Report from Honduras April 2018 Delegation

In April 2018, La Voz de los de Abajo and Alliance for Global Justice, both members of the Honduras Solidarity Network, led a delegation to Honduras concerned about the political prisoners and ongoing human rights crisis.

Here is the link to the final report from the delegation.

Meeting with political prisoner
foto by Dunia Perez

In Defense of Father Ismael "Melo" Moreno & of the Honduran Students

Statement of the Honduras Solidarity Networks In Defense of Padre Melo and the Honduran Students
En Español and in English 

Padre Melo
photo from Ignaciansolidarity.net

La Voz de los de Abajo is sharing the HSN Statement in Spanish and English at the link above. 
Students in Honduras' universities and high schools have been fighting the privatization of education and the authoritarian anti-democratic administration of the National Autonomous University of Honduras as well as the rule by the coup government's Ministry of Education in the public schools. When our delegation was in Honduras in March, we talked to students at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and learned about their movement.  Just as it does in the face of all the movements in resistance,  the government answers the students with violence and even assassination, reneging on agreements and refusing to dialogue. When human rights groups, political opposition members and members of the peoples' movements defend the students, they are threatened. La Voz de los de Abajo is a member of the Honduras Solidarity Network in North America and is working with other organizations in the US to cut off US aid to the repressive Honduran government and we also hold the Honduran government responsible for the safety of Padre Melo, Berta Caceres' family, Berta Oliva of COFADEH, Miriam Miranda of Ofraneh, Doris Gutierrez of PINU, the student leaders and the many many others at risk. 

University Student Protest
foto Honduras Tierra Libre

Progreso - Fighting Against Privatization and Repression

La Voz de los de Abajo has a fact finding and accompaniment commission traveling in Honduras this week.  We arrived Wednesday and driving from the San Pedro Sula Airport to Progreso we stopped to accompany the ongoing protests against the construction of a new toll road on the highway between these two important cities in the North at the invitation of some of the activists in this movement.   Recent protests on June 4, 8 and 11 have been repressed violently with tear gas, police beating participants and journalists and the detention of protesters who have set tires on fire to help block the road.  Wednesday the number of protesters was much smaller but they still blocked the highway, facing off against at least 50 armed National Police and Cobra riot police without any violence.  Organizations supporting the protests include the CNTC Progreso, ERIC-SJ, teacher activists, LIBRE, student groups and poor peoples organizations working together in the Mesas de Indignación.  The Chamber of Commerce of Progreso is joining in now;  they called for a civic strike Thursday the 23rd  of the small business owners and Progreso's population with a public assembly to discuss and debate what to do. More than 100 small and medium businesses supported the civic action.

Since taking power in January 2014 President Juan Orlando Hernandez has intensified the campaign of privatization of public goods and the cutting of services to the people. One of these campaigns is for the privatization of the major highways through the construction of toll roads. These toll road schemes bring in revenue for the private/public partnerships (Coalianza near Tegucigalpa and DASA in the North) that build and manage them through the contracts awarded to companies and the collection of the tolls themselves.  They cause immense hardship for the population and are widely hated and protested.  The cost of a toll is around $1 for a regular private car and approximately $10 for a large truck. At the same time the alternative roads are being blocked with drainage ditches and other construction. Toll roads have been completed on the highways in and out of Tegucigalpa and between San Pedro Sula and Choluma, and more are planned on the highways in and out of Progreso. There have been many protests blocking the road and refusing to pay the tolls but now people have decided to protest to prevent the construction of new tolls.

Padre Melo on the air Radio Progreso

Radio Progreso ERIC-SJ and the Teachers movement represented

LIBRE congressman Bartolo Fuentes, City council woman Araminta Pereira

One of the organizations working to build this rebellion against privatization of the roadways in Radio Progreso, and ERIC-SJ. We visited Padre Melo during his nightly show, America Libre. He was receiving calls from the public dennouncing the tolls and he called on the social movement organizations and resistance movement to make it a national movement. He believes that it is urgent for the popular movements to strengthen these broader civic protests so that they are less vulnerable to manipulation by the government.

