Report Back from the forum “Lessons from Honduras”

By the Communication Team of the Association for Economic and Social Development (ADES)

 

Representatives of twenty organizations from Honduras, El Salvador and sister countries participated November  30th and December  1st in the forum "Lessons from Honduras: Challenges, threats and options for the Democratization of Latin America and the Caribbean" at the Lutheran University of El Salvador, with the aim of sharing their thoughts, experiences and lessons in relation to the coup that year and a half ago destroyed the institutions, democracy and respect for human rights in this neighboring country.

Some of the issues discussed during the forum were the violent repression, the systematic violation of civil and political rights, the killings of hundreds of civilians and politicians, the increasing militarization of the Honduran State. In addition presenters from a range of Honduran social organizations spoke about the manipulation of the media, the newly passed anti-terrorism law, the consolidation of oligarchic privatization projects, the threats to natural resources and the growing insecurity and poverty in which the Honduran people are now living. Guest speakers included Maria Amalia Reyes, from Feminists in Resistance; Salvador Zuñiga from the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH); Berta Oliva from the Committee of the Detained and Diisappeared (COFADEH); David Romero from the alternative radio station Radio Globo; Joe Luis Baqueranos from the Confederation of Honduran Workers and and Merlin Dominguez from the Union of Campesino Workers.

Tears, cheers and chants accompanied the presentations, which were discussed in eight small groups, each of which addressed the consequences of the coup on the human rights of Honduran families, women, indigenous communities, peasant and worker organizations, and the media.

The forum, which was attended by over 150 people, highlighted the danger that other countries of Central and South America face as potential targets for similar attacks on democratic institutions and the social movement.  Participants stressed the importance of solidarity and unity with the brave people of Honduras who continue to resist the coup government. All gathered concluded that building increasingly stronger mechanisms of citizen participation is the only way to defend the sovereignty and democratic institutions of Central America against the threatening plans of the U.S. government, transnational corporations and oligarchic regimes.
  
 The representatives of the social organizations present at the forum signed a joint statement condemning the violations of the human rights of the civilian population in resistance to the coup. In the statement the organizations also declared their solidarity with the courageous people of Honduras, grief over the 83 political killings and thousands of victims of torture, and concern about the violent repression against peasants in the Bajo Aguán and Zacate Grande. ** Speakers were very critical of the US government's support for what they called the "coup regime" especially in light of the recently leaked documents in which US Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens stated that "there is no doubt that the
military, Supreme Court and National Congress conspired on June 28 in what constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup against the Executive Branch". In this cable, sent less than a month after the coup, Ambassador Llorens calls the justifications of  the coup plotters invalid, "outright false" or "mere suppositions". He goes on to criticize their arguments, saying:

Representatives of twenty organizations from Honduras, El Salvador and sister countries participated November  30th and December  1st in the forum "Lessons from Honduras: Challenges, threats and options for the Democratization of Latin America and the Caribbean" at the Lutheran University of El Salvador, with the aim of sharing their thoughts, experiences and lessons in relation to the coup that year and a half ago destroyed the institutions, democracy and respect for human rights in this neighboring country.

Some of the issues discussed during the forum were the violent repression, the systematic violation of civil and political rights, the killings of hundreds of civilians and politicians, the increasing militarization of the Honduran State. In addition presenters from a range of Honduran social organizations spoke about the manipulation of the media, the newly passed anti-terrorism law, the consolidation of oligarchic privatization projects, the threats to natural resources and the growing insecurity and poverty in which the Honduran people are now living. Guest speakers included Maria Amalia Reyes, from Feminists in Resistance; Salvador Zuñiga from the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH); Berta Oliva from the Committee of the Detained and Diisappeared (COFADEH); David Romero from the alternative radio station Radio Globo; Joe Luis Baqueranos from the Confederation of Honduran Workers and and Merlin Dominguez from the Union of Campesino Workers.
Tears, cheers and chants accompanied the presentations, which were discussed in eight small groups, each of which addressed the consequences of the coup on the human rights of Honduran families, women, indigenous communities, peasant and worker organizations, and the media.

