Jul 7, 2009
Latin American Working Group Letter Expresses Concern for Human Rights in Honduras
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The School of the Americas graduate-led military overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Zelaya is in its fifth day and the resistance by the Honduran social movements continues to stand strong despite the increasing repression.Yesterday, the Honduran Congress announced a suspension of citizens' rights in Honduras for 24 hours. Citizens may not organize or otherwise congregate for any reason, and homes may be entered by government forces without permit. The curfew that has been in place since Sunday has been extended for 6 more days.SOA Watch is in constant contact with our friends in Honduras, who are courageously defending their democracy against the coup. The social movements are resisting the military takeover through protests, occupations and strikes.Thousands are again taking to the streets right now for a march from the Obelisk to the center of the city and to the Congress building. Repression is expected to occur. The Honduran democracy protesters are calling on the international community to speak up in defense of real and direct democracy, for life, justice, liberty, dignity and peace.
SOA Watch activists are among the organizers of solidarity actions against the military coup throughout the Americas and some have traveled to Honduras in the past few days to stand with the Honduran people. The national SOA Watch staff is in close communication with activists in Honduras. We are engaged in media outreach around the coup and we are networking with partner organizations to defend democracy in Honduras. The Washington, DC staff took part in protests at the White House, the Honduran embassy, the Organization of American States and the State Department.
Witnessing the determination of our friends in Honduras, we believe that the coup can still be reversed and that President Zelaya will return to Honduras as the rightful president. However, for that to happen, we also have to step up the pressure on decision makers here in the United States. Click here to download a flier to mobilize your community .Call the office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ask that Secretary Clinton takes action for the unconditional reinstatement of Honduran President Zelaya. Call 202-647-5548. Click here to send a message online.The Pentagon claim -- that the School of the Americas / Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers -- has once again been disproved by the actions of the institute's graduates.The SOA/ WHINSEC needs to be shut down without delay. Despite the decision by the U.S. Southern Command to suspend interactions between the U.S. and the Honduran militaries, Honduran soldiers have not been withdrawn from the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC). SOA/ WHINSEC trained militaries continue to violate human rights - not only in Honduras but in Colombia and other parts of Latin America.
Video : Father Roy Bourgeois on Democracy Now!
Generals Who Led Honduras Military Coup Trained at the School of the AmericasRomeo Vasquez, a general who led the military coup in Honduras against President Manuel Zelaya, received training at the US School of the Americas. The SOA has trained more than 60,000 soldiers, many of whom have returned home and committed human rights abuses, torture, extrajudicial execution and massacres. General Vasquez attended the SOA in 1976 and 1984. The head of the Air Force, General Luis Javier Prince Suazo, also studied there in 1996. Watch the interview with Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of the SOA Watch.Faith-based and Nongovernmental Groups Condemn Coup in Honduras;
Express Concern for Human Rights Situation
Faith-based, human rights, and activist groups in the United States today joined in condemning the coup carried out June 28th against José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, the elected President of Honduras. President Zelaya was forcibly removed from his home by the military and put on a plane to Costa Rica. The coup took place on the very day that a controversial non-binding referendum about the Honduran constitution had been scheduled.
Actions by the Honduran military to arrest the President and force him out of the country cannot be accepted. The international community has called for President Zelaya’s restoration; we urge the U.S. and other governments to work multilaterally to support the restoration of constitutional order. We understand that U.S. law requires the suspension of military aid in the case of a coup and urge that this suspension be fully implemented until constitutional order is restored.
President Zelaya’s return will not, by itself, solve the political crisis in Honduras. Dialogue will be needed to resolve deep-seated conflicts over whether and how to revise the constitution, and strengthen a more participative political process. The poverty and marginalization that underlie all the political dynamics in Honduras, and that have stoked unrest, must be addressed. Zelaya’s return is only a first step in a larger and more long-term process in Honduras.
The signers remain concerned about the safety of social and political activists, including trade union leaders, heads of organizations of small farmers and the rural poor, indigenous leaders, opposition politicians, and others. Many leaders, fearing arrest, are in hiding. Many media outlets were shuttered yesterday. We call on Honduran security forces to respect human rights and basic freedoms for all citizens.