Honduran Peoples' Movements Assembly

V. Cervantes October 12, 2015

Social movements; movements and communities in permanent resistance, and organizations with a vision of popular power built from below, met in a national assembly in early October in El Progreso. The  Social and Popular Movements Platform was formed two years ago with the goal of building unity among these movements to “retake the strategic political initiative” for a “national transformation”. 

The October 2015 assembly had representatives from more than 20 organizations, somewhat smaller than at their founding assembly. The meeting discussed the challenges they face from the new dictatorship represented by President Juan Orlando Hernandez, the general economic-political crises in the country, repression and criminalization of social protest, and the urgent need for unity by the social movements and groups that want fundamental change.  The assembly agreed on a communique that summarizes their goals, demands and their solidarity with others under attack by the current regime and power groups. The gathering also ratified the Platform’s commitment to “continue building popular power based on a citizens’ mobilization and a proposal to create the structural change that Honduran society wants; to build popular power  with a people’s communication media… and to continue working in an ethical, honest, respectful and fraternal manner to advance unity…..at the national and international level.”  

photo V. Cervantes

Social movements in Latin America refer to movements that represent certain sectors of society,  for example, campesinos, labor, indigenous peoples, or women. The social movement organizations and other groups active in the Platform include the organizations that formed the “Refoundational” trend in the FNRP and were opposed to the FNRP’s move into electoral politics with LIBRE, for example, COPINH, OFRANEH, and the Movimiento Amplio para Dignidad y Justicia (MADJ), as well as the Jesuit human rights, social research and communication group, ERIC-SJ/Radio Progreso.  The assembly also had the participation of important campesino organizations from the Bajo Aguan and regional centers of the CNTC that participate in LIBRE and the FNRP,  but also represent the campesino sector as a social movement. 

The campesino organizations spoke eloquently about the need for unity if they are to have a chance to survive the current attacks against them and win any space for their communities with an agrarian reform. The coordinator of OFRANEH, Mirian Mirando and of COPINH, Berta Caceres, spoke strongly about the attacks and challenges to their peoples’ continued existence as peoples and the difficult situation for their movements. Also participating in the meeting were human rights defenders, environmentalist community organizations, activists from poor people's movements (pobladores), the indignant (indignados) movement, unions, and popular movements from the Aguan. 

October 1
Photo Honduras Tierra Libre

There was thoughtful discussion at the assembly about the last two years and the challenges brought to the social movements by the rise of the Indignados (Indignant) movement.  There was an acknowledgement that as the Platform they had difficulty in developing a program or relationship related to the indignados. The indignado movement rose massively in the Spring of 2015, against corruption and impunity, and demanding an international, independent investigative commission (CICIH), after the blatant corruption of President Hernandez’s government and National Party in robbing more than 350 million dollars from the public health system was uncovered. However, there were several different orientations in that movement including people and groups from the resistance movement against the coup, people who were opposed to the coup but stayed outside the FNRP,  as well as people and groups that supported the coup in 2009 but were outraged by the corruption. The indignados movement as a mass response was analyzed to be fading out; it was noted that turn out for a national day of action on October 1st by the indignados closest to the FNRP and youth organization was very small numerically compared to earlier mobilizations and was boycotted by the more conservative sectors of the indignados. Despite being much smaller than before, there were highway takeovers and other actions in many parts of the country and in multiple neighborhoods of Tegucigalpa, all of which were repressed by military and police forces.  The assembly discussed concern on how to build unity with the people and groups that were activated by this indignation and who share the desire for structural change in Honduras. 

Repression - October 1
photo Honduras Tierra Libre

Another point of discussion was concern by many of the participants in the assembly was that once the electoral season opens again (next year), it will be even more difficult to mobilize for action in support of the social movements’ ongoing and permanent resistance because of the “electoral fever” generated by the media and the political parties. 

