Update on Honduras

by Metta volunteer Soveig Pedersen
July 12, 2011

Honduras is a relatively small country located in Central America, sharing borders with Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, and it has one of the highest murder rates in the world, according to BBC News.

The current situation in Honduras is most impacted by the June 2009 coup d’etat, which ousted former President Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya was forced into political exile and has been living in the Dominican Republic with his family. Immediately following the coup, an interim president, Roberto Micheletti was appointed. Honduras was removed at that time from the Organization of American States (OAS). In November 2009, elections were held in Honduras and Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo was elected president. Many view the elections as fraudulent, and accuse the regime of human rights abuses. In fact, the Comite de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras, in 2010, documented 34 targeted assassinations of Frente activists (and three more so far in 2011), 34 killings of peasant activists, 10 murders of journalists, and 31 murders of LGBT community. These numbers are thought by many to be conservative figures. Comparatively, in 2010 Human Rights Watch documented 18 killings of journalists, opponents of the coup, and human rights activists. Human Rights Watch posits that many of the murders were associated with the political views of the victims.

In May 2011, the Cartagena Accord was signed by the Colombian, Venezuelan and Honduran governments. Zelaya signed the accord, as well, and was allowed to return to Honduras. Honduran courts dropped the charges and arrest warrant against Zelaya. Along with his return, the accord committed the Honduran regime to ensure protection of human rights, and grant plebiscites around matters (political, economic, and constitutional), to recognize the moves made by the Frente Nacional de la Resistencia Popular, or National Front of Popular Resistance, (FNRP or Resistance) to transform into a political party. On June 1, 2011, the OAS re-admitted Honduras, and Canada and the U.S. perceive re-entry into the OAS as a legitimization of the administration and elections in Honduras.

Some see the accord as a positive step towards democracy, and some see it as an attempt to confuse and slow the Resistance. There are concerns that although many of the agreements are already in place, the regime will not uphold them. The Resistance recently gathered and decided to form a political party for election in 2013.

In July 2011, the Honduran Truth and Reconciliation Commission, led by former Guatemalan Vice-President Eduardo Stein, concluded the removal of Zelaya was a coup, and illegal in nature. The coup was prompted by Zelaya’s decision to continue with a referendum on constitutional change, which would have potentially extended presidential term limits, and was not supported by the Supreme Court. The Commission determined the Honduran Congress did not have a clear procedure for addressing the power conflicts occurring within the country.
The Resistance seems to be operating in using nonviolent strategies. Also, the fact that Zelaya agreed to sign the accord and return to the country seems to indicate his desire to move forward in positive, nonviolent directions within the country. His choice not to de-humanize the current president and to return to work with the Resistance seems to be a positive, nonviolent step. If the Commission is viewed as an impartial third party analyzing the political situation within Honduras, it is also nonviolent in nature, seeking the truth of the situation.

Of major concern is whether the Cartagena Accord will indeed provide the human rights protections it claims. It seems that the Honduran government has tried to quell dissent by targeting Resistance activists. Some reports note repression continuing, with laws being expanded to allow police to hold people without charge from 24-48 hours, and to allow police to forcefully enter people’s houses without cause.

Links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14072148

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13559359

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/honduras-archives-46/3109-from-cartagena-to-tegucigalpa-imperialism-and-the-future-of-the-honduran-resistance

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/protest-at-palmerola-air-base.html

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/wikileaks-cables-honduras-coup.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/23/ousted-manuel-zelaya-return-honduras

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/honduras/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14072148