Honduras: Report #1 June 27, 2010One year after the military coup in Honduras - the people’s resistance commemorates their martyrs and denounces the continuing repression while at the same time celebrating a year of unprecedented resistance. La Voz de los de Abajo brought a delegation of 12 people from the U.S. to accompany the Honduran people during the anniversary of the coup in response to calls for international support in light of the ongoing human rights violations against the resistance.
The commemoration began the evening of June 27 with a torchlight and candle march through the neighborhoods of Tegucigalpa. Hondurans of all ages joined in the march with chants, “Here no one surrenders”; “The people united will never be defeated”; “Golpistas Out!” It was clear that despite the U.S. government and the Lobo regime claiming that the coup is over and national unity and democracy
are restored, the people know better.
When the march got close to the presidential palace the marchers peacefully confronted the armed military and police troops guarding it. The crowd raised their fists and sang the Honduran national anthem and then a speaker read out a list of the resistance movement’s martyrs over the past year, the crowd
chanting “Present!” after each name was read.
As we were marching, the word spread that the indigenous resistance leader, Berta Caceres of COPINH had been detained in her home town of La Esperanza northwest of Tegucigalpa. People were on cell phones trying to get updates and to spread the word. La Esperanza is the heart of COPINH’s organization and the Lenca people’s resistance - it didn’t take long for reports to come in that people were gathering in support of Berta in front of the jail. The Honduras Solidarity Network in the U.S. and other groups were notified and began burning up the phone lines to the jail in La Esperanza. Berta was released after just a few hours.
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