[HNA] [Presente-Honduras] press release

Mon Apr 19 21:46:36 PDT 2010

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alexy Lanza <alexyjlanza at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 12:36 AM
Subject: [Presente-Honduras] press release
To: Presente Honduras <presente-honduras at lists.mayfirst.org>
Cc: NALACC <nalacc-distribucion at googlegroups.com>, Golpe de estado Honduras
<crisis-en-honduras at googlegroups.com>

  We'd like to share, the activity that we will have the day tomorrow and
also the letter that we will send to the Obama administration, we will be
leaving a copy at the consulate of Honduras where we will have a press
conference

We call on other organizations to send and sign it on their own.

thanks

in Solidarity

Alexy Lanza
**

*
*

*Press Release: *

*Honduras Human Rights Crises: *

*Jesuit Priest Recently on Tour in Chicago Receiving Death Threats.*

* *

*Chicago Organizations  to Deliver Human Rights Complaint to the Honduran
Consulate in Chicago:*

*April 20, 2010 -  1p.m.  - Honduran Consulate: 4439 West Fullerton*

For more information: Alexy J. Lanza (312) 656-8655

An urgent communication from Radio Progreso in Honduras reports that Father
Ismael “Melo” Moreno, Director of Radio Progreso, has received a new series
of death threats over the last two weeks because of his work in human rights
and in the communication media. Early in March, Father Melo toured the
United States, including Chicago and Milwaukee, on a speaking tour
highlighting the human rights crises in Honduras since military coup in June
2009 and especially since the installation of the Pepe Lobo government in
January 2010. He also met with U.S. congressional representatives and
government officials to ask that the U.S. not support the continuation of
the coup through the new regimen of Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo.

On April 15th the International Center for Justice and International Law
submitted a letter to the Interamerican Human Rights Court requesting that
the court mandate the enforcement of protective measures requested
previously for Father Melo and an investigation of the new threats against
the priest, Radio Progreso staff, and community members. The letter quotes
from threatening text messages received by family members of one of the
victims of multiple sexual and physical abuses by police who denounced the
abuses on Radio Progreso. It also quotes the death threats received by
Father Melo and Radio Progreso staff.

These threats come when journalists in Honduras have been targeted for
death-squad sytle repression. 5 journalists covering human rights abuses and
government misconduct were murdered in the month of March alone. Since the
Lobo government was installed at the end of January there have been….
murders of journalists, trade unionists, peasant organizers and other
associated with continuing opposition to the coup d’etat.

Last week, organizations in Chicago joined more than 50 U.S. organizations
in sending a letter to Pepe Lobo demanding and end to the violations of
human rights and the military-police-paramiliary attacks on peasant
communities in the region of Aguan in northern Honduras. On April 20th a
copy of this letter, along with the new complaint regarding threats against
Father Melo will be delivered to the Consul General of Honduras in Chicago.

Attachments:             Letter to Porfirio Lobo - April

                        Urgent Communiqué from Radio Progreso

                        Copy of letter to the Interamerican Human Rights
Court

                        Letter to Obama and Clinton

*La Voz de los de Abajo, Chicago - lavozchicago at yahoo.com*

*
*

*
***************************************************************************************
*

*
*

*April 19, 2010*

* *

*President Barak Obama*

*The White House*

*Washington, D.C.*

* *

Mr. President:

We are writing to you and to the Illinois congressional delegation in
response to urgent communications we have received from Honduras regarding
death threats, murders and the use of military, police and paramilitary
forces to intimidate opposition to the coup d’etat and the current regime in
Honduras.

On April 16th we received a communication from Radio Progreso in Honduras
alerting us that *Father Ismael “Melo” Moreno, *Director of Radio Progreso,
has received a new series of death threats over the last two weeks because
of his work in human rights and in the communication media.  Early in March,
Father Melo toured the United States, including Chicago highlighting the
human rights crises in Honduras since military coup in June 2009 and
especially since the installation of the Porfirio Lobo government in January
2010.  He also met with White House and State Department officials and with
U.S. congressional representatives ask that the U.S. not support the
continuation of the coup through the new regimen of President Porfirio
“Pepe” Lobo.

On April 15th the International Center for Justice and International Law
submitted a letter to the Interamerican Human Rights Court requesting that
the court mandate the enforcement of protective measures requested
previously for Father Melo and an investigation of the new threats against
the priest, Radio Progreso staff, and community members.  The letter quotes
from threatening text messages received by family members of one of the
victims of multiple sexual and physical abuses by police; these crimes were
denounced by the victim on Radio Progreso.  It also quotes the death threats
received via text messages by Father Melo and Radio Progreso staff.

These threats come when journalists in Honduras have been targeted for
death-squad style repression. Five journalists covering human rights abuses
and government misconduct were murdered in the month of March alone.
 Another was killed this month, and another, Emilio Oviedo Reyes*,* a
reporter at Channel 40 in Tocoa, Colon, Honduras, has begun receiving
serious new intimidation and threats much like Fr. Melo.

Since the installation of the Lobo government, targeted assassinations and
violent harassment have increased against journalists, trade unionists,
small farmers and members of opposition groups. A recent example is the
incursion by paramilitaries into the home of Anselmo Romero*,* a leader of
the non-violent democratic Popular Resistance in Lajas, Comayagua on
Saturday, April 17, 2010.

 Since the June 28, 2009 coup d’etat, Honduran and international
organizations such as Amnesty International, and FIAN have documented many
hundreds of human rights violations since.  The violations have continued
and have grown more violent since the elections and since the installation
of Porfirio Lobo Sosa as president. On April 9, 2010 more than 50 U.S.
organizations signed a letter to Porfirio Lobo protesting the use of
military and police forces against small farmer communities in northern
Honduras.

Under these conditions, normalization and reconciliation are empty phrases.
 For these reasons, we urge you to end aid and to withdraw U.S. recognition
of the Porfirio Lobo government.

Sincerely

Vicki Cervantes

for

La Voz de los de Abajo

4208 West 24th Place

Chicago, Illinois

Cc:      Arturo Valenzuela, Deputy Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs

            Michael Posner, Deputy Secretary of State for Democracy, Human
Rights, and Labor

            Porfirio Lobo Sosa via the Honduran Consul General in Chicago

Attachments:             April 9, 2010 Letter to Porfirio Lobo from U.S.
organizations and translation

                        April 15, 2010 Letter to the Interamerican Human
Rights Court and translation

* *

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