The PMSP reiterated its support and participation in the campaigns in defense of the defenders of the right to public education, the right to land, common-good resources, freedom of expression and women’s rights; called for justice for all the assassinated activists, condemned criminalization and repression against protest and social movements and declared the struggles of the Garifuna people as well as indigenous peoples in general to be the struggle of all the movements. 

Original Spanish PSMP Communicado

Chance for Justice - Support for Chabelo and other News

Below are links to two statements in support of Chabelo Morales, one from La Voz de los de Abajo and one from Alliance for Global Justice, published by Radio Progreso and taped during this accompaniment visit for Chabelo's new trial. The trial is set to reconvene on October 19th. There is much hope for his complete liberty but concerns remain for his security as well as that of his family and community.

Meanwhile Honduras has been rocked today by the news that a member of the powerful Rosenthal family (Yankel Rosenthal) was arrested in Miami for money laundering and that the patriarch of the family media and agricultural empire (Jaime Rosenthal) and politician (Yany Rosenthal) as well as the Rosenthal bank (Banco Continental) are also named for money laundering of dirty (narcotics and organized crime) money. Yankel was a Vice Minister in President Juan Orlando Hernandez's government until recently. More to come on this twist later.

Chance for Justice Day 5

Vicki Cervantes of La Voz de los de Abajo and HSN is accompanying Chabelo Morales' new trial for two weeks along with Karen Spring of the HSN and other international observers. 

Friday, October 2, 2015

V. Cervantes

Thursday evening the electric power went out in Guadalupe Carney and with no television, radio or lights for distraction, some folks went to bed very early, while some of us stayed up burning through candles, telling stories about the history of the community, and sharing rumors and gossip about the powerful military figures and oligarchs active in the Aguan. One of the young campesinos talked about how after taking over the land that had been a US military facility, the campesinos found graves, ammunition shells, and more on the lands. I remembered that not long after the land recuperation the La Voz de los de Abajo was given a copy of military documents found by the MCA campesinos at Guadalupe that included a list of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran prisoners who had been held in the clandestine detention center run by the US and Honduran military at the base. The young campesino told us the story that circulated in Guadalupe in those early days about a campesino ghost with high rubber boots full of water who could be heard walking around near the village. For sure there are many ghosts, victims of the military, oligarchs, and big land lords past and present, who are still walking the valley, looking for justice.

Early in the morning Friday it started pouring rain and everyone was worried about how the rain might keep supporters away from the courthouse. Amazingly, the sky cleared and we piled into the back of a pick-up truck ourselves for the short ride from Guadalupe Carney to the court in Trujillo. When we got there Chabelo and the Morales family were happy to see that a sizable group of campesinos and campesinas from Guadalupe Carney and supporters from the San Alonzo Foundation and the Human Rights Observatory of the Aguan were there waiting for Chabelo to arrive. The defense team accompanied by members of ERIC-SJ and Radio Progreso arrived shortly and the trial began. 

Day 5 in Court:

Today two prosecution witnesses appeared but the testimony again was limited to forensic details regarding ballistics analysis and once again there was no evidence was presented linked to the accusations against Chabelo. After about an hour the testimony was complete and the judges announced that the trial would adjourn for the day and not convene again until October 19 because there were still problems in locating important prosecution witnesses and October 7,8, 9 are holidays and the court decided not to work those days. The defense lawyers objected to the fact that the prosecution witnesses,especially the key witness, Henry Osorto, were not complying with orders to appear in court and asked for the court to issue edicts requiring their presence and if they don’t show up to go ahead and let the defense present its case. They also proposed that if Henry Osorto fails to show up again he lose his status as victim (which implies a certain leniency towards his no-shows). After much conferring among themselves the judges agreed to set a schedule so that defense witnesses could know when they will be called and to issue edicts for all scheduled witnesses to appear. Under Honduran law ignoring the orders to appear can result in charges of “disobedience” to the court similar to “contempt of court” charges. 