The forum, which was attended by over 150 people, highlighted the danger that other countries of Central and South America face as potential targets for similar attacks on democratic institutions and the social movement.  Participants stressed the importance of solidarity and unity with the brave people of Honduras who continue to resist the coup government. All gathered concluded that building increasingly stronger mechanisms of citizen participation is the only way to defend the sovereignty and democratic institutions of Central America against the threatening plans of the U.S. government, transnational corporations and oligarchic regimes.
  
 The representatives of the social organizations present at the forum signed a joint statement condemning the violations of the human rights of the civilian population in resistance to the coup. In the statement the organizations also declared their solidarity with the courageous people of Honduras, grief over the 83 political killings and thousands of victims of torture, and concern about the violent repression against peasants in the Bajo Aguán and Zacate Grande.

Representatives of twenty organizations from Honduras, El Salvador and sister countries participated November  30th and December  1st in the forum "Lessons from Honduras: Challenges, threats and options for the Democratization of Latin America and the Caribbean" at the Lutheran University of El Salvador, with the aim of sharing their thoughts, experiences and lessons in relation to the coup that year and a half ago destroyed the institutions, democracy and respect for human rights in this neighboring country.

Some of the issues discussed during the forum were the violent repression, the systematic violation of civil and political rights, the killings of hundreds of civilians and politicians, the increasing militarization of the Honduran State. In addition presenters from a range of Honduran social organizations spoke about the manipulation of the media, the newly passed anti-terrorism law, the consolidation of oligarchic privatization projects, the threats to natural resources and the growing insecurity and poverty in which the Honduran people are now living. Guest speakers included Maria Amalia Reyes, from Feminists in Resistance; Salvador Zuñiga from the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations (COPINH); Berta Oliva from the Committee of the Detained and Diisappeared (COFADEH); David Romero from the alternative radio station Radio Globo; Joe Luis Baqueranos from the Confederation of Honduran Workers and and Merlin Dominguez from the Union of Campesino Workers.
Tears, cheers and chants accompanied the presentations, which were discussed in eight small groups, each of which addressed the consequences of the coup on the human rights of Honduran families, women, indigenous communities, peasant and worker organizations, and the media.

The forum, which was attended by over 150 people, highlighted the danger that other countries of Central and South America face as potential targets for similar attacks on democratic institutions and the social movement.  Participants stressed the importance of solidarity and unity with the brave people of Honduras who continue to resist the coup government. All gathered concluded that building increasingly stronger mechanisms of citizen participation is the only way to defend the sovereignty and democratic institutions of Central America against the threatening plans of the U.S. government, transnational corporations and oligarchic regimes.
  
 The representatives of the social organizations present at the forum signed a joint statement condemning the violations of the human rights of the civilian population in resistance to the coup. In the statement the organizations also declared their solidarity with the courageous people of Honduras, grief over the 83 political killings and thousands of victims of torture, and concern about the violent repression against peasants in the Bajo Aguán and Zacate Grande. ** Speakers were very critical of the US government's support for what they called the "coup regime" especially in light of the recently leaked documents in which US Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens stated that "there is no doubt that the
military, Supreme Court and National Congress conspired on June 28 in what constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup against the Executive Branch". In this cable, sent less than a month after the coup, Ambassador Llorens calls the justifications of  the coup plotters invalid, "outright false" or "mere suppositions". He goes on to criticize their arguments, saying:
 
  

           — the military had no authority to remove Zelaya from the
            country;
           — Congress has no constitutional authority to remove a
            Honduran president; 
           — Congress and the judiciary removed Zelaya on the basis
           of a hasty, ad-hoc, extralegal, secret, 48-hour process;
          — the purported "resignation" letter was a fabrication and
           was not even the basis for Congress's action of June 28;
           and
          — Zelaya's arrest and forced removal from the country
           violated multiple constitutional guarantees, including the
           prohibition on expatriation, presumption of innocence and
           right to due process.

 Despite these conclusions from the Ambassador, the US was quick to recognize and lend its diplomatic support to the coup government in Honduras. 

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