Amnesty: Honduras Photos and Protestor Testimonies Show Extent of Police Violence

There has been very little attention in the U.S. press to repression in Honduras under the coup regime. Hopefully, that will now change: Amnesty International issued a report today documenting "serious ill-treatment by police and military of peaceful protesters" in Honduras, warning that "beatings and mass arrests are being used as a way of punishing people for voicing their opposition" to the coup.

An Amnesty International delegation interviewed people who were detained after police and military broke up a peaceful demonstration July 30. Most detainees had injuries as a consequence of police beatings.

Esther Major, Central America researcher at Amnesty International, said:

Detention and ill treatment of protesters 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.

U.S. media often rely heavily on international human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to report on human rights abuses. So it will be interesting to see how much U.S. press coverage the Amnesty report gets.

If the repression under the coup regime were more widely known, it would be much more difficult for representatives of that regime to peddle their story in Washington that their government is "democratic" and "respects the rule of law." How is the coup's hired gun Lanny Davis going to spin Amnesty's report on police repression of peaceful dissent against the coup?

Amnesty urgently calls for the "international community" to seek a resolution to the political crisis. But not all members of the "international community" have equal say. Last week, the president of Brazil called on the United States to use more political influence to help solve the crisis. Brazil's foreign minister said President Zelaya's return would depend largely on the position of the United States.

No one is calling on the U.S. to send the Fourth Fleet to Honduras. The Obama Administration has modest policy levers it has not employed. Rep. Grijalva and 15 other members of the House have written to President Obama, urging him to speak out about the repression in Honduras and to cancel U.S. travel visas and freeze U.S. bank accounts of leaders of the coup regime to pressure them to accept a compromise for President Zelaya's return.

The coup regime "must be disabused" of the notion that it can "run out the clock" until a November presidential election, wrote the New York Times in a recent editorial. The U.S. must be prepared to exert more pressure on the coup regime if it refuses to accept a compromise for President Zelaya's return, the Times said.

Check your favorite newspaper: have they mentioned Amnesty's report in their coverage of Honduras? If not, sent that newspaper a note. You can write to the Miami Herald and McClatchy News here.

Follow Robert Naiman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/naiman

Comments

[JGallardo]

Another man was shot the day when the Resistance blocked the highway. But he wasn't shot at the blocked highway. One team of protesters headed towards a section of town known as EL Lolo where they met up with the Children's school bus that they vandalized. (Pictures and witnesses are available). Another group headed out towards the market. Videos show how these protesters vandalized the market stalls and small shops around the Market place "Mayoreo". The man was shot from inside a shop as it was vandalized. The video shows no policemen around the scene and the gun used was not a police weapon.

The honest working people of this country, rich and poor alike, are tired of the violence, the denial of public services for political causes. The face of terror on the woman running away from the Popeye's that was burnt down, the faces of children demanding their education.­..

Aren't all these denied human rights? But the InterAmerican Human Rights Committee, currently visiting our country under the leadership of its Venezuelan president and an Argentinian secretary, refused to listen to these people. They only want to hear the conspiracy theories of the vandal Resistance protesters. Yeas, that's the guys who cover up their faces and throw molotov bombs.

We, Hondurans, find it incredible that supposedly serious people as you're supposed to be, would even consider that these vandals and members of the MARAs who have joined up with the Zelaya Movement represent any portion of the Honduran society.

[JGallardo]

Several days ago, the "Resistance" published a communication to all its followers stating the principles it is promoting. First it established as its cause the return of Mel Zelaya. Then it continued to encourage violent actions against the state, against certain