PRESS CONFERENCE: “URGENT TO CONTINUE ACCOMPANIMENT AND SUPPORT”

After the court adjourned, the defense team, international and Honduran supporters and one of Chabelo’s brothers, Merlin Morales headed to Tocoa, the main city in the Aguan Valley, about an hour away from Trujillo, for a press conference that was facilitated by a lawyer from ERIC-SJ, Brenda Mejia who has been observing the trial since it began. 

At the press conference defense lawyers, Omar Menjiva and Sara Aquilar explained what was going on in the court and the significance of the delays. Sara spoke eloquently about the symbolic importance of Chabelo’s case for the campesino movement and emphasized the urgent need for international observers and local supporters to continue to accompany Chabelo, his family and the community despite the obstruction and delays.

The Guatemalan jurist accompanying the trial, Dr. Henry Monroy, also spoke and noted strongly his view that the case of Chabelo is an example of the criminalization of social protest, in this case the just struggle for land -- the agrarian movement. He called for a regional solidarity presence from Central America and denounced the fact that intimidations against the family and Chabelo continue, including strange men appearing in the community near family homes and following vehicles.

Protests in the Sula Valley

Información con "links" en español sigue el ingles

Protests in Progreso and San Pedro Sula

A lively protest movement in Progreso, San Pedro Sula and nearby towns is organizing against the increase in toll fees and government waste and corruption related to toll booth and road "upgrades".  Tolls have been increased 100% in the Sula Valley while the government has also created public-private partnerships to build new toll roads on the major highway connecting the capital city of Tegucigalpa in the Southwest to other cities. Private companies both domestic and foreign are making money from this privatization while costs keep rising for motorists, small agricultural producers trying to get their products to market, taxi drivers, and the public in general. Protests began in late December but in January have gotten bigger and frequent. A retired teacher was arrested at a protest on January 2nd, there were more protests and most recently, on January 13th, hundreds of people walked from Progreso to the San Pedro Sula toll booth in a protest march. 

The FNRP, LIBRE, ERIC-SJ, organizations of poor residents (pobladores), teachers, campesinos and more are participating in the protests which are part of the Honduran people's rejection of the current government's intense neoliberal economic offensive. 

Para información en español haz "clik" en los links abajo de Radio Progreso: 

http://radioprogresohn.net/index.php/comunicaciones/coberturaespecial/peaje
https://es-es.facebook.com/RadioProgresoPaginaOficial

No To Impunity! A Call for Solidarity - The Murder of Carlos Mejía

It has been more than three weeks since Carlos Mejía  Orellano from Radio Progreso in Honduras was murdered and despite the outcry both inside and outside of Honduras there is silence from the officials on the progreso of the investigation. Below is the latest statement (April 29, 2014) from Father Ismael “Melo” Moreno Coto, the Jesuit priest who is the director of Radio Progreso and of the social research organization ERIC-SJ. 
THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION FOLLOWS THE ORIGINAL SPANSH. 

Por Ismael Moreno Coto SJ,  29 de Abril

Exigimos resultados de las investigaciones

Ya se cumplen tres semanas del asesinato de nuestro compañero de equipo, Carlos Mejía Orellana, y nadie de entre las autoridades responsables de las investigaciones se ha dignado en dar a conocer los resultados de las mismas. Uno de los investigadores llegó incluso a decirnos que los resultados iban por buen camino porque la Embajada Americana estaba presionando, quizá para dejar el consuelo de esa varita mágica de que si el gobierno de los Estados Unidos estaba detrás, los resultados serían efectivos. Tres semanas después, la varita sigue sin su “mágica” respuesta.

