Honduras Solidarity Network
Urgent Appeal: Day of Action for Honduras – March 30th
Contact: Chuck Kaufman, Alliance for Global Justice, 202-544-9355 x1
Vicki Cervantes, La Voz de los de Abajo 312-259-5042
- “One Teacher Dead – Twenty teachers jailed for “sedition” and ‘illicit protests’. Teachers threatened with mass firings for their national strike against the repression and attacks.”
- “Journalists attacked by police – Cameraman in hospital after police deliberately fire tear gas bomb at his face”
- “Massive use of tear gas and beatings send teachers, students, and bystanders, including small children to the hospital”
This is the news from Honduras after a week of protests against the Lobo regime’s human rights violations, attacks against the unions, and plans to privatize education and public services. The army and police have forcibly occupied the National University and repeatedly assaulted the offices of the teachers’ unions. Peaceful protest marches have been violently attacked; many hundreds of tear gas bombs have been fired; one teacher has been killed in the protests, and many persons detained. At the same time the harassment and paramilitary threats against the peasant and indigenous communities in the countryside continue unchecked and with total impunity.
U.S. Government spends millions to support repression
While almost every day Human Rights organizations issue urgent alerts for Honduras, the U.S. government is moving forward with its plans to “normalize” Honduras’ position in the international community and is trying to get Honduras reinstated in the Organization of American States (OAS); it was expelled after the military coup in June 2009. Furthermore, the U.S. has scheduled millions of dollars in aid to the illegitimate regime of Porfirio Lobo: $1.7 million dollars in direct aid to the military and an estimated $4.6 million in aid to the police and other security forces.
Since Lobo took power in January 2010, through elections that were not recognized by most international human rights groups and observers organizations such as the Carter Center, there have been as many as 36 political murders, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, these murders include teachers, peasants, members of anti-coup resistance groups and 8 journalists, and 14 members of the LGBT community.
Join us on March 30th – SAY NO!
- To the repression and human rights violations.
- To U.S. military, economic and political aide to Honduras.
Stand in solidarity with the March 30th civic strike called by the resistance organizations, unions, and student groups in Honduras.
- Participate in local actions in your location.
- Call and email:
- Congressional Representatives and Senators (202-224-3121)- in Oregon we’ll focus on Rep. Blumenauer’s aide in DC, Michael Herald. Call (202) 225-4811 and leave a message for Michael saying that you, as a constituent of District 3 (or Oregon resident), don’t want to send your tax dollars to support military/police brutality in Honduras. Cut all foreign aid to Honduras in the 2012 budget!
- Department of State (Honduras Desk: 202-647-3482)- “BASTA DE REPRESSION!” Let the State Department know you are appalled at the human rights situation in Honduras and that there’s no way the US should be encouraging the re-entry of Honduras into the Organization of American States.
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- The White House (202-456-1111)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Tell them of your concern for the human rights crises in Honduras and your demand to cut off aid to the Lobo regime and end efforts to reinstate Honduras in the OAS.
- Share information about Honduras and this call for action with your friends and neighbors.