COUP NEWS UPDATES
Friday, September 12, 2009
GRANMA
September 11, 2009
Pentagon asks for joint military maneuvers with Honduran coup regime
http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs2653.html
Google translation. Revised by Walter Lippmann.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 .- The United States Southern Command asked the Armed Forces of the coup government of Honduras to participate in the maneuvers of the Allied Forces Panamax 2009, although Washington a month earlier had announced its intention to suspend all cooperation military with the Central American country.
Honduras appeared in the list of 21 countries that naval exercises will be coordinated by the United States between 11 and 22 September, despite international rejection of the regime of Robert Micheletti referred Telesur.
Several countries worldwide have demanded U.S. general Douglas Fraser. to suspend military cooperation with the Central American nation and its military forces out of the military base in Palmerola Colonel Soto Cano. That facility was used as a bridge during the coup to remove President Zelaya of the territory, he admitted Command Chief South, Gen. Douglas Fraser.
STUDENTS AND WORKERS TAKE UNIVERSITY OF HONDURAS
TEGUCIGALPA, September 10 .- Students and workers today occupied the National Autonomous University of Honduras, in protest against the coup and demanding the restoration of constitutional order, indicates PL.
Spokesmen for the movement explained to Radio Globo that the protest is part of a 48-hour strike started on Thursday by the three trade union confederations also demanding the return of the constitutional president, Manuel Zelaya.
They added that the action was coordinated with organizations of the National Pedagogical University, which has been occupied by students and workers on several occasions since the military coup last June.
Original: http://www.granma.cubasi.cu/2009/09/11/interna/artic10.html
Wednesday, September 10, 2009
Lula Slams Coup in Honduras
jueves, 10 de septiembre de 2009
10 de septiembre de 2009, 09:07Brasilia, Sept 10 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, assured that the coup in Honduras is an unacceptable step back in Latin America and which we should unconditionally reject.
Talking in a lunch meeting offered by Salvadorian president, Mauricio Funes, who began his first official visit to Brazil, Lula said he witnessed the will of reconciliation that allowed a renewed encounter of El Salvador and all of Central America with stability and development.
He pointed out that Latin America learned the hard lesson that only peace and progress through dialogue, tolerance and much respect for our differences can save our conquests.
For this reason, he emphasized “the coup in Honduras is an unacceptable step back. We must repudiate it unconditionally and demand the return of President Manuel Zelaya to his constitutional functions for which the Honduran people elected him.”
After pointing out that the authors of the coup must understand that popular will is sovereign in our continent. Lula added that, as a result, Brazil took all measures of condemnation of the coup; we withdrew our ambassador, interrupted all projects of collaboration and suspended exemption of entry visas.
Brazil, MERCOSUR (Common Market of the South) and OAS (Organization of American States) are joined in this commitment, stressed the Brazilian president.
“We do not recognize elections held by forces of backwardness and rule,” he assured and added that it is also the determination of the countries of the Central American System of Integration (SICA).
He said that the “recent measures taken by US President Barack Obama against the coup are well received. It shows that the United States joined the political, regional and world consensus.”
Last June 28 a coup not only removed Zelaya from power but from the country.
http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=115790&Itemid=1
Wednesday, September 10, 2009
General Strike Against the Coup
“Tegucigalpa, Sep 10 (Prensa Latina) The three Honduran trade unions started Thursday a 48-hour general strike in the state sector, demanding the restoration of constitutional order, broken after the June 28 military coup.
The stoppage was convened on Tuesday, as part of actions by union organizations of the National Front against the coup d’Etat, in demand of the return of President Manuel Zelaya.
The Front programmed a new rally in this capital today, to also call for a national constituent assembly, after 75th consecutive days against the military coup.
That vast alliance from people’s forces and progressive parties carried out Wednesday an intensive day with mass marches and caravans in Tegucigalpa, and the country’s other important cities.
During protests, members of the resistance also opposed to hold the November 29 general elections, if they are organized by the de facto government.