Joy Olson
Executive Director
Washington Office on Latin America
Robert E. White
President
Center for International Policy
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Kimberly C. Stietz
Director for International Public Policy
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Washington Office
Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
James W. Winkler, General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church
Rev. John McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP)
Sharon Hostetler
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Eric LeCompte
National Organizer
SOA Watch
Fr. Seamus Finn
Director
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Justice and Peace Office
Kate Horner
Policy Analyst
Friends of the Earth US
David Kane
Associate for Latin America and Economic Justice
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Katherine Hoyt
National Co-Coordinator
Nicaragua Network
Claudia Rodríguez
Policy Director
SHARE Foundation: Building a New El Salvador Today
Amanda Martin
Director
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Delvis Fernández Levy
President
Cuban American Alliance Education Fund
Sylvia Romo
Interim Executive Director
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)
John Lindsay-Poland
Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Nan McCurdy
President
Ecumenical Committee of English speaking Church Personnel in Nicaragua (CEPRHI)
Kirsten Moller
Executive Director
Global Exchange
Freddie Schrider
Business Manager
Rights Action
Eva Seidelman
Program Assistant
International Labor Rights Forum
Miguel Robles
Founder/Coordinator
Alianza Latinoamericana por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes (ALIADI)
Tom Loudon
Co-Director
Quixote Center
Ana Perez
Executive Director
CARECEN SF- the Central American Resource Center
Laura Carlsen
Director, Americas Policy Program
Center for International Policy
Lucius Walker
Executive Director
Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace
Blase Bonpane, Phd
Director
Office of the Americas
Roz Dzelzitis
Executive Director
May I Speak Freely Media
James Vondracek
Managing Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
Peter and Gail Mott
Co-Editors
INTERCONNECT newsletter
Maria Hamlin Zuniga
Director
Centro de Informacion y Servicios de Asesoria en Salud
Rev. Jose Luis Casal, General Missioner
The Presbytery of Tres Rios
Presbyterian Church USA
June 30, 2009
Washington, DC
Distributed by the Latin America Working Group
The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
436 14th St., Suite 409, Oakland, CA 94612
tel. (510) 238-8400
fax (510) 238-8444
www.nisgua.org
Take Action
The School of the Americas graduate-led military overthrow of the democratically elected government of President Zelaya is in its fifth day and the resistance by the Honduran social movements continues to stand strong despite the increasing repression.Yesterday, the Honduran Congress announced a suspension of citizens' rights in Honduras for 24 hours. Citizens may not organize or otherwise congregate for any reason, and homes may be entered by government forces without permit. The curfew that has been in place since Sunday has been extended for 6 more days.SOA Watch is in constant contact with our friends in Honduras, who are courageously defending their democracy against the coup. The social movements are resisting the military takeover through protests, occupations and strikes.Thousands are again taking to the streets right now for a march from the Obelisk to the center of the city and to the Congress building. Repression is expected to occur. The Honduran democracy protesters are calling on the international community to speak up in defense of real and direct democracy, for life, justice, liberty, dignity and peace.
SOA Watch activists are among the organizers of solidarity actions against the military coup throughout the Americas and some have traveled to Honduras in the past few days to stand with the Honduran people. The national SOA Watch staff is in close communication with activists in Honduras. We are engaged in media outreach around the coup and we are networking with partner organizations to defend democracy in Honduras. The Washington, DC staff took part in protests at the White House, the Honduran embassy, the Organization of American States and the State Department.
Witnessing the determination of our friends in Honduras, we believe that the coup can still be reversed and that President Zelaya will return to Honduras as the rightful president. However, for that to happen, we also have to step up the pressure on decision makers here in the United States. Click here to download a flier to mobilize your community .Call the office of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and ask that Secretary Clinton takes action for the unconditional reinstatement of Honduran President Zelaya. Call 202-647-5548. Click here to send a message online.The Pentagon claim -- that the School of the Americas / Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers -- has once again been disproved by the actions of the institute's graduates.The SOA/ WHINSEC needs to be shut down without delay. Despite the decision by the U.S. Southern Command to suspend interactions between the U.S. and the Honduran militaries, Honduran soldiers have not been withdrawn from the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC). SOA/ WHINSEC trained militaries continue to violate human rights - not only in Honduras but in Colombia and other parts of Latin America.
Video : Father Roy Bourgeois on Democracy Now!
