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The
human-rights situation in Honduras is getting progressively
worse, with reports detailing a right-wing offensive that includes not
just harassment but kidnapping, torture, and murder. The international
spotlight that shined on Honduras after the coup against
democratically elected President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya
has now disappeared, and the right wing that has traditionally
controlled the country is now free to pursue leftists and pro-democracy
activists without fear of bad press.
President
Zelaya is still holed up in the Brazilian
embassy while the coup-installed de facto government runs Honduras. The Brazilian government,
which had sharp words for the U.S. government following the
latter’s support for the November presidential elections held under the
coup, is now saying that it has found common ground with the United States and that Zelaya should leave the country.
The
United States, for its part, has
essentially supported the coup since its inception and played a most
pernicious role.
The
president-elect, Porfirio Lobo, is waiting to
take power Jan. 27.. In
the meantime, the right-wing terror is in full effect, with those that
supported the National Resistance Front (the leading group that
coordinated strikes and protests) being targeted primarily.
The
murders of resistance activists had begun after the coup took place,
but the intensity since the election has increased substantially. The
repression is similar to that seen historically across Latin America against activists, but its
viciousness and the tacit U.S. compliance with that
viciousness should evoke strong empathy and solidarity by human-rights
supporters.
Six
youths who had organized for the National Resistance Front were gunned
down in Tegucigalpa (the capital city) on Dec.
7. A leading LGBT rights activist and National Resistance
Front organizer, Walter Trochez, survived a
kidnapping attempt and was later gunned down while walking home.
Carlos
Turcios, vice-president of his local chapter
of the Resistance Front, was kidnapped on Dec. 16, and his body was
found the next day. His head and hands had been cut off. Santos
Corrales Garcia, another organizer for the National Resistance Front,
was “arrested” by men wearing government uniforms on Dec. 5. His body
was later found also decapitated. These are only a few of the grisly
murders that have taken place.
The
National Resistance Front has made an effort to lay
low, while planning a massive organizational effort in the upcoming
year. The historically dominant right wing in the country (who put the
coup into effect) is now attempting to silence all opposition through
its use of terror and violence on the most committed and dedicated
activists. They aim to instill fear in the resistance and stop any
effort to change Honduran society into something that might represent
the aspirations of the majority of poor and oppressed Hondurans (Honduras is the second poorest
country in Central America).
The
right-wing death squads will continue to pursue activists and militants
across the country until Hondurans succeed in ridding themselves of the
decrepit oligarchy—which stifles even the most tepid reforms (such as
those enacted by Zelaya). And for those of us
in the United States and around the world, it is
essential to raise an outcry against these horrible human-rights abuses
and to mobilize in solidarity actions with the Honduran people.
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