The Front general coordinator Juan Barahona stated yesterday that popular mobilizations will not stop until the putschists have been defeated.
hr/iff/rl
Modificado el ( jueves, 10 de septiembre de 2009 )
”
http://www.prensa-latina.cu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=115784&Itemid=1
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
acnnews 3
Anti-Coup Hondurans Rally Near OAS-De Facto Regime Meeting’s Venue
HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 25 (acn) Thousands of Hondurans demanded Monday the
return of the constitutional order, when a mission from the Organization
of American States (OAS) traveled to the Central American country to
negotiate a solution to the situation created after the military coup of
June 28.
The protesters held a rally near a hotel in the capital where the
OAS delegation made up seven foreign ministers and Secretary General,
Jose Miguel Insulza, is meeting with representatives of different
sectors of the country.
According to a Prensa Latina report, the area, near the Presidential
Palace is guarded by a strong contingent of army troops and riot police
corps, which blocked access to the hotel.
The march started from the vicinity of the National Pedagogical
University and toured several streets, chanting slogans in the 58th
consecutive day of resistance to the military coup.
The protest coincided with a national strike of teachers and unions
in the public sector, organized by the three stations in the nation.
A delegation of the National Front against the coup met with OAS’
representatives and raised popular demands for restoration of the rule
of law.
Leader Rafael Alegria, who participated in the meeting, said that
this goal inevitably involves the return of President Manuel Zelaya.
Meanwhile, Channel 36 television in Honduras remains off the air due
to a breach of its broadcasting equipment by a group of hooded men, who
also attacked computers of Radio Globo.
Managers of the radio station reported that the assault took place
last night during the live broadcasting of an international concert
organized by the National Front against the coup.
The two media have been occupied by military and other attacks since
early June 28 when the military overthrew President Manuel Zelaya, they
said.
Worldnews/esti/ycr/
Reclaman hondureños restitución de orden constitucional
Cuban News Agency
www.cubanews.ain.cu
ainnews@ain.cu
SUNDAY, August 23, 2009
Honduran Women’s Organization Accuses Police of Rape
Tegucigalpa, August 21 (RHC)– The Honduran women’s organization Feminists in Resistance has denounced dozens of cases of rape by fascist police forces in the Central American country.
During a news conference in Tegucigalpa on Thursday, the coordinator of the Women’s Rights Center, Gilda Rivera, told reporters that there are at least 19 documented cases of rape committed by police agents in various parts of Honduras. She emphasized that there are other cases of rape and sexual abuse, but many victims are afraid to come forward.
Documented reports have been confirmed by the Women’s International Observer Mission, made up of representatives from Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and the United States.
Prensa Latina news agency reports from Mexico City that Silvia Ayala, a deputy to the Honduran parliament from the Democratic Unification Party, said there is a dramatic increase in repression and criminal actions by fascist forces in her country. She emphasized that the regime of the military’s choice for president, businessman Roberto Micheletti, has become desperate in recent days.
The Honduran legislator, who is taking part in the Sao Paulo Forum in Mexico City, pointed out that all of the actions of the illegal military regime are designed to impose its power over the people and try to prevent the return of the legitimate president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya. She added that the resistance movement has incorporated new players in the struggle against the coup regime, including actors, intellectuals, attorneys, as well as writers and artists.
Silvia Ayala reported to participants of the Sao Paulo Forum in Mexico City that many people are being persecuted by the illegal military regime in Honduras. She said that there are increasing numbers of workers who are being fired from their jobs for having been involved in the peaceful popular protests against the regime.
”
http://www.radiohc.cu/viejo/ingles/noticias/agosto09/21/mundo2.htm
SUNDAY, August 23, 2009
Honduras confines Venezuelan, Argentine diplomats to embasssies
http://www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-24 00:38:51
MANAGUA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — The interim Honduras government has confined Venezuelan and Argentine diplomats to their embassies in the country and threatened to expel them once they stepped out the gate, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The restriction is a result of the diplomats’ refusal to leave Honduras before the Friday deadline set by the interim government.