Generals Who Led Honduras Military Coup Trained at the School of the AmericasRomeo Vasquez, a general who led the military coup in Honduras against President Manuel Zelaya, received training at the US School of the Americas. The SOA has trained more than 60,000 soldiers, many of whom have returned home and committed human rights abuses, torture, extrajudicial execution and massacres. General Vasquez attended the SOA in 1976 and 1984. The head of the Air Force, General Luis Javier Prince Suazo, also studied there in 1996. Watch the interview with Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of the SOA Watch.Faith-based and Nongovernmental Groups Condemn Coup in Honduras;
Express Concern for Human Rights Situation
Faith-based, human rights, and activist groups in the United States today joined in condemning the coup carried out June 28th against José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, the elected President of Honduras. President Zelaya was forcibly removed from his home by the military and put on a plane to Costa Rica. The coup took place on the very day that a controversial non-binding referendum about the Honduran constitution had been scheduled.
Actions by the Honduran military to arrest the President and force him out of the country cannot be accepted. The international community has called for President Zelaya’s restoration; we urge the U.S. and other governments to work multilaterally to support the restoration of constitutional order. We understand that U.S. law requires the suspension of military aid in the case of a coup and urge that this suspension be fully implemented until constitutional order is restored.
President Zelaya’s return will not, by itself, solve the political crisis in Honduras. Dialogue will be needed to resolve deep-seated conflicts over whether and how to revise the constitution, and strengthen a more participative political process. The poverty and marginalization that underlie all the political dynamics in Honduras, and that have stoked unrest, must be addressed. Zelaya’s return is only a first step in a larger and more long-term process in Honduras.
The signers remain concerned about the safety of social and political activists, including trade union leaders, heads of organizations of small farmers and the rural poor, indigenous leaders, opposition politicians, and others. Many leaders, fearing arrest, are in hiding. Many media outlets were shuttered yesterday. We call on Honduran security forces to respect human rights and basic freedoms for all citizens.
Joy Olson
Executive Director
Washington Office on Latin America
Robert E. White
President
Center for International Policy
Adam Isacson
Director of Programs
Center for International Policy
Kimberly C. Stietz
Director for International Public Policy
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Washington Office
Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
James W. Winkler, General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church
Rev. John McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP)
Sharon Hostetler
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Eric LeCompte
National Organizer
SOA Watch
Fr. Seamus Finn
Director
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Justice and Peace Office
Kate Horner
Policy Analyst
Friends of the Earth US
David Kane
Associate for Latin America and Economic Justice
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Katherine Hoyt
National Co-Coordinator
Nicaragua Network
Claudia Rodríguez
Policy Director
SHARE Foundation: Building a New El Salvador Today
Amanda Martin
Director
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Delvis Fernández Levy
President
Cuban American Alliance Education Fund
Sylvia Romo
Interim Executive Director
Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA)
John Lindsay-Poland
Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Nan McCurdy
President
Ecumenical Committee of English speaking Church Personnel in Nicaragua (CEPRHI)
Kirsten Moller
Executive Director
Global Exchange
Freddie Schrider
Business Manager
Rights Action
Eva Seidelman
Program Assistant
International Labor Rights Forum
Miguel Robles
Founder/Coordinator
Alianza Latinoamericana por los Derechos de los Inmigrantes (ALIADI)
Tom Loudon
Co-Director
Quixote Center
Ana Perez
Executive Director
CARECEN SF- the Central American Resource Center
Laura Carlsen
Director, Americas Policy Program
Center for International Policy
Lucius Walker
Executive Director
Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization/Pastors for Peace
Blase Bonpane, Phd
Director
Office of the Americas
Roz Dzelzitis
Executive Director
May I Speak Freely Media
James Vondracek
Managing Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
Peter and Gail Mott
Co-Editors
INTERCONNECT newsletter
Maria Hamlin Zuniga
Director
Centro de Informacion y Servicios de Asesoria en Salud
Rev. Jose Luis Casal, General Missioner
The Presbytery of Tres Rios
Presbyterian Church USA
June 30, 2009
Washington, DC
Distributed by the Latin America Working Group
The Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
436 14th St., Suite 409, Oakland, CA 94612
tel. (510) 238-8400
fax (510) 238-8444
www.nisgua.org
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