Tell the Organization of American States: NO to re-admission of Honduras's repressive coup-continuing regime

Please send the below letter or one of your own to the following email addresses of the different representatives to the OAS urging them NOT to re-admit Honduras while human rights violations continue:

stevensonad@state.gov, oeawashington@mmrree.gov.ec, embantbar@aol.com, argentin@oas.org, barbados@oas.org, belize@oas.org, Missiondebolivia@gmail.com, boliviaoas@oas.org, erezay@delbrasupa.org, prmoas@international.gc.ca, mail@minrel.gov.cl, colombia@oas.org, costa-rica@oas.org, embdomdc@aol.com, republicadominicana@oas.org, moea@rree.gob.sv, grenada.oas@gmail.com, oea@minex.gob.gt, guatemala@oas.org, guyanaembassydc@verizon.net, haiti@oas.org, jamaica@oas.org, jamaicaoas@earthlink.net, mexico.oea@sre.gob.mx, galbin@sre.gob.mx, nicaragua@oas.org, panama@oas.org, paraguay@oas.org, paraguayoea@comcast.net, peru@oas.org, mail@embsvg.com, esuriname@covad.net, info@ttembwash.com, uruoea@erols.com, missionvene@venezuela-oas.org

Esteemed Representatives to the Organization of American States:

As a member of the international community gravely concerned with the ongoing impunity and human rights violations in Honduras, I urge the Organization of American States NOT to re-instate Honduras's membership to the OAS. Such a decision would affect both the Hondurans who continue to live under a regime of terror and repression as well as the rest of the hemisphere whose peoples will be impacted by the precedents set in Honduras.

Conditions have clearly not improved in Honduras, where repression, persecution and systematic human rights abuses against Resistance leaders, popular movement leaders, journalists, judges, human rights activists, independent media, or anyone critical of the coup, have been documented by several independent and international human rights organizations and the OAS Inter American Human Rights Commission has made it clear through its many reports. During Lobo´s administration, more than 10 journalists have been assassinated, as have many more members of the Resistance.

But the OAS Secretary General has turned a blind eye to this reality and has been pushing, with the help of the U.S. and regional allies, for a rushed readmission of Honduras. Furthermore, on July 20th, 2010 SICA Presidential Summit in San Salvador, the Presidents of Central America, with the exception of President Ortega of Nicaragua, readmitted Honduras to the sub-regional organization (against its own rules, which specify the decision must be unanimous) and cynically praised Mr. Lobo’s success in restoring democracy, the rule of law and safeguarding human rights, even if repression, violence and human rights abuses are still being documented.

Confronted by this imminent and false imposition, that would greatly damage the struggle for democracy in Honduras by whitewashing the coup and strengthening the current regime of impunity, as a member of the international community I support the demands of the National Front of Popular Resistance:

1) That the OAS takes the National Popular Resistance Front and its position into account before readmitting Honduras.

2) That the OAS acknowledges the ongoing human rights abuses and systematic repression and persecution that people are subjected to in Honduras, as reports of IAHC, UN and several other human rights organizations have documented.

3) That the OAS helps to dismantle the coup-monger’s total control of Honduran institutions and acknowledges that Honduras is still controlled by the same people who organized and held the coup.

4) That the OAS acknowledge that the Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Ombudsman and the majority of the judicial and executive branches of government are still controlled by the coup-mongers and should be fully reformed.

5) That the OAS ensures that Ex President Zelaya, who has been appointed as Coordinator of the FNRP and is still in exile may return safely and with full rights.

6) That the OAS ensures that persecution against the Resistance members, judges critical of the coup and the former members of Ex President Zelaya’s cabinet stops immediately.

7) That the OAS acknowledges that Mr. Lobo has himself declared that a coup took place on the 28th of June, 2009 and thus the only way to reestablish constitutional democracy in Honduras is through a National Constitutional Assembly.

8) That the OAS supports the return of democracy and safeguards human rights in Honduras, fighting the current state of impunity and absence of justice and holding the coup-mongers accountable for their crimes against the Honduran people.

Sincerely,