The ministry said in a statement that police would arrest the diplomats once they left the embassies and deport them afterwards.
Mario Fortin, adviser with the Honduran Foreign Ministry, urged the diplomats to leave the country immediately.
The expulsion order issued on Aug. 18 by the interim government to demand the departure of Argentine diplomats was a response to Argentina’s expulsion of Honduran ambassador.
The Venezuelan government also received such an ultimatum, but both countries did not recognize the legitimacy of the post-coup Honduran regime and rejected its expulsion order.
On June 28, a military coup ousted President Zelaya and an interim government led by Roberto Micheletti was established, causing massive demonstrations.
Copyright ©2009 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/24/content_11932515.htm
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009
“Spain expels, Jose Eduardo Martell, the ambassador of Honduras.
According to an official letter addressed to OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, the decision was made after August 5 when the Spanish authorities announced the dismissal of Martell as ambassador to Madrid and his replacement by a charge d’affaires.
Spain expels, Jose Eduardo Martell, the ambassador of Honduras.
A spokesperson said that the expulsion is for their adherence to the de facto government that emerged after the coup that overthrew President Manuel Zelaya, announced the Organization of American States.
According to an official letter addressed to OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, the decision was made after August 5 when the Spanish authorities announced the dismissal of Martell as ambassador to Madrid and his replacement by a charge d’affaires.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain spoke on August 19 to Martell to report the completion of its accreditation as an ambassador and to give instructions for him to leave the country, in a decision “consistent with the international community’s commitment to maintain the dialogue with the official constitutional government of Honduras, “according to the letter sent to the OAS.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2006
Latin leftists fear a Honduras coup domino effect
By ALEXANDRA OLSON (AP) – 3 hours ago
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Manuel Zelaya’s chances of getting restored to the Honduran presidency become more distant with each passing week. Across Latin America, his allies and foes alike see a precedent being set.
It’s a glimmer of hope for the region’s conservative elite, which has watched with dismay over the past decade as a wave of leftist presidents has risen to power, promising to topple the establishment and give greater power to the poor.
When the once-moderate Zelaya started down that path, Honduras’ military, Congress and Supreme Court teamed up to oust him, and despite protests from across the hemisphere the coup-installed government remains in place. Could this be the model Latin America’s conservatives were desperately seeking?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup himself, said Cuba’s Fidel Castro told him the situation in Honduras will “open the door to the wave of coups coming in Latin America.”
“Fidel says something that is very true,” he said.
Added Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, a close ally of Chavez and Zelaya: “We have intelligence reports that say that after Zelaya, I’m next.”
Across the region, conservatives who long ruled Latin America — and still own much of it — are showing signs of unrest, with armed uprisings in Bolivia and marches in Guatemala where tens of thousands of protesters have demanded the president resign.
But the most extreme case came in Honduras, a country with three decades of political stability and seven consecutive democratically elected presidents.
“This coup really surprised us,” said Jorge Acevedo, deputy director of a Honduran human rights group. “We thought the issue of civilian rule was something we had resolved a long time ago.”
Soldiers arrested Zelaya on June 28 and flew him into exile, and within hours Congress swore in the next-in-line to the presidency, Roberto Micheletti. In the six weeks since, demonstrations by Zelaya supporters and diplomatic efforts by countries ranging from the United States to Venezuela have been unsuccessful in orchestrating Zelaya’s return.
Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez, whose popularity has plummeted, said allowing Honduras’ interim government to remain in power until Nov. 29 presidential elections would undermine democracy across the region.
“It would be enough for someone to stage a civilian coup, backed by the armed forces, or simply a civilian one and later justify it by convoking elections,” Fernandez told South American leaders. “And then democratic guarantees would truly be fiction.”
Honduras responded Tuesday by giving Argentina’s diplomatic mission 72 hours to leave the country.
Those who have stirred turmoil in left-led countries insist they are the ones defending democracy.
