Category Archives: Press release

One Year Later – A Call to Solidarity

One year later – A Call to Solidarity 

Honduran regime uses violence against its people – US uses violence against refugees fleeing Honduras.

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On Monday, November 26, 2018, Honduran authorities fired massive amounts of tear gas and opened fire with live bullets on a large protest march in Tegucigalpa to mark the one year anniversary of the November 2017 election fraud. At least 3 people were wounded, one of them, Geovanni Sierra, was working as a reporter for UNE-TV when he was shot. This happened one day after the US Border Patrol shot rubber bullets and quantities of tear gas across the border into Mexico at the refugees, most fleeing from Honduras, who are being held back from entering the US. Only 2 days before that incident the brother of the defacto president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez was arrested at the Miami Airport for being part of the narcotics trafficking organized crime in Honduras. These three incidents in 4 days, are just the tip of the iceberg of the crisis of US policy, and a dictatorial regime and its violence and corruption. 

On November 26, 2017, Honduras went to the polls in an election that was a face off between the right wing National Party sitting president JOH (who ran for reelection unconstitutionally) and the Alianza, an alliance between the anti-coup/resistance Party LIBRE and members of the Anti-Corruption Party. But, instead of the election allowing Honduras to take a new path to restore democracy and make the country livable for the people, blatant election fraud,  a new wave of repression and continuing impunity and corruption plunged the country even deeper into crisis.

That crisis began with the US backed 2009 coup, and after the 2017 election (also supported by the US), it is deeper and broader than ever before. It is this crisis that is pushing thousands of Hondurans out of their country. 

As the Honduran people continue organizing, we respond with a call for solidarity to support the people fighting for change in Honduras and to support the people fighting for survival in the refugee exodus. 

We demand that the US and Canada stop all support for the Honduran regime. We support the Honduran people’s demand for freedom for all the political prisoners and for justice for all the victims of the regime. We demand that the US stop the repression against the refugees, open the borders to those being pushed out of their countries and end the militarization of the border and violence against all migrants and refugees. 

November 28, 2018     Honduras Solidarity Network of North America

Un año después – Un llamado a la  solidaridad.

El régimen hondureño usa la violencia contra su gente; Estados Unidos usa la violencia contra los refugiados que huyen de Honduras.

El lunes 26 de noviembre de 2018, las autoridades hondureñas dispararon enormes cantidades de gases lacrimógenos y dispararon balas vivas en contra de una gran marcha de protesta en Tegucigalpa para conmemorar el primer aniversario del fraude electoral de noviembre de 2017. Al menos 3 personas resultaron heridas, una de ellas, Geovanni Sierra, trabajaba como reportero para UNE-TV cuando recibió un disparo. Esto sucedió un día después de que la Patrulla Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos disparara balas de goma y grandes cantidades de gas lacrimógeno -a través de la frontera hacia México- a la Caravana de Refugiados, la mayoría huyendo de Honduras, a quienes se les está impidiendo ingresar a los Estados Unidos. Sólo 2 días antes de este incidente, el hermano del presidente de hondureño de facto, Juan Orlando Hernández, fue arrestado en el aeropuerto de Miami por ser integrante del crimen organizado, con vínculos con el narcotráfico, en Honduras. Estos tres incidentes en 4 días son únicamente la punta del iceberg de la crisis de las políticas estadounidenses en Honduras y de un régimen dictatorial, con en su violencia y corrupción.

 El 26 de noviembre de 2017, Honduras acudió a las urnas en una elección en la que se enfrentaron la derecha con el Partido Nacional y el presidente JOH a la cabeza (quien se postuló para la reelección de manera inconstitucional), y Alianza, una coalición entre el anti-golpista/resistente Partido LIBRE y miembros del Partido Anticorrupción. Estas elecciones, en vez de permitir a Honduras tomar un nuevo camino para restaurar la democracia y hacer que el país sea habitable para el pueblo, un flagrante fraude electoral, una nueva ola de represión, y la continua impunidad y corrupción sumieron al país en una crisis aún más profunda.

La crisis que comenzó con el golpe de estado de 2009 respaldado por los Estados Unidos, seguida de las elecciones de 2017 -también respaldadas por los Estados Unidos-, es más profunda y más amplia que nunca. Es esta crisis la que está expulsando a miles de hondureños de su país.

