CANADIAN DELEGATION VISITS HONDURAS to Document Human Rights Violations and Resistance to Coup

14. From: Rigths Action

For Immediate Release: August 31, 2009

MEDIA CONTACTS:
In Honduras: Luis Granados, 011 [504] 9501-1736
In Canada (Toronto): Ilian Burbano, 416-929-1834, cca_toronto@hotmail.com

TWO MONTHS FOLLOWING FORCED REMOVAL OF PRESIDENT ZELAYA, CANADIAN DELEGATION VISITS HONDURAS TO DOCUMENT HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND RESISTANCE TO COUP

On June 28, 2009, democratically-elected Honduran president Manuel Zelaya was overthrown by a military coup and the de-facto government has categorically refused to allow his return to power, threatening instead to arrest him if he sets foot on Honduran soil.

The coup has been condemned by the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, Union of South American Nations (Unasur), the European Union and numerous others.

A recent visit by an International Human Rights Commission composed of fifteen independent professionals was able to confirm the extrajudicial killing of several people who were part of the civic-popular resistance against the coup, as well as numerous other human rights violations.

In response to this intensified repression by the de facto military regime of Roberto Micheletti against the peaceful anti-coup resistance movement, the Latin American Solidarity Network (LASN) is sending an emergency solidarity delegation to Honduras from August 27 to September 7, 2009.

The objective of the delegation is to have an independent Canadian presence on the ground in Honduras to engage the broad-based social movements that are mobilizing against the de-facto military regime.

Upon returning to Canada, the LASN delegation will produce a short video documenting their experience to be used as an educational for strengthening local solidarity efforts.

The LASN will continue to lobby the Canadian government to end its “wait and see” attitude towards the de-facto military regime in Honduras and instead exercise concerted pressure so that President Zelaya is restored to his rightful constitutional duties.

During their visit to Honduras, the delegation will travel to Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. They will conduct interviews with community leaders involved in the anti-coup movement, including the “National Front Against the Coup”, human rights, indigenous, women’s organizations, unions and independent media journalists.

The delegation will also investigate incidents of human rights violations by the coup regime such as extrajudicial executions, disappearances, mass arrests and arbitrary detention of protesters, abuse of detainees and limits on independent media reporting.

The Toronto-based LASN is an independent and non-profit coalition made up of Latin American-Canadian community organizations supporting progressive social movements in the Americas.

For daily updates see our blog: http://hondurasgolpedeestado.wordpress.com/

CONTACTS:
In Honduras: Luis Granados, 011 [504] 9501-1736
In Canada (Toronto): Ilian Burbano, 416-929-1834, cca_toronto@hotmail.com