado en el boletín oficial el 26 de septiembre de 2009, las libertades civiles garantizadas constitucionalmente. También nos preocupan las violaciones a los derechos humanos y a la libertad de expresión que vienen teniendo lugar desde que regresara a Honduras el Presidente Manuel Zelaya el pasado 21 de septiembre. Apelamos al gobierno para que cese de inmediato con el uso abusivo de la fuerza por parte de los efectivos policiales y militares contra protestantes pacíficos; con las detenciones arbitrarias; y con el acoso, la vigilancia y los ataques contra defensores de los derechos humanos. Exhortamos al gobierno a poner fin a los actos de hostilidad y acoso dirigidos contra de la Embajada brasileña. Estamos sumamente preocupados por las restricciones que tiene la libertad de prensa, entre ellas la suspensión de las garantías de libertad de expresión ordenada en el decreto del 26 de septiembre y las medidas de corte de energía, ocupación y clausura de los medios de comunicación.
Exhortamos al gobierno de facto a aceptar de inmediato a los mediadores de la Organización de Estados Americanos y apelamos a la Corte Suprema y al Congreso de Honduras para que accedan al pedido de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de realizar una visita para verificar las denuncias de abusos a los derechos humanos desde el 21 de septiembre. Asimismo apelamos al gobierno para que permita el ingreso de otros relatores especiales de la ONU y la OEA para vigilar la situación de los derechos humanos.
Por último, exhortamos al Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos a que abogue decididamente por la protección de los derechos humanos y las libertades civiles, y a que utilice todos los medios diplomáticos para restituir el orden constitucional en Honduras y propicie, junto con la Organización de los Estados Americanos, un proceso de diálogo nacional.
Action Center