 Mientras el pueblo hondureño continúa organizándose, nosotros respondemos con un llamado a la solidaridad para apoyar al pueblo que lucha por el cambio en Honduras y al pueblo que lucha por sobrevivir en el éxodo de refugiados.

 Exigimos que los Estados Unidos y Canadá detengan todo apoyo al régimen hondureño. Apoyamos las demandas de libertad para todos los presos políticos y de justicia para todas las víctimas del régimen hechas por el pueblo Hondureño. Exigimos que los Estados Unidos detengan la represión contra los refugiados, que abra las fronteras a quienes están siendo expulsados de sus países, y que ponga fin a la militarización de la frontera y a la violencia contra todos los migrantes y refugiados.

28 de Noviembre 2018

Honduras Solidarity Network of North America

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Declaración por HSN sobre la Marcha de migrantes de Honduras

Marcha de migrantes de Honduras: una crisis de refugiados causada por la política de los Estados Unidos y sus socios

El 12 de octubre de 2018, cientos de mujeres, hombres, niños, jóvenes y ancianos decidieron abandonar Honduras como una respuesta desesperada para sobrevivir. El éxodo masivo que comenzó en la ciudad de San Pedro Sula alcanzó las más de 3 mil personas cuando el grupo cruzó a Guatemala. La caravana, que se dirige primero al norte de México, y a los Estados Unidos como objetivo, es la única alternativa que tiene esta gente para alcanzar un poco de la dignidad que se les ha arrebatado. No están solos en su viaje. Varias oleadas de hondureños, cuyo número aumenta a cada hora están siendo contenidas por las fuerzas de seguridad hondureñas en su frontera con El Salvador y Guatemala.

La Red de Solidaridad con Honduras en América del Norte condena cualquier amenaza y represión contra la caravana de refugiados, activistas de derechos humanos y periodistas que acompañan su viaje. Las condiciones de violencia, marginación y explotación en las cuales esta crisis de refugiados encuentra sus orígenes, han sido creadas, mantenidas y reproducidas por políticas de intervención social, económica y militar respaldadas por los Estados Unidos, con el apoyo de sus aliados canadienses y en la región. Hacemos un llamado a las personas en los Estados Unidos para que rechacen la criminalización, el enjuiciamiento, la detención, la deportación y la separación familiar que amenazan a los miembros de esta marcha y las vidas de todos los refugiados obligados a abandonar sus hogares de la misma manera. Instamos a un cambio en la política de los Estados Unidos en Honduras y a terminar la ayuda a las fuerzas de seguridad para detener los abusos a los derechos humanos y la violencia del gobierno contra los hondureños.

Esta crisis de refugiados se ha visto exacerbada por los gobiernos de Guatemala y México, que subordinados a la administración de Donald Trump, han elegido el camino de la represión. Bartolo Fuentes, periodista hondureño y portavoz de los refugiados, fue detenido en Guatemala. Mientras tanto, el gobierno mexicano ha enviado dos cargas de su Policía Nacional a la frontera con Guatemala. Irineo Mujica, activista de los derechos de los migrantes y fotoperiodista, fue arrestado en Chiapas por agentes del Instituto Nacional de Migración de México cuando se estaba preparando para apoyar la marcha de los migrantes hondureños. El viernes 19 de octubre, por la tarde, se lanzaron gases lacrimógenos contra el grupo cuando intentaban ingresar a México por el puente fronterizo.

La masiva huida forzada de personas de Honduras no es nueva. Es el legado de la intervención estadounidense en el país. Desde el golpe de estado respaldado por Estados Unidos en Honduras en 2009, el régimen posterior al golpe ha perpetuado un sistema basado en el desprecio por los derechos humanos, la impunidad, la corrupción, la represión y la influencia de los grupos del crimen organizado en el gobierno y en la élite del poder económico. Desde el golpe, hemos visto la destrucción de la educación pública y los servicios de salud a través de la privatización. La imposición de la minería, los megaproyectos hidroeléctricos y la concentración de tierras en la agroindustria ha sumido al 66 por ciento de la población hondureña en la pobreza y la pobreza extrema. En los últimos 9 años, hemos presenciado cómo el asesinato de Berta Cáceres y muchos otros activistas, líderes indígenas, abogados, periodistas, miembros de la comunidad LGBTQ y estudiantes ha provocado una crisis humanitaria. Esta crisis se refleja en el desplazamiento interno y el éxodo sin precedentes del pueblo hondureño que ha llamado la atención pública en los últimos días.

