December 2018                                      Donations can be made online HERE. 

Dear Friends, 

As you know, it has been another hard year in Honduras. 

From the human rights crisis generated by the 2017 electoral fraud to the refugee caravan fleeing neoliberal policies and the on-going national crisis sparked by the 2009 military coup, the Honduras Solidarity Network (HSN)’s work has remained steady, strong, effective, (hard) and inspiring. 

 the HSN played a role in freeing 28 political prisoners from pre-trial imprisonment over the course of this year despite the difficult political, economic and social conditions under the dictatorship of the Juan Orlando Hernandez government. This campaign continues to demand the release of the remaining political prisoners. Our participation in the political prisoner campaign flows out of the HSN’s work since the fraudulent elections of 2017 as we  also educate the public and elected officials on the consequences of US and Canadian support for the post-coup dictatorship.  

Our in-country coordinator, Karen Spring and our US-based coordinator, Vicki Cervantes and the 30+ organizations that are part of the HSN, carried out the following (and much more) human rights and solidarity work this year: 

• Continued organizing around the demand that the US stop funding repression in Honduras and that the US and Canada end military/police aid and other support for a corrupt, anti-democratic regime. 
• Organized two trips to both Washington D.C. and Ottawa, Canada to speak with the State Department, US Congressional reps and Senators, Members of Parliament, and various NGOs and solidarity activists.
• Participated and coordinated a press conference and theatrical protest action with various Canadian NGOs on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada 
• Accompanied the Berta Caceres’ trial in Tegucigalpa and used social media and press  to share the facts of the case and the family’s exposure of the government’s refusal to investigate and prosecute the intellectual authors of the assassination of Berta. 
• Led international campaign actions demanding freedom of Honduran political prisoners & justice for over 35 people killed in the post electoral crisis.
• Posted daily on Facebook and Twitter about urgent actions, information about refugee caravan and moment-to-moment updates about post-electoral crisis, protests, and repression. 
• Organized four webinars to provide information and analysis on the post-electoral crisis, political prisoners and the refugee exodus. 
• Provided in-country assistance to international journalists, researchers, and academics. 
• Provided assistance on asylum cases for Honduran activists fleeing repression.
• Coordinated and led two delegations to Honduras to provide accompaniment for communities and organizations at risk and create people to people solidarity.  
• Provided emergency financial support for families of victims and the injured from electoral crisis, and community  leaders fleeing persecution and state-led violence. 
• Created and strengthened  existing ties with European Honduran solidarity groups to build international support for the Honduran people.   

The Honduran people won’t give up opposition to dictatorship and the HSN won’t ever give up supporting the demands of the Honduran social movement through solidarity efforts, in-country accompaniment, documentation, research, campaigning and educating the U.S. and Canadian population about the role of North American policies in generating the root causes of the refugee caravan and the human rights crisis in the country.  

The HSN was able to do all of this work with only one paid staff member, our Honduras-based Coordinator. Your support keeps us going. Please consider donating to the HSN in 2019. 

Donations can be made online HERE. 

We hope to see you in Honduras on our next solidarity delegation! 

In Solidarity,

Karen Spring, In-Country Coordinator

Vicki Cervantes, US Coordinator

Honduras Solidarity Network HSN