Nada de nada se nos dice, ni a nosotros ni a la familia. Todo va quedando en la penumbra. Y esto es altamente preocupante porque la experiencia en nuestro país nos dice que los crímenes alborotan por unos días a las autoridades, pero todo se va quedando luego en el olvido; los archivos se van empolvando con tan diversos argumentos, desde falta de pruebas hasta las carencias logísticas. Esto se llama impunidad. Y nos aterra que el asesinato de nuestro compañero sea un número más en esa interminable lista de casos perdidos en los archivos de los empolvando órganos responsables de perseguir y contrarrestar el delito.

Entendemos que las investigaciones tienen sus recovecos y que no se trata de llegar a cualquier conclusión con la intención de los investigadores de parecer eficaces ante quienes exigimos justicia. Los llamados investigadores locales decidieron quedarse con la más fácil de las hipótesis de crimen pasional, como en el primer momento lo difundieron algunos medios de comunicación sin duda alguna con la morbosa intención de desviar la atención y alimentar la homofobia extendida en muchos círculos sociales, entorpeciendo así una investigación profunda que conduzca a conocer la verdad, capturar y enjuiciar a los responsables materiales e intelectuales del crimen contra nuestro compañero Carlos Mejía.

Hacemos un vehemente llamado a nuestros amigos y amigas que se han hecho presente con tanta muestra efectiva de solidaridad y cercanía tras el asesinato de nuestro compañero Carlos Mejía. Seguimos necesitando que nos apoyen en esta exigencia de justicia. Sabemos que contamos con ustedes, tanto dentro del país como de muchos organismos internacionales. Pero lo decimos con humildad y franqueza: nos angustia quedarnos solos con nuestro grito, porque la impunidad es factor infalible para más violencia y criminalidad. Tenemos la obligación de luchar porque se conozca la verdad de lo que ocurrió y que se proceda contra los responsables de este crimen. Por la dignidad de nuestro compañero asesinado, por su familia, por nosotros, y porque este crimen no quede en la sombra de la impunidad, ¡¡exigimos prontitud y efectividad sobre los resultados de las investigaciones!!

——————————————-

We demand results in the investigation

It has already been three weeks since the assassination of our colleague, Carlos Mejía Orellana, and no one from the authorities responsible for the investigations have seen fit to make known the results of those investigations.  One of the investigators even came to tell us that the results were going well because of pressure from the the American Embassy, perhaps this was to be the consolation of the magic wand, if the government of the United States is behind it the results will be effective. Three weeks later, the wand continues without  any  “magic” answer. 

Nothing about nothing is told to us, neither to us, nor to the family. Everything remains in the dark. And this is very worrisome because the experience of our country tells us that crimes excite the authorities for a few days but then everything is forgotten; the files get dusty for a variety of reasons, from the lack of proofs to a shortage of resources. This is called impunity. And we fear that the murder of our compañero will be one statistic more in the interminable list of lost cases in the files of the unproductive agencies responsible for pursuing and stopping crime. 

We understand that investigations have their complications and that it is not about coming to just any conclusion with the investigators trying to look effective to those of us who are demanding justice. The so called local investigators decided to stick to the easiest hypothesis, a crime of passion, as they told some of the media in the first moments  with the morbid intention of distracting attention and feeding the homophobia that extends to many social circles, hindering in that way any deeper investigation that would lead to knowing the truth, and to the capture and trial of the material and intellectual authors of the crime agains our colleague Carlos Mejía

We make a vehement call to our friends who have been present with so many effective gestures of solidarity and closeness since the assassination of our compañero Carlos Mejía. We continue to need you to support us in this demand for justice. We know that we can count on you, both those inside the country and those from many international organizations. But we say with humility and frankness: we are anguished to remain alone with our cry, because impunity is an unfailing factor for more violence and criminality. We have the obligation to struggle so that the truth about what happened is known and that those responsible for this crime are prosecuted. For the dignity of our murdered compañero, for his family, for ourselves, and so that this crime doesn’t remain in the shadows of impunity, we demand speed and effectiveness in the results of the investigation!