Las elecciones fraudulentas de noviembre de 2017 en las que Juan Orlando Hernández, presidente desde elecciones cuestionables en 2013, fue reelegido para un segundo mandato en violación de la constitución hondureña, provocó la indignación nacional. La indignación del pueblo se enfrentó a una campaña gubernamental extremadamente violenta con fuerzas de seguridad militares, entrenadas por los Estados Unidos, para reprimir las protestas contra el fraude. El resultado de la represión fue de más de 30 personas asesinadas por las fuerzas del gobierno, más de mil detenidos y actualmente hay 20 presos políticos en prisión preventiva.

A la represión, intimidación y criminalización que enfrentan los miembros de la caravana de refugiados, respondemos con un llamado a la solidaridad desde todos los rincones del mundo. Ante la violencia que ha provocado el éxodo masivo de cientos de miles de hondureños, exigimos el fin de la ayuda militar y de seguridad de los Estados Unidos al régimen de Juan Orlando, no como la herramienta de chantaje utilizada por Donald Trump, sino como una forma de Garantizar la protección de los derechos humanos del pueblo hondureño. Exigimos justicia para Berta Cáceres, para todas las víctimas de violencia política como consecuencia del régimen posterior al golpe, y la aprobación de la Ley de Derechos Humanos en Honduras. Berta Cáceres – HR1299. Exigimos libertad para todos los presos políticos en Honduras. Exigimos que Estados Unidos ponga fin a la criminalización, el encarcelamiento, la separación, la deportación y el asesinato de migrantes y refugiados.

Hoy luchamos para que cada paso, desde Honduras al norte de las Américas, sea digno y libre.

Red de Solidaridad con Honduras en América del Norte

19 de Octubre 2018

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Honduran Migrant March: A refugee crisis caused by US Policy and US Partners

 

 

Solidarity with Refugees and Migrants!

Honduran Migrant March — A refugee crisis caused by US Policy and US Partners

On October 12, 2018, hundreds of women, men, children, youth and the elderly decided to leave Honduras as a desperate response to survive. The massive exodus that began in the city of San Pedro Sula, reached more than 3 thousand people by the time the group crossed to Guatemala. The caravan, which is headed north to Mexico first, and to the United States as the goal- is the only alternative this people have to reach a bit of the dignity that has been taken from them. They are not alone in their journey. Various waves of Hondurans, whose numbers increase every hour, are being contained by Honduran security forces on their border with El Salvador and Guatemala.

The Honduras Solidarity Network in North America condemns any threats and acts of repression against the refugee caravan, human rights activists and journalists that accompany their journey. The conditions of violence, marginalization and exploitation in which this refugee crisis find its origins, have been created, maintained and reproduced by US-backed social, economic and military interventionist policies, with the support of its Canadian and regional allies. We call on people in the US to reject the criminalization, prosecution, detention, deportation and family separation that threaten the members of this march and the lives of all those refugees forced from their homes in the same way. We urge a change of US policy in Honduras and to cut off security aid to stop human rights abuses and government violence against Hondurans.

This refugee crisis has been exacerbated by the governments of Guatemala and Mexico, who subservient to Donald Trump’s administration, have chosen the path of repression. Bartolo Fuentes, a Honduran journalist and spokesperson for the refugees, has been detained in Guatemala. Meanwhile the Mexican government has sent two planeloads of its National Police to the border with Guatemala. Irineo Mujica, a migrant rights activist and photojournalist, was arrested in Chiapas by agents of the Mexican National Institute of Migration when he was getting ready to support the Honduran migrant march. Today (Friday) in the afternoon, tear gas was fired into the group as they tried to come into Mexico on the border bridge. Honduran human rights organizations report that a 7 month old baby was killed.

