[HNA] JFP 11/30: Honduran Elections Marred by Police Violence, Censorship, Non-Recognition

[Kaveri Rajaraman]

*
1) CEPR: Honduran Elections Marred by Police Violence, Censorship,
International Non-Recognition, CEPR Co-Director Says*
Elections Won't Resolve Political Crisis; Democracy Must Be Restored Before
Free Elections Can Be Held
http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/11/30-8<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=be3j7E%2BdH8JEYy442gYQkaUR1D3WLF1d>

2) Observers: Peaceful march faces 'brutal repression' in San Pedro Sula
Mike Faulk, Nica Times, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, 4:06 p.m.
http://www.ticotimes.net/dailyarchive/2009_11/112920092.cfm<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ohqMJ3yeA07gHOFAHUlySF4Q%2FD1XNAUr>

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - About 500 people marching peacefully in the
northwestern city of San Pedro Sula were repressed by tear gas and water
cannons on Election Day today, election observers said.

Tom Loudon, leader of the Quixote Center delegation observing the elections
in San Pedro Sula, told The Nica Times that soldiers deployed on the scene
of the march at around 12:30 p.m., put on gas masks and began attacking the
marchers "unprovoked."

"The crowd just scattered, people went running in every direction, I was one
of those," Loudon said. Speaking over the telephone, Loudon was choking from
the gas and said he was still watching marchers and bystanders run away in
panic from the continued repression. "It's just pure unprovoked brutal
aggression against many people who haven't done anything, people are just
walking down the street," Loudon said.

Juan Barahona, who leads a resistance group critical of the de facto
government and the elections, had told followers not to protest today for
fear of military repression but left it up to local chapters decide.
[...]


3) Honduras: Authorities must reveal identities and whereabouts of people
detained today
Press Release, Amnesty International USA, Monday, Novembeer 30, 2009
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGPRE200911301429<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=nAehzeiU6Pa5ZytGjzYgSKUR1D3WLF1d>

Tegucigalpa - Amnesty International today urged the Honduran authorities to
reveal the identities, whereabouts and charges against all people detained
on the eve and day of the presidential elections.

In one of the most worrying cases, the whereabouts of Jensys Mario Umanzor
Gutierrez remains unknown. He was last seen at 2:30am this morning in the
custody of a Police Patrol whose identification number was recorded by
witnesses.

After finding about the case, the Amnesty International delegation in
Honduras assisted in the filing of an habeas corpus - a legal procedure to
find the whereabouts and well being of someone detained by police - at the
Juzgado Penal Francisco Morazan.

The Supreme Court, amongst several other courts, was closed and noone was
available by phone either to receive the petition. The court should have a
judge or other court appointed official always available to deal with such
urgent matters.

"Filling a petition to find where a detainee has been taken is an almost
impossible task in Honduras ," said Javier Zuñiga, head of the Amnesty
International delegation in Honduras . "The delays and barriers imposed by
the authorities to find even basic information goes to show the extent of
violations taken place in Honduras today, and how vulnerable Honduran
citizens are to abuses by the police and security forces," said Javier
Zuñiga.
[...]


7) Coup Security Forces Raid Campesino Organization Day Before the Elections
Laura Carlsen, Americas Policy Program, Nov 28, 2009
http://americasmexico.blogspot.com/2009/11/coup-security-forces-raid-campesino.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ToAJH%2BN2I0O%2B29GD9tlVfqUR1D3WLF1d>

Today, heavily armed members of the national police, military and criminal
investigation units under the coup regime raided the Honduran farm
organization COMAL (Alternative Community Marketing Network) in
Siguatepeque, in Comayagua. COMAL is a coalition of 42 small-scale farming
and women's organizations from throughout Honduras.

At 1:40 p.m. about fifty members of the security forces broke into the
offices of COMAL. After breaking down the doors with their guns and
intimidating the employees, they produced a search order a full twenty
minutes later. The offices were ransacked, under an order that stated
authorization to search for weapons and "materials that could threaten
lives".

At 2:30 the raid spread to the training center of the organization. Security
forces confiscated four computers, including the accountant's computer. They
also took educational materials used in community workshops to analyze the
current political situation and publications from the non-violent resistance
movement. The soldiers referred to these materials as "proof" of subversive
activities. Intelligence agents removed a list of all the people who had
attended workshops in the organization and employees. They took the entire
petty cash fund as well.

The offices were left in total disarray, employees were stripped of their
cellphones and held in the offices during the raid. No one had been arrested
at last report. Security forces continued to ransack the offices until 5:20
p.m.

Miguel Alonzo Macias, director of planning and projects for COMAL, stated
that the police and soldiers entered heavily armed and nervous. Among the
information they took from the offices were computer archives containing
photographs of the peaceful marches where members of the organization
demonstrated against the coup, "where they can see the faces of everyone of
us who participated," and testimonies from communities describing violations
of human rights under the coup. The group fears further persecution.

In a phone interview, Macias stated, "What just happened to us is evidence
that basic guarantees of individual human rights and institutional rights do
not exist in Honduras. As a result, the objective conditions in terms of the
personal security for people to be able to vote freely don't exist either."

"It's important for the international community and international human
rights groups to be aware that this is happening and of what kind of
military actions are being carried out. These actions are clearly meant to
intimidate the population that sees things differently than the de facto
regime and that condemns the coup."
[...]


*Uruguay*
11) Leftist Wins Uruguay Presidential Vote
Alexei Barrionuevo, New York Times, November 30, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/world/americas/30uruguay.html<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tdQDsgwdVF6%2B6PXYrXzsgaUR1D3WLF1d>

Montevideo, Uruguay - José Mujica, a brash former guerrilla fighter, was
elected president of Uruguay on Sunday, further cementing the hold of a
leftist government credited with improving economic conditions in one of
South America's smallest countries.

With more than 90 percent of the vote counted Sunday night, Mr. Mujica, the
candidate of the Broad Front coalition, was leading by about 10 percentage
points in a runoff against Luis Lacalle, a former president running on the
National Party ticket. Mr. Lacalle gave a concession speech on Sunday
evening.

The victory of Mr. Mujica, 74, solidified the control the Broad Front has
assumed over Uruguayan politics since the current president, Tabaré Vázquez,
was elected in 2004. Mr. Vázquez pursued a pragmatic path of reforms with
socialist and market-friendly elements that lowered unemployment and poverty
while generating confidence among investors.

Uruguay's Constitution does not allow for re-election, but Mr. Vázquez's
approval ratings in excess of 60 percent have strengthened the Broad Front,
a polyglot movement that includes Communists and Christian Democrats.
[...]
The Broad Front, a leftist movement, has followed an economic path closer to
those pursued by Brazil, Chile and Peru than to that of Venezuela, Bolivia
and Ecuador, which have chased off foreign investors by nationalizing
industries.

Mr. Mujica campaigned on pledges to be a consensus builder who would
continue the policies of Mr. Vázquez. The race pitted him against Mr.
Lacalle, a neo-liberal who favors privatizing state firms and sought to do
away with the income tax.
[...]

-
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BnKdQPe8AY1y0%2BXFMaQNDflhZWPMh2TE>

Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming US
foreign policy so it reflects the values and interests of the majority of
Americans.


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