Honduras: Military Is Accused of Abuses

[Judi Lynn]

Honduras: Military Is Accused of Abuses

By MARC LACEY
Published: August 18, 2009

Amnesty International, in a report to be released Wednesday, accuses the Honduran military and police of using beatings and mass arrests to punish protesters for opposing the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya in June. “Mass arbitrary arrests and ill treatment of protesters are a serious and growing concern in Honduras today,” Esther Major, Amnesty’s Central American researcher, said in a statement. The government of Roberto Micheletti, the country’s de facto leader, accuses demonstrators of engaging in violent acts and provoking the authorities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/americas/19briefs-Honduras2.html?ref=world

[Judi Lynn]

1. Protesters targeted, beaten in Honduras - Amnesty

Protesters targeted, beaten in Honduras - Amnesty

Agence France-Presse
August 19, 2009 10:40am

PROTESTORS in Honduras are being beaten and arrested by police and the military for opposing the de facto government, Amnesty International says.
The London-based rights organisation said today it had collected evidence of mass arrests and violence against protesters by authorities since the interim government came to power in the June 28 bloodless coup.

"Mass arbitrary arrests and ill treatment of protesters are a serious and growing concern in Honduras today,'' said Amnesty researcher Esther Major.

"Detention and ill treatment of protesters are being employed as form of punishment for those openly opposing the de facto government and also as a deterrent for those contemplating taking to the streets to peacefully show their discontent with the political turmoil the country is experiencing.''

Ms Major said interviews with protesters including students detailed how police beat them with batons after their arrest at a peaceful demonstration on July 30 in the capital Tegucigalpa.

In a statement, Amnesty said harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and attacks as well as restrictions imposed on media outlets in Honduras were also concerns.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25951366-23109,00.html

[Judi Lynn]

2. Honduras photos and protestor testimonies show extent of police violence

Honduras photos and protestor testimonies show extent of police violence

19 August 2009

Amnesty International published a series of exclusive photos and testimonies on Wednesday revealing serious ill-treatment by police and military of peaceful protesters in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. The organization warned that beatings and mass arrests are being used as a way of punishing people for voicing their opposition to the military-backed coup d’etat in June.

As human rights violations increase, the need for the international community to seek a solution to the political crisis becomes ever more urgent.

The photos and testimonies were gathered by an Amnesty International delegation who interviewed many of the 75 people who were detained at the Jefatura Metropolitana Nº3 police station in Tegucigalpa after the police, supported by the military, broke up a peaceful demonstration on 30 July.

Most detainees had injuries as a consequence of police beatings with batons and having stones and other objects thrown at them. When they were arrested, no one was told where they were being taken, the reasons for their detention or the charges against them. All detainees were released a few hours later.

“Mass arbitrary arrests and ill treatment of protesters are a serious and growing concern in Honduras today,” said Esther Major, Central America researcher at Amnesty International.

“Detention and ill treatment of protestors are being employed as forms of punishment for those openly opposing the de facto government, and also as a deterrent for those contemplating taking to the streets to peacefully show their discontent with the political turmoil the country is experiencing,” said Esther Major.

Amongst those held in detention on 30 July were 10 students. They had all been beaten with batons on the back, arms and backs of the legs by police. One of them said: “The police were throwing stones; they cornered us, threw us on the floor, on our stomachs and beat us. They took our cameras from us, beat us if we lifted our heads and even when we were getting into the police wagons.”

Several of those interviewed told Amnesty International that during the demonstration, police officers wore no visible identification. They said some police officers had told them, “do not look at us, sons of bitches,” and that others wore bandanas to hide their faces.

F.M., a 52-year-old teacher also detained on 30 July, told Amnesty International: “We were demonstrating peacefully. Suddenly, the police came towards us, and I started running. They grabbed me and shouted ‘why do you (all) support Zelaya’s government?’. They beat me. I have not been informed as to why I am detained.”

“Using excessive force and mass arbitrary detentions as a policy to repress dissent only serves to inflame tensions further and leads to serious human rights violations,” said Esther Major. “Force must only be employed in the most extreme of circumstances, and certainly not as a method to prevent people’s legitimate right to peacefully demonstrate.”

Amnesty International is also concerned by harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders; limits imposed on freedom of expression and the number of attacks against journalists - including the closure of media outlets, the confiscation of equipment and physical abuse of journalists and camerapersons covering events.

The human rights situation outside of Tegucigalpa is believed to be equally or even more serious. The checkpoints along the primary roads in Honduras are currently manned by military and police who often delay or refuse entry to human rights organizations to areas where human rights violations are reportedly occurring.

Concerns about human rights in Honduras have intensified since the democratically elected President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales was forced from power on 28 June and expelled from the country by a military-backed group of politicians led by Roberto Micheletti, former leader of the National Congress. There has been widespread unrest in the country since the coup d’etat with frequent clashes between the police, military and civilian protestors. At least two people have died after being shot during protests.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/Honduras-photos-and-protestor-testimonies-show-extent-of-police-violence-20090819

[Judi Lynn]

3. Honduras: Repression and Violence Continue

Honduras: Repression and Violence Continue

Brussels, 18 August 2009: The ITUC, together with TUCA, and the CUTH, CTH and CGT, its Honduran affiliates, have denounced the repression, forced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and the use of firearms suffered by those taking part in peaceful demonstrations held to protest against the coup d’état and to demand the restitution of the constitutional president, Manuel Zelaya. The international trade union mission, led by the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA/ITUC) and the Global Union Federations (GUFs), which visited Honduras between 5 and 8 August, called for, among other demands, an international day of solidarity with the Honduran people on 11 August as well as supporting the initiatives of the Honduran trade union movement to promote the construction of a new socio-political environment and the formulation of policy proposals to create a new future for the country.

On 12 August, tens of thousands of Hondurans took part in the national protest march against the coup, covering over 120 kilometres. The march unfortunately met with brutal repression by the de facto government.

Several people trying to escape the police brutality during the march took refuge in the STIBYS trade union office in Tegucigalpa, which was surrounded by the police and military forces for over two hours until the international press intervened and the demonstrators managed to leave the building safely.

On the same day, after curfew, unknown assailants shot at the office of Vía Campesina of Honduras, an organisation led by campesino leader Rafael Alegría, in another clear attack against the social organisations and leaders heading the resistance against the coup d’état.

"These attacks are inadmissible. Social and trade union organisations have an important role to play in the reconstruction of this country. The reconstruction of Honduras depends on the immediate restitution of the constitutional president, Manuel Zelaya," said Guy Ryder, general secretary of the ITUC.

Two crucial events are to take place in Honduras in the coming days: the visit of a mission from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and, shortly after, a mission of foreign ministers from the OAS and Secretary General Insulza, to promote the de facto government’s approval of the San José Agreement.

In a letter (in Spanich) to the Secretary of State for Public Security the ITUC called for respect for demonstrators’ rights, for the immediate, safe return of the almost 200 people who have been "disappeared", the restoration of constitutional order and the achievement of national reconciliation.

http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article4193