The massive forced flight of people from Honduras is not new; it is the legacy of US intervention in the country. Since the 2009 US-backed coup in Honduras, the post-coup regime has perpetuated a system based on disregard for human rights, impunity, corruption, repression and the influence of organized crime groups in the government and in the economic power elite. Since the coup, we have seen the destruction of public education and health services through privatization. The imposition of mining, hydro-electric mega-projects and the concentration of land in agro-industry has plunged 66 percent of the Honduran population into poverty and extreme poverty. In the last 9 years, we have witnessed how the murder of Berta Cáceres and many other activists, indigenous leaders, lawyers, journalists, LGBTQ community members and students has triggered a humanitarian crisis. This crisis is reflected in the internal displacement and the unprecedented exodus of the Honduran people that has caught the public’s eye during recent days.

The fraudulent November 2017 elections, in which Juan Orlando Hernández -president since questionable elections in 2013- was re-elected for a second term in violation of the Honduran constitution, sparked a national outrage. The people’s outrage was confronted by an extremely violent government campaign with military and US-trained security forces to suppress the protests against the fraud. The result of the repression was more than 30 people killed by government forces, more than a thousand arrested and there are currently 20 political prisoners being held in pre-trial prison.

To the repression, intimidation and criminalization faced by the members of the refugee caravan, we respond with a call for solidarity from all the corners of the world. In the face of the violence that has led to the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Hondurans, we demand an end to US military and security aid to Juan Orlando’s regime, not as the blackmail tool used by Donald Trump, but as a way to guarantee the protection of the human rights of the Honduran people. We demand justice for Berta Cáceres, for all the victims of political violence as a consequence of the post coup regime, and the approval of the Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act H.R. 1299. We demand freedom for all the  political prisoners in Honduras. We demand the US end the criminalization, imprisonment, separation, deportation and killing of migrants and refugees.

Today we fight so that every step, from Honduras to the north of the Americas, is dignified and free

Honduras Solidarity Network of North America

October 19, 2018

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August 30 2018 – Solidarity with the Convergencia en Contra el Continuismo

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29 de Agosto 2018 August 29
Honduras Solidarity Network of North America

Solidarity with the Honduran People on August 30th

The Honduran people refuse to give up! They continue to organize and to resist, despite the deepening authoritarianism and violence from the regime and despite the continuing support for that regime by the United States and Canada. We continue to oppose the financial and political aid from the North American governments that facilitates the violence of government forces against the people. We are aware of the August 29 press conference and declaration from the Secretary of State, Security Forces via the National Police that create a threatening atmosphere against the protest. 

The Convergencia en Contra el Continuismo y Dictadura (Coalition Against the Continuation of the Dictatorship, has called for a massive mobilization in Tegucigalpa on August 30. The Convergencia is a broad coalition of human rights and social movement organizations, trade unions,  and other groups opposed to the coup regime that was founded in October 2017 in opposition to the unconstitutional re-election bid by Juan Orlando Hernandez. 

The mobilization has 7 demands that include justice for the victims of the November 2017 election crisis; freedom for the political prisoners; an effective fight against corruption and impunity; respect for the autonomy and rights of the indigenous and Black peoples; a new Integral Agrarian Reform; cancellation of the concessions for public natural resources; stop the attacks on the rights of the working class and that the current regime be declared unconstitutional and a process be implemented for a rapid return to constitutional order.  The Convergencia and its organizations are defending the right of the people to protest and to organize.

The HSN was formed after the 2009 coup in Honduras and HSN members have been witnesses to the violations of human rights, violence and intimidations over the years. We are disturbed by the continuation and escalation of these violations such as the recent attacks on students, threats and repression against Paujiles, Azacualpa and the Garifuna communities that are all defending their lands against mega-projects. 

Finally we join the Convergencia and other Honduran organization as they condemn the endless impunity that has denied justice to the victims of the 2009 coup, the assassinated indigenous, and campesino activists and the more recent victims of State violence during the post election crisis. 

———————-

Red de Solidaridad de Honduras de América del Norte (HSN)

!Solidaridad con el pueblo hondureño el 30 de agosto!

¡El pueblo hondureño se niega a darse por vencido! Continúan organizándose y resistiendo, a pesar de la profundización del autoritarismo y la violencia del régimen y a pesar del continuo apoyo a ese régimen por parte de los Estados Unidos y Canadá. Nosotros por nuestra parte, seguimos oponiéndonos a la ayuda financiera y política de estos gobiernos  que facilita la violencia de las fuerzas gubernamentales contra el pueblo. Tambien estamos al tanto de la conferencia de prensa del 29 de agosto y la declaración del Secretario de Estado de las Fuerzas de Seguridad a través de la Policía Nacional, una declaración que crea una atmósfera amenazante contra la protesta.

