TAKE ACTION NOW IN SOLIDARITY WITH HONDURAS

Tell President Obama and the State Department: Recognizing the Honduran Elections means Complicity with Coup and Human Rights Violations

The Obama Administration struck a deal with the Republican ultra-right to achieve several state department appointee confirmations and now is recognizing the Honduran elections that took place on Sunday November 29th. These elections were carried out by an army that is in the midst of extreme repression of Honduras's non-violent resistance and that has repeatedly harassed and shut down media critical of the coup. The U.S. is one of the only countries in the world to recognize the elections and is thereby implicitly condoning the coup and the ongoing human rights violations in Honduras. If we do not force a change of course, then as Brazil's foreign minister recently said, the U.S. will become completely isolated from most of Latin America.

Please copy the message below or write your own and submit it to the White House and State Department.

Dear President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton:


I join most of the world in condemning the U.S. government decision to recognize the illegal elections which took place in Honduras on
November 29th amidst severe ongoing repression and human rights violations by the military coup regime.

Backing out on your earlier commitment is disgraceful, deceitful and a clear statement to the rest of the world that the U.S. government will gladly sacrifice democracy for political opportunism. Is it worth isolating the U.S. from Latin America? Is it worth ignoring the killings and repression by the same military that carried out the elections? Is it worth condoning a return to the atrocities of the 80's in Latin America?

The people of Honduras spoke clearly on November 29th through massive abstention. Nearly every polling location reported turnout of a third or less. The Supreme Electoral Council claims 61% turnout to the press but its own turnout figures on paper show turnout to be 48%. Independent observers estimated turnout as low as 25%. To trust the de facto Honduran government's turnout figures is to trust the same people who forged a renunciation letter to cover up the June 28th military coup. The same military that has been denounced around the world for its ongoing brutal repression against the non-violent Honduran resistance carried out the elections. The same day as the elections they tear-gassed and brutally beat non-violent protesters in San Pedro Sula.

There were no official election observers. The majority of the hemisphere will not recognize these elections. The majority of the Honduran people will not recognize the new government. The only solution to the crisis in Honduras is a National Constitutional Assembly. The 80% of Hondurans who live in poverty make up a large majority of the country have been completely excluded from its governance. Only when that majority is consulted and given the chance to re-establish democracy in their country through a democratic, grassroots, participatory National Constitutional Assembly will a solution to the political crisis in Honduras be possible.

U.S. recognition of the incoming de facto government will be a clear signal to the rest of the world that our government continues to condone military coups.

Sincerely,

Solidarity Statements / Comunicados de Solidaridad

News Sources/ Fuentes de Noticias

Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular - the official page of the resistance to the coup in Honduras with messages straight from those fighting to restore democracy to Honduras (Spanish only).

Radio Globo, Radio Liberada, Radio Progreso and Radio es lo de menos have radio updates (Spanish only) directly from the from the front-lines of the resistance in Honduras.

Rights Action has been doing good reporting and commentary as events unfold and has people on the ground monitoring the situation. They are also a reliable vehicle through which to get money to the organizations fighting for the restoration of democracy in Honduras.

Honduras Resiste y Vence is an excellent blog in Spanish directly from the resistance in Honduras.

Honduras Solidarity has excellent original reporting in English and Spanish from Sandra Cuffe, who has been accompanying and reporting on the Honduran social movement for years.

School of the Americas Watch has good background information on the coup-plotters training at the Georgia-based School of the Americas / (also known as the School of Assasins) as well as news updates on the coup and a call to action.

La Voz de los de Abajo is a Chicago-based organization that has been working to organize solidarity with the Honduran resistance and to denounce the coup from within the U.S..

Honduras Habla is a citizen-media project of Honduras with a variety of news updates and links to good, current information (in Spanish) about the resistance to the coup.

Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) - One of the organizations at the forefront of the resistance to the coup in Honduras.

Honduras Digna is a YouTube channel with good footage of the coup d'etat.

Honduras en Lucha has excellent coverage (in Spanish) of the latest news.

Honduras Golpeada - "what they don't want us to know" (Spanish only). Another great site with updates about and condemnations of the coup d'etat.

Americas MexicoBlog and the Americas Policy Program have some good coverage and some English translations of interviews, statements and documents about the coup, the international response and the resistance.

Upside Down World is going good reporting on the Honduran coup.

Honduras Resiste is a blog about actions in solidarity with the Honduran resistance from within the U.S..

Autores del Golpe de estado en Honduras - site with pictures of and information about the people responsible for the coup d'etat in Honduras.

Resistencia Honduras is one of the most comprehensive blogs out there (in Spanish) about the Honduran coup.

La Búsqueda has great coverage, including video and photos (Spanish only).

La Jornada is a major Mexican newspaper with excellent coverage of both the coup and resistance to it in Spanish.

Telesur is a television station based in Venezuela with excellent ongoing television coverage of the latest incidents.

Honduras Indymedia has good coverage in Spanish about the coup and the resistance to it.

regalado.blogia.com is an excellent blog from Cuba about the coup.

Movimientos.org is doing great reporting (mostly Spanish) about solidarity with the Honduran resistance.

Por Honduras Libre is a blog from Nicaragua (in Spanish) covering the Honduran coup and its resistance.

Latin America in Movement has a number of a good articles and statements on the Honduran coup.

NarcoNews is doing good reporting on the coup in English.

Rebelion - The magazine Rebelion has an excellent collection of articles with news and analysis about the coup in Spanish.

Libertad de Expresión - Good blog in Spanish with information directly from Honduras.

Interviews/ Entrevistas

"Grandmother of the Resistance" Dionicia Díaz
English - Español

Recently freed political prisoner Agustina Flores López from Feminists in Resistance
English - Español

Augustin Ramos Montes of National Committee of Rural Workers (CNTC)

Betty Vasquez of Movement of Women in Resistance of Santa Bárbara
English - Español

Garifuna leader Fanni Elizsabeth Solarzano Castillo from Triunfo de la Cruz and National Black Fraternal Organization (OFRANEH)
English - Español

Indigenous leader Salvador Zúñiga from Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH)
English - Español

Garifuna leader Miriam Miranda from National Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH)
English - Español

Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres from Civil Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH)
First interview / Primera entrevista:
English - Español
Recent Speech / Discurso Recién: English - Español


Garifuna leader Teresa Reyes from Triunfo de la Cruz community on Honduran north coast
English - Español

Afro-Honduran leader Alfredo Lopez from National Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH)
English - Español

Peasant Leader Rafael Alegria from Via Campesina Honduras
First interview right after coup
Second interview: English - Español
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