Many of the so-called “revolutionary” governments that have been voted into power from Nicaragua to Bolivia have not only tried to redistribute wealth but also remove limits on their time in power. Many have reduced the powers of opponents in ways that have made traditional elites feel their private holdings, investments and democratic freedoms are under attack.
“I think Zelaya gave enough reasons to be removed from government — reasons that exist in abundance in Venezuela,” said Venezuelan opposition leader Jose Luis Farias. “Chavez has violated the constitution a lot more than Zelaya did.”
In Bolivia, opposition Gov. Ruben Costas called Zelaya’s ouster a logical reaction to “a process that follows the same book as Chavez, which only seeks constitutional changes to perpetuate strongmen.”
“There is a limit in countries where we are suffering abuses,” he told radio Erbol.
Of course, the Honduras precedent goes only so far.
No other leader in the region faces the utter political isolation that drove Zelaya from power so swiftly and efficiently: The military, the Supreme Court and even Zelaya’s own political party turned against him when he deepened his allegiance with Chavez and pursued constitutional changes in defiance of court rulings.
Elsewhere in the region, many of the leaders have already solidified their hold on power, in part through referendums and new constitutions overwhelmingly approved by voters. In Venezuela, other branches of government including congress and the judiciary are stacked with Chavez allies, leaving his opponents with few options for getting back into power.
“Removing Chavez through legal means — that is, through institutions — is very difficult because he has absolute control over all the institutions of the country,” Farias said.
Leftist leaders are taking no chances.
Ecuador has announced plans to create citizens committees to defend against Honduras-style coups. Correa has not provided details of how the groups will work, but critics fear they could become something akin to Cuba’s Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, used to monitor “counterrevolutiona
ry” activities.
Bolivian President Evo Morales, who calls two weeks of deadly protests in the eastern lowlands last year a “civilian coup,” recently announced that three men killed by police had been planning to assassinate him in a plot backed by opposition leaders.
Guatemala’s Alvaro Colom said he was being targeted by elites angry about his attempts to eliminate corporate tax loopholes when thousands took to the streets in May. They were demanding his resignation after a videotape by a prominent lawyer foretold his own murder, claiming Colom was to blame.
And for any Latin American leader who feels confident of their hold on power, Honduras offers a sobering lesson in how quickly a president can lose control.
Luis Vicente Leon, an analyst with Venezuela’s Datanalisis polling firm, said all of Latin America’s leftist leaders “have a lot of enemies.”
“No one,” he said, “is immune.”
Associated Press writers contributing to this report included Christopher Toothaker in Caracas, Venezuela; Jeanneth Valdivieso in Quito, Ecuador; Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia; Michael Warren in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Juan Carlos Llorca in Guatemala City.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2009
Specific Incidents of Sexual Abuse of Women by Police
More information is coming out about sexual abuse committed by police against women during the last 52 days in the people’s struggle against the coup. Honduras Indymedia is carrying a harrowing report in Spanish about two women, one of whom is a nun, subjected to sexual abuse “by Honduran police. The police used very offensive language of a sexual nature with the nun, touched her in a sexual manner and warned her that she could be violated with an object inserted in her vagina. The other woman was violated by four police officers who raped and sodomized her with the sticks used by police to beat people.
If an English version of this article becomes available I will post here. If you read Spanish, you can go to the URL below or you can go to the En Espanol” page on this blog to read the article.
http://chiapas.indymedia.org/article_167394
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18
Honduras Orders Expulsion of Argentine Diplomats
>It’s pretty doubtful that any of the Argentine diplos will shed a tear on the way to the airport.
MONDAY, AUGUST 17
Honduras’ Micheletti Says Zelaya Exile Was “Error”
>Micheletti trying to put daylight between himself and the military?? Or, is Obama administration getting worried about supporting Micheletti while he is still attached at the hip to General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez who kidnapped the president and gave orders for military to fire live rounds into peaceful demonstrators??
US Will Meet Delegation from Honduras Regime
>The US has been meeting with the golpistas all along, so why stop now.
HONDURAS OYE! 