La Convergencia en Contra del Continuismo y Dictadura (Coalición contra la Continuación de la Dictadura) convocó a una movilización masiva en Tegucigalpa el 30 de agosto. La Convergencia es una amplia coalición de organizaciones de derechos humanos y movimientos sociales, sindicatos y otros grupos opuestos al régimen golpista que se fundó en octubre de 2017 en oposición a la propuesta de reelección inconstitucional de Juan Orlando Hernández.

La movilización tiene 7 demandas que incluyen justicia para las víctimas de la crisis electoral de noviembre de 2017; libertad para los presos políticos; una lucha efectiva contra la corrupción y la impunidad; respeto por la autonomía y los derechos de los pueblos indígenas y negros; una nueva Reforma Agraria Integral; cancelación de las concesiones para recursos naturales públicos; detener los ataques a los derechos de la clase trabajadora y que el régimen actual sea declarado inconstitucional y se implemente un proceso para un rápido retorno al orden constitucional. La Convergencia y sus organizaciones están defendiendo el derecho de las personas a protestar y organizarse.

El HSN se formó después del golpe de 2009 en Honduras y los miembros de HSN han sido testigos de las violaciones de los derechos humanos, la violencia y las intimidaciones a lo largo de los años. Nos inquieta la continuación y la escalada de estas violaciones, como los recientes ataques a estudiantes, las amenazas y la represión contra Paujiles, Azacualpa y las comunidades garífunas que defienden sus tierras contra los megaproyectos.

Finalmente, nos unimos a Convergencia y otras organizaciones hondureñas que condenan la impunidad infinita que ha negado la justicia a las víctimas del golpe de 2009, los indígenas asesinados y los activistas campesinos y las víctimas más recientes de la violencia del Estado durante la crisis postelectoral.

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Honduras: Nine Years of Resistance and Repression

 

Link a la version en español esta abajo

Honduras: Nine Years of Resistance and Repression

Free Honduran Political Prisoners!

Stop Supporting Dictatorship!

Take Action in Canada & the US Here to Free the Political Prisoners

Take Action Here Against US Support for Honduran Regime

Take Action Here for the “Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act:

June 28, 2018, marks 9 years since the US backed coup d’etat in Honduras: 9 years of increasing violence and impunity, poverty and inequity for the Honduran people who made clear once again their rejection of the coup regimen in the elections held on November 26, 2017 —- election results that were overturned by fraud and repression.

The US government continues to support the Honduran regime politically and economically including millions of dollars of security/military aid that facilitates human rights violations. The Canadian government continues to support the extraction industry dominated by Canadian mining companies and other Canadian mega projects in tourism and energy industries. These projects  are responsible for environmental and health damage as well as the violent repression and displacement of indigenous communities.

A deep political crisis was triggered by widespread recognition of fraud and irregularities that allowed Juan Orlando Hernandez to declare victory in his re-election, (note: reelection is prohibited by the Honduran Constitution). The Hernandez regime met the post-election protests and rejection of fraud with massive repression, and a declared state of emergency: more than 30 people were killed most of them by the Military Police. Many hundreds were injured by army or police. All of these crimes remain in impunity with no information about any investigations. However, many protesters face ongoing legal actions against them by the government. More than 1300 were arrested during the post-election crisis. 23 people are recognized as political prisoners who are facing extremely severe charges and have been subjected to pretrial imprisonment without bail for months under terrible conditions.

Five of these political prisoners remain detained in prisons: Edwin Espinal and Raúl Álvarez in the maximum security prison La Tolva; Edy Gonzalo Valles in the maximum security prison El Pozo and Gustavo Adolfo Cáceres Ayala and José Gabriel Godinez Ávelar in the penitentiary in El Progreso. Arrests of activists continue and there will likely be more prosecutions as the regime continues the repression. We support demands by Honduran organizations to free all the prisoners and drop the politically motivated charges.

