[E-rundbrief] Info 849 - Human Rights Mission to Honduras

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 849 - International Mission attempts to reach the 
border zone between Honduras and Nicaragua to verify humanitarian 
emergency of more than 1 000 people.


Bad Ischl, 30.7.2009

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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International Human Rights Mission to Honduras

Press advisory – Tegucigalpa, July 28, 2009

International Mission attempts to reach the border zone between Honduras 
and Nicaragua to verify humanitarian emergency of more than 1 000 people

- They have received denunciations of grave human rights violations -

The International Mission of Solidarity, Observation and Accompaniment 
to Honduras condemns the assassination of Pedro Magdiel Martinez 
Salvador. The 22-old youth, who was a member of the Christian Youth 
Association, was arrested by police and the army on Friday, July 24, 
while on his way to the El Paraiso state near the Honduras-Nicaragua 
border, to participate in protests held in support for the return of 
President Manuel Zelaya Rosales. Pedro’s body was found Saturday, July 
25, in a vacant lot near the El Paraiso police station and witnesses 
indicated that they had seen signs of torture (photos can be found at: 
http://www.honduraslaboral.org/leer.php/2050).

The Honduran army is accused of having committed the assassination. The 
La Tribuna newspaper published a photo of the youth being dragged by a 
soldier.
The International Mission will travel today, together with the Comité de 
Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras COFADEH (Committee of 
Family Members of Detained Disappeared in Honduras) to the El Paraiso 
region to observe the humanitarian emergency in the zone.

Human rights organizations and the National Front Against the Coup 
d’État in Honduras have denounced that in different parts of the highway 
that runs from Tegucigalpa to the border with Nicaragua, there are 
hundreds of people trapped between military checkpoints controlled by 
the army and the national police, namely in the Alauca and Arenales 
communities, approximately 10 kilometres from the Las Manos border. They 
are suffering from hunger, thirst and cold weather, as they are out in 
the open along the highway. More than one thousand people are facing a 
humanitarian emergency, as the army and the police will not let 
protesters receive food and water, which puts their health at great risk.

Furthermore, the de facto government has extended the curfew in an 
attempt to demobilize the population and to be able to arbitrarily 
arrest those who participate in the protests against the military coup. 
The Inter-American Human Rights Commission has expressed its profound 
concern with the repeated use of states of emergency in Honduras, during 
which fundamental rights have been suspended, like personal freedom, 
freedom of association and the right to circulate freely, to leave, 
enter and stay in Honduran territory. The Committee for the Defence of 
Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH - Comité para la Defensa de los Derechos 
Humanos en Honduras) presented an appeal yesterday to the Supreme Court 
of Justice and a complaint to the Special Human Rights Attorney 
(Fiscalía Especial de Derechos Humanos) against the curfew, affirming 
that it violates “more than 22 articles of the Constitution”, including 
the right to food and to circulate freely.

“What we are seeing the creation of a state of terror”, said Nora 
Cortinas, member of the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo-Linea Fundadora, 
organization of the families of victims of forced disappearances in 
Argentina, and member of the International Mission.

The International Mission of Solidarity, Observation and Accompaniment 
travelling today to the El Paraiso State, together with Bertha Oliva of 
the Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras COFADEH, 
is composed of: Nora Cortiñas, Madres de la Plaza de Mayo-Línea 
Fundadora / Jubilee South (Argentina), Thomas Wallgreen, Consejal del 
Partido Socialdemocrata de Finlandia en Helsinki / Coalition for 
comprehensive democracy – Vasudhaiva kutumkakam (Finlandia), Mauricio 
Valiente, Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado-CEAR (España), Father 
Efrén Reyes from Servicio Internacional Cristiano de Solidaridad con los 
Pueblos de América Latina Oscar Romero -SICSAL (El Salvador) and Tom 
Kucharz, Ecologistas en Acción (España).

The International Mission of Solidarity, Observation and Accompaniment 
to Honduras, in which networks, social movements, NGOs, human rights 
organizations, political authorities from Europe and Latin America are 
participating, has been organized by the Bi-regional Europe-Latin 
America and the Caribbean Enlazando Alternativas network.

The International Mission has met with the Committee for the Defence of 
Human Rights in Honduras (Comité para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos 
en Honduras  - CODEH), the Committee of Families of Disappeared 
Detainees (Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras - 
COFADEH), the Centre of Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation of the 
Victims of Torture and their Families (Centro de Prevención, Tratamiento 
y Rehabilitación de las Víctimas de la Tortura y sus Familiares - 
CPTRT), FIAN-Internacional, the Honduran Coalition for Citizen Action 
(la Coalición Hondureña de Acción Ciudadana - CHAAC). It has also 
visited the office of the Union of Workers of Beverages and Similar 
products (Sindicato de Trabajadores de Bebidas y Similares - STIBYS), 
where last Sunday a device exploded, which is believed to be an attack 
on the assembly of popular movements who meet there. The Mission 
accompanied a protest organized by the National Front Against the Coup 
d’État in Tegucigalpa.

For more information: +504 - 898 52 607 / +504 – 964 23 566 / +504 – 965 93
265 / +504 965 91 621

P.S. Leo Gabriel, journalist from Vienna reported also from this 
International Mission for "Südwind-Magazin", "Wiener Zeitung", "tatz" 
and other newspapers.


-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
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fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
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