[HNA] Letter from U.S. organizations in solidarity with the Honduran people to members of Congress - 3/15/2010

[Sergio Reyes]

Letter from U.S. organizations in solidarity with the
 Honduran people to members of Congress - 3/15/2010Dear Members of Congress,



During her trip to Latin America earlier this month, Secretary of 
State Hillary Clinton announced that she had sent members of Congress a 
letter informing them that the administration would be restoring aid to 
Honduras. “The Honduras crisis has been managed to a successful 
conclusion” and “without violence”, she told reporters accompanying her 
on her trip.Secretary Clinton also stated that the government of 
Porfirio Lobo had “moved quickly to implement many of the 
recommendations that (…) were incorporated into the [Oct. 30] 
Tegucigalpa accord”, including “a truth commission that will be set up.”



In order to put these statements into perspective, we would like to 
share with you a few short but important recent documents published by 
respected international and Honduran human rights organizations. They 
present a picture of recent developments in Honduras that contrasts 
sharply with Secretary Clinton’s characterizations, and also raise 
important issues surrounding the current proposal for a “truth 
commission”.



Although Secretary Clinton declared that the Honduras crisis 
has been “without violence”, the unfortunate reality is that violent 
attacks directed at groups and individuals opposed to the coup d’état 
have been a regular occurrence since the June 28th coup and continue to 
this day.



 According to the respected 
Honduran human rights organization COFADEH, at least forty anti-coup 
activists have been murdered since June 28.



 On March 8, 2010 the Inter American Commission on Human 
Rights issued a release condemning a series of attacks against activists
 and their relatives that have occurred since the inauguration of 
Porfirio Lobo on January 27th. These include three murders, a number of 
kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, acts of torture and illegal raids.



 On March 3rd, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the 
Honduras Attorney General stating that these attacks “could generate a 
chilling effect that would limit the exercise of basic political rights 
in Honduras.”



The Lobo government has indeed taken steps to establish a 
“truth commission.” However, serious doubts have been raised regarding 
the legitimacy and credibility of the commission proposal that is being 
jointly promoted by the Lobo government and the US administration. The 
“Platform for Human Rights” – a coalition that includes each of 
Honduras’ key human rights organizations – issued a statement on Feb. 
18. The coalition considers that “the conditions for such a commission 
do not exist” given that, among other reasons:



 “There is no political will to stop 
the violation of human rights. Violations continue to be perpetrated 
against those who (…) condemn the coup d’etat.”



 The Commission is not being created in conformity with 
respected international standards applicable to truth commissions. For 
example, there has been no consultative process involving victims and 
human rights organizations so as to define the mandate or the type of 
violations to be investigated.”



 “State officials, who are authors or accomplices to human 
rights violations, continue to hold office and could as a consequence be
 involved in the investigation process.” In her statements to the press 
in Costa Rica, Secretary Clinton noted that many governments in the 
hemisphere have pursued a different course than the US administration 
and have chosen not to recognize the Lobo government. “I don’t know what
 they’re waiting for,” she said, “but that’s their right, to wait.”



Notwithstanding these statements, we believe that the ongoing 
attacks against political activists in Honduras should make the 
administration think twice about normalizing relations with the Lobo 
government. The administration should also take note of the strong 
criticism that has been raised by Honduras’ most important human rights 
organizations regarding the Lobo government’s proposal for a Truth 
Commission.



Best regards,



Quixote Center

United Steelworkers, AFL-CIO/CLC (USW)

Just Foreign Policy

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas—Institute Justice Team

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

Pax-Christi USA- : National Catholic Peace Movement

SOA Watch

Witness for Peace

Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)

Fellowship of Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the

Caribbean

Alliance for Global Justice

Nicaragua Network

Campaign for Labor Rights

International Action Center

May I Speak Freely Media

Forging Alliances South and North (ForAL)

Committee in Solidarity with the Honduran Resistance – Boston

8th Day Center for Justice

St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America

La Voz de los de Abajo

U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities

USLEAP- US Labor Education in the Americas Project

Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras-Los Angeles

Albany Park, North Park, Mayfair Neighbors for Peace and Justice

(Chicago)

Veterans For Peace, Chapter 02, Jersey City, NJ

Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance, L.A.

Latin America Solidarity Committee, Milwaukee

Teachers for Social Justice of Chicago

CAMI

Nonviolence International

Loyola University Department of Social Justice

Peace Action Task Force of Hyde Park

National Immigrant Solidarity Network

Anti-War Committee (Minneapolis, MN)

Colombia Action Network

Racine/Kenosha Central America Solidarity Coalition

PATRIA MORAZAN (Houston, Texas)

Minnesota Hands off Honduras

Latin American Solidarity Coalition

Portland Central America Solidarity Committee

International Solidarity Movement-Chicago chapter

Marin Interfaith Task Force on the Americas

Direct Action for Rights and Equality


      
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