Another consequence of the crisis and US/Canadian support for dictatorship is a new upsurge in migration by Honduran men, women and children fleeing the crisis. The US government has implemented policies that violate international human rights and refugee standards, detaining thousands of migrants, refusing to accept petitions for asylum, violating due process, and infamously separating children, even infants, from their parents. Border Patrol agents use violence and live ammunition with impunity against the migrants at the border and are arresting members of humanitarian organizations attempting to give life-saving emergency care to the migrants in the desert border region. The crisis will deepen even more with the US withdrawal of temporary protected status (TPS) for Hondurans in January 2020. Some 50, 000 Hondurans who have lived legally in the US for decades, many who have US born children, will be forcibly returned to Honduras.

We demand that the US and Canadian government stop funding and supporting the regime in Honduras and end the mass deportations of refugees from Central America. We echo the Honduran people in demanding  “Freedom for the Political Prisoners” and  “Stop the Political Repression”. 

Link to English PDF HSNJune2018 (1)

Link to Spanish PDF- En Español ESPHSNJune2018 (1) (1)facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Global Day of Action: Free Honduran Political Prisoners!

 


Join the Global Day of Action on
March 19th!

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TAKE ACTION
Note: There are 2 Click Through Actions for this Alert!
For the Biggest Impact, Please Complete Both Below:

1. Contact Honduran Authorities

2. Contact US and Canadian Representatives


26 political prisoners in Honduras depend on your solidarity! Detained in the context of the 2017 electoral crisis and the pro-democracy protests to denounce the electoral fraud, the majority of the political prisoners are being held in pre-trial detention in horrific conditions in maximum security, military-run prisons. All could spend up to 2.5 years in jail before being sentenced by a judge. We demand that Honduran authorities immediately release all of the political prisoners and drop all charges against them!

For recognizing, supporting, and financing the current Juan Orlando Hernandez regime, US and Canadian authorities must also be held accountable, particularly for their involvement in supporting a regime that systematically violates basic human rights and the rule of law. Canada and the US are part of the problem. With your support we can achieve freedom for long-time activist Edwin Espinal and all the other political prisoners, and ensure that the voice of resistance of the Honduran people is not silenced! Add you voice to the global day of action and demand freedom for the political prisoners in Honduras!

 

19 de Marzo: Actúa: ¡Exige la libertad de los prisioneros políticos hondureños!

¡Únete al Día de Acción Global el 19 de marzo!

¡26 presos políticos en Honduras dependen de tu solidaridad! Detenidos en el contexto de la crisis electoral de 2017 y de las protestas en favor de la democracia para denunciar el fraude electoral, la mayoría de los presos políticos están detenidos en prisión preventiva en condiciones horrendas en cárceles de máxima seguridad y dirigidas por militares. Todos podrían pasar hasta 2 años y medio en la cárcel antes de ser sentenciados por un juez. ¡Exigimos que las autoridades hondureñas liberen inmediatamente a todos los presos políticos y retiren todos los cargos en su contra!

Para reconocer, apoyar y financiar el actual régimen de Juan Orlando Hernández, las autoridades de los Estados Unidos y Canadá también deben rendir cuentas, en particular por su participación en el apoyo a un régimen que sistemáticamente viola los derechos humanos básicos y el estado de derecho. Canadá y los EEUU son parte del problema. Con su apoyo podemos lograr la libertad para el activista de larga data Edwin Espinal y para todos los demás prisioneros políticos, y así asegurarnos de que la voz de resistencia del pueblo hondureño no sea silenciada. ¡Suma tu voz al día mundial de acción y exija libertad para los presos políticos en Honduras!

1. Contactar a los Autoridades Hondureños Contact Honduran Authorities

2. Contactar a diputados enEEUU y Canada Contact US and Canadian Representatives

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Urgent Action: Free Edwin Espinal and All Political Prisoners


HONDURAS URGENT ACTION

Demand the immediate release of EDWIN ESPINAL, and of all political prisoners in Honduras 
 

Long-time Honduran activist Edwin Espinal has been jailed on charges related to protests against election fraud in Honduras. Due to his activism, he has been subject to State harassment, violence, and threats since the 2009 coup d’état. Immediate action is required to push for Edwin’s release and to ensure his safety.

 


Long-time Honduran activist Edwin Robelo Espinal was arrested by police on January 19, on the eve of a week-long nationwide strike. Edwin faces a laundry list of trumped up charges: arson; property damage; and use of homemade explosive material. Edwin is also under State investigation for terrorism and criminal association related to damages to the Marriott Hotel, a multi-billion dollar US chain, during a January 12 protest in Tegucigalpa.