Duelo y Denuncia - Mourning and Condemnation - Solidarity with Radio Progreso

English follows the Spanish

Carlos Mejía Orellana
foto: Radio Progreso

Nota de duelo y denuncia

La Voz de los de Abajo

Chicago, Illinois EUA

13 de Abril 2014

Con tristeza y consternación recibimos las noticias del asesinato el día 11 de abril del compañero Carlos Mejía Orellana, gerente de mercadeo de Radio Progreso y parte del equipo de ERIC-SJ en el Progreso.

Queremos expresar nuestra solidaridad con todos los compañeros y las compañeras de Radio Progreso y ERIC y con la familia Mejía Orellana.

A la vez expresamos nuestra indignación frente a tal acto violenta en contra de Carlos quien tenia medidas cautelares para proteger su vida de parte de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) y quien, como tantos comunicadores, defensores de los derechos humanos, abogados, y otros comprometidos y dedicados/as a la justicia social, están sistemáticamente asesinados, por los dueños del poder y de las armas, como una clara estrategia de callar las voces que hoy claman Justicia y no mas impunidad en honduras. En casi todos estos casos nunca se han hechos investigaciones verdaderas y los crímenes quedan en impunidad. Desde el golpe de estado de 2009 el índice de violencia por parte del estado y de los señores que ostentan el poder ha crecido de manera alarmante. El sicariato se vuelto una mediada fácil y efectiva para aquellos que con su dinero, compran y arrebatan vidas.

Nos unimos al clamor del pueblo que hoy clama, demanda y exige, NO + Impunidad. Denunciamos y exigimos que el asesinato de Carlos sea esclarecido y que todos los actores tanto materiales como intelectuales - comparezcan y sean castigados.

Reconocemos que el gobierno de Estado Unidos también tiene una cuota de responsabilidad por el baño de sangre ocurriendo en Honduras: por la militarización, por el programa de la llamada seguridad que no proteja al pueblo sino que hace crecer la violencia generalizada, por su constante apoyo a los gobiernos represores y la explotación de los recursos del país. No aceptamos la doble moral que promulga el gobierno de los Estados Unidos y vamos a redoblar nuestras esfuerzas en contra de la ayuda militar, en contra de la

impunidad.

Atentamente

Alexy Javier Lanza

La Voz de los de Abajo Chicago

Dado el 13 de Abril de año 2014 en la ciudad de Chicago

On the assassination of Carlos Mejía Orellana

A note of mourning and condemnation

It is with grief and consternation that we receive the news of the assassination on April 11 of compañero  Carlos Mejía Orellana, director of marketing for Radio Progreso and member of ERIC-SJ in Progreso. 

We want to express our solidarity with all of the compañeros and compañeras at Radio Progreso and ERIC and with the Mejía Orellana family. 

At the same time we declare our indignation at this violent act against Carlos who had protective measures ordered by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (ICHR) and who, like so many communicators, human rights defenders, lawyers and others committed and dedicated to social justice, are systematically assassinated by the owners of power and armaments in a clear strategy to silence the voices of this who demand justice and an end to impunity in Honduras. In almost all these cases there have never been real investigations and the crimes remain in impunity. Since the coup d e’tat in 2009 the level of violence by the State and the powerful has grown in an alarming manner. Paid assassination has become an easy and effective way for those with the money to buy and do away with lives.

We join in the clamor of the Honduran people who today insist on and demand an end to Impunity. We denounce the assassination of Carlos and we demand that the crime be investigated and that all the material and intellectual authors of the crime, be brought to justice and punished.

We recognize that the government of the United States also has a share of the responsibility for the blood bath in Honduras: for the militarization, for the so called security program that does not protect the people but rather has increased the generalized violence, for the constant support of repressive governments and for the exploitation of the country’s resources. We do not accept the double standard and double talk the U.S. government promulgates and we will redouble our efforts against the military aid and against impunity. 

sincerely, 

Alexy Javier Lanza

La Voz de los de Abajo

April 13, 2014

Chicago, Illinois, USA