Jul
International Meddling
Hondurans March for Democracy as the Military Imposes Police State: July, 2009
Withstanding police and military repression, Hondurans have continued constant protest against the coup which expelled President Manuel Zelaya last Sunday. Thousands of Hondurans have begun to travel on foot to Tegucigalpa to be present in support of Zelaya when he returns to the country this Saturday.
Since Manuel Zelaya was removed from his house by the military on Sunday June 28th and sent to Costa Rica, the Honduran military has shocked the world, reminding us that the era of military coups in Latin America is not yet over.
The international response denouncing the coup has been unprecedented. The United Nations General Assembly made a resolution condemning the coup and calling for the reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya. The Organization of American States (OAS) will exclude Honduras from the organization if Honduran President Manuel Zelaya is not re-instated within 72 hours.
The World Bank have frozen loans to the country, affirming that they will follow the lead of the OAS. European Union member countries and the majority of Latin American countries have removed their ambassadors from the country. The United States has frozen military aid to the country and refused to meet with appointed president Roberto Michelleti.
The Presidents of Ecuador and Argentina and the Secretary General of the OAS plan to accompany Zelaya on his scheduled return to the country on Saturday.
However while the international community denounces the coup, a police state has been imposed in Honduras. The military has imposed a nation wide curfew, suspended the people’s constitutional rights to free speech and association, and entered homes and arrested citizens without warrants.
The police have violently repressed citizens protests and arrested a number of people, including political cartoonist Allan McDonald and his 17 month old daughter, a diplomat from Venezuela and a number of international journalists.
Local radio and television stations have been shut down, and banks and grocery stores have been closed in a number of areas. There has been a general workers strike which may soon include the teachers of the country.
There has also been information alluding to the forced recruitment of youth by the Honduran army in areas around Tegucigalpa, although because communication mechanisms have been shut down, more information about this has not been forthcoming.
While the international community condemns the coup, El Salvador’s right wing ARENA party continues to block a Salvadoran National Assembly resolution to denounce the situation. According to ARENA, the expulsion of Manuel Zelaya was not a coup, but a justified action. ARENA politicians have called on Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes to “be prudent” regarding the situation.
U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities and the Association for the Development of El Salvador CRIPDES join the international community in condemning the military coup and stand in solidarity with the people of Honduras as they defend their constitutional rights.
Rosa Maria Centeno, the President of CRIPDES said, “As Salvadorans, we must act in solidarity with the people of Honduras, as we know that the right wing in El Salvador is coordinated with the right wing in Honduras. We must show the right wing all over Latin America that the people will defend democracy, that the international community will defend democracy, and that we will not allow our constitutional rights to be denied“.