Thousands of Hondurans from all walks of life attended the January 12 action to protest the election fraud that robbed Opposition Alliance presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla of his victory in the November 26, 2017 general elections; the killings of more than 30 anti-fraud protesters and bystanders by state security forces; and the arrests of dozens of political prisoners during the ongoing post-electoral crisis. Edwin’s arbitrary arrest occurred in the context of the election fraud endorsed by the US and Canada, and designed to keep current President Juan Orlando Hernandez in power

Edwin is currently in pretrial detention. At the end of his initial hearing inside military facilities on January 22, the judge ordered pre-trial detention and sent Edwin to La Tolva, a high-security, U.S.-style prison. The prison has extremely restricted visitor access, is run by a military Coronel, and prisoners are only allowed one-hour of sunlight every two weeks amongst other horrific conditions. Although the case has been appealed by local Honduran human rights organization COFADEH, Edwin could remain in detention for two or more years waiting trial.

Edwin Espinal has been a target of state harassment for years

Edwin is an easy-going, kind man who draws young people of all ages to him. Edwin fiercely believes in organizing, supporting all forms of resistance, and solidarity with Honduran social movements and groups. He has never lost hope for change in Honduras.

Edwin’s strong and relentless conviction is what the Honduran government fears. Because of this, since the US- and Canadian-backed military coup in 2009, Edwin has been a constant target of State repression and harassment.

In 2009, Edwin’s partner, Wendy Elizabeth Avila, was killed after excessive exposure to tear gas when State forces violently evicted thousands of protesters gathered at the Brazilian Embassy to welcome ousted President Manuel Zelaya back into the country.

In 2010, Edwin was abducted and tortured by Honduran police, who were later acquitted – in the corrupted legal system – on all charges for their abuses.

One month before the fraudulent, violent 2013 elections, Honduran Military Police and canine units brought in by the Public Prosecutor’s Office illegally raided Edwin’s family’s home, claiming that he possessed drugs, money, and weapons. At the time, Edwin was involved in a community movement to stop the privatization of public soccer fields in his neighborhood used by impoverished youth with limited recreational spaces and resources.

In 2015, Edwin’s mom died in the social security hospital as a result of the $350 million dollar looting of the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS) orchestrated by the National Party, in power since 2010.

Edwin has been detained more than a dozen times since 2009 and has been beaten by security forces. The most recent beating was in December 2017 when he participated in a protest against election fraud in Tegucigalpa.

As a result of this constant persecution, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted Edwin protective measures in 2010. The measures were renewed in 2013, shortly after the illegal raid on his family’s home.

Edwin has been interviewed by Democracy Now!, Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines and in the documentary Resistencia: The Fight for the Aguan Valley. His story has also been featured in articles published by Truthout and POLITICO Magazine.

Edwin’s current detention on trumped up charges is one more example of systematic political persecution and targeting of anti-fraud protesters and political opponents of the government. The illegitimate and corrupt government of Juan Orlando Hernandez is targeting its own citizens – people like Edwin – while doing nothing to investigate the hundreds of killings and arbitrary arrests by State forces of social movement activists, protesters, journalists, lawyers, etc.

The legal proceedings against Edwin have completely violated Honduran law and due process. The case is being heard in “national jurisdiction” courts that, according to the charges against Edwin, have no jurisdiction over the case. The judge presiding over the case is the same judge that ordered the raid on Edwin’s house in 2013, which, according to Honduran law, is illegal. Edwin’s legal representatives were given one day (a Sunday) to prepare his defense and he was later sent to prison to await trial, which could take years.

Immediate action is needed for Edwin’s safety and release

We demand Edwin’s immediate release, as well as that of the more than 40 political prisoners throughout the country, and that all the trumped up charges be dropped.

To ensure Edwin’s immediate safety and access to justice, we demand that Honduran authorities immediately release Edwin. But in the meantime, we demand:

§  That Edwin be transferred to a detention center as determined by COFADEH (the Committee of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared in Honduras), which has provided long-term legal and human rights support for him since 2009. Edwin is currently being held in a jail run by a military officer, and the facility has extremely restricted access for visits by family, friends, and human rights groups. These visits are crucial to help guarantee his safety and well-being while detained. To date, his family and his lawyers have not been able to visit him.

§  That Edwin’s case be transferred out of the “national jurisdiction” courts and into the regular court system.

