ALERT #5 - Military Coup in Honduras, June 30, 2009
THE SITUATION IS BLACK AND WHITE, NOT GREY
The governments of the United States and Canada must explicitly denounce the coup and break all relations until the democratic government is restored and there is a reconciliation and justice process in place.
[Emergency relief funds are needed – to donate, see below.]
[CONTACT:  Grahame Russell (Rights Action co-director), 1-860-751-4285, info@rightsaction.org; Annie Bird (Rights Action co-director), annie@rightsaction.org]
The situation in Honduras could not be much worse.  Like other groups, Rights Action is receiving more information about the coup and repression than we can relay.  While much of it is hard to confirm with 100% certainty, there is no doubt that:
- the democratically elected government was deposed in an illegal military coup
- the Army has taken over the country
- people have been killed
- dozens of people have been injured
- dozens if not over 100 people have been arbitrarily captured
- Army and Police violence is being used to repress protests against the coup, in favour of democracy
- leaders of popular organizations are in hiding as they are being targeted for illegal capture or repression
- there is a ‘state of siege’ in place, harshly enforced by the Army and Police
- the media has been either shut down or is under control of the coup regime: inside Honduras, a propaganda campaign is being implemented
- the ‘de facto’ government is proceeding to “name” its new government
THE SITUATION IS BLACK AND WHITE, NOT GREY
Rights Action – a not-for-profit organization with legal status in the USA and Canada – calls on Canadians and Americans to directly and repeatedly contact your own media and politicians and demand that the US and Canadian governments unequivocally denounce the military coup, denounce the ‘de facto’ government, and break all political, military & economic ties with Honduras until the democratic government is restored and there is a reconciliation and justice process in place.
In different ways, the governments of the USA and Canada have denounced the coup – the United States with a bit more clarity, Canada with a more muddied approach -, but then instead of demanding a return of the democratic government and trials for the coup plotters and implementers, both governments have called for discussions between all the parties (including, of course, the coup plotters and the military regime now in place).
IMAGINE:  An organized gang of wealthy, well-armed criminals plan their crime ahead of time, break into your home and property; steal your property; kill and/or physically abuse some of your family members; prevent you from communicating your situation to anyone, including the media and the legal and political authorities; …
… and then imagine that other people come and say the solution is for you to sit down and talk with the criminals and solve your problems peacefully with them.
This is not a grey issue.  This is a black and white issue.  Insist, to your American and Canadian politicians (senators, congresspersons, members of parliament, etc) that the USA and Canada not call for the parties to sit down and talk.  This is an illegal military coup, there is only one option: denounce it, reject it, oppose it.
Once the coup and repression have ended, once the legitimate government has been restored, once the coup conspirators have been identified and denounced (and put on trial), then, and only then, there will be many ‘grey’ issues for Hondurans to sit down discuss and resolve.
But, there is nothing ‘grey’ to discuss or resolve about the illegal and brutal coup.  Citizens of the USA and Canada must be involved; this is our issue.  Historically, and on-going today, the Canadian and particularly US governments, and both our private sectors – including mining companies, sweatshops, fruit companies, etc - have had extensive economic and military relations with the Honduran oligarchies, militaries and their governments.
The Honduran oligarchy and military are carrying out this coup to maintain in place an unjust, exploitative and often repressive status quo – one that has benefited US and Canadian investors, businesses and consumers.
It is this unjust status quo that the people of Honduras are trying to change, via opinion polls and ballot boxes, to possibly form a National Constituent Assembly that might lead to popular participation in a process of serious constitutional reform.
The international community must not accept the position of asking that the various Honduran sectors peacefully resolve their problems via dialogue.  With guns and tanks, a brutal military coup has occurred - it must be denounced, rejected, opposed.
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UNITED STATES:  Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
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CONTACT YOUR OWN MEDIA, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, SENATORS, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, TO DEMAND:

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