Ongoing solidarity and action is also needed

§  We urge human rights delegations, journalists, and investigators to visit Edwin and other arbitrarily detained political prisoners experiencing repression in the context of the post-electoral crisis and the imposition of the Juan Orlando Hernandez regime.

§  Financial support for Edwin’s family is needed as they seek justice and work to ensure his safety and demand his release.

§  Contact the US, Canadian and Honduran representatives. See list below for contacts and demands.

For more information about Edwin’s case and the human rights situation in the country, CONTACT:

Website:  https://freeedwinespinallibertad.blogspot.com/

Facebook: Free EDWIN ESPINAL Libertad

Follow on Twitter: #FreeEdwinEspinal #LibertadEdwinEspinal

Email: freeedwinespinal@gmail.com

Karen Spring (English & Spanish)

Edwin Espinal’s long-time partner & the Honduras-based Coordinator for the Honduras Solidarity Network of North America (HSN)

spring.kj@gmail.com

(504) 9584-8572 

Bertha Oliva (Spanish Only)

General Coordinator, COFADEH

berthacofadeh@yahoo.com

 

PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING AUTHORITIES: (Please send freeedwinespinal@gmail.com a copy or report back of your communication)

Contact Information for Honduran Authorities:

 Oscar Fernando Chinchilla

Fiscal General (Attorney General)

Ministerio Publico

oscarfernando@protonmail.ch

 

Corte de Apelacion (Appeals Court)

Corte Suprema de Justicia (Honduran Supreme Court)

011-504-2275-5930 (can change last two numbers up until 37 so for example, 2275-5931, 2275-5932, etc)

comunicaciones@poderjudicial.gob.hn

 Demands:

§  Immediately drop the trumped up charges against Edwin and other political prisoners. Grant the appeal for Edwin’s case which would overturn the January 22 court decision which sent Edwin to prison to await trial.

§  Transfer Edwin to a detention center as determined by COFADEH.

§  Transfer Edwin’s case out of the “national jurisdiction” courts and into the regular court system.

 

Contact in United States

Your Senator and Congressional representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Heide Fulton

US Charge d’Affairs (Acting Chief of Mission)

BronkeHM@state.gov.

 

Jason Smith

Human Rights and Labor Attache

SmithJA6@state.gov

 Demands:

§  To immediately address the issue of the political prisoners and pressure the Honduran authorities to drop all charges against Edwin and release all political prisoners immediately.

§  Insist to Honduran authorities that Edwin be transferred to a detention center as determined by COFADEH & that Edwin’s case be taken out of the “national jurisdiction” courts and heard by the regular Honduran court system.

§  Of US Congress members: to sign onto the Berta Caceres Act demanding suspension of US military aid to Honduras.

Contacts in Canada:

Your local Member of Parliament: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members

Ambassador James K. Hill

Embassy of Canada in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua

James.Hill@international.gc.ca

tglpa@international.gc.ca

 

Minister Chrystia Freeland

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Global Affairs Canada

chrystia.freeland@parl.gc.ca
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-5234
Fax: 613-996-9607

Demands:

§  To immediately address the issue of the political prisoners and pressure the Honduran authorities to drop all charges against Edwin and release all political prisoners immediately

§  Insist to Honduran authorities that Edwin be transferred to a detention center as determined by COFADEH & that Edwin’s case be taken out of the “national jurisdiction” courts and heard by the regular Honduran court system

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Honduras In Crisis – The People Say JOH Must Go!

The Honduran people have declared a national civic strike, demanding that Juan Orlando Hernandez give up his fraudulent claim to have won the elections in November and to stop his inauguration on January 27.

More than 35 people have been killed by military and police since the November 26th election. Hundreds have been injured and hundreds arrested.

Go to our FaceBook Page for frequent updates on the situation and actions.
https://www.facebook.com/HondurasSolidarityNetwork/
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Our Response to US Support for Hernandez

On December 22, 2017 the US State Department congratulated Juan Orlando Hernandez on his electoral victory. This video in Spanish and English is our response. The written document in English is HERE.

Diciembre 22, 2017 el departamento del Estado Estados Unidos declaro su apoyo para Juan Orlando Hernandez. Este video (en ingles e español) es nuestra repuesta. El documento escrito en español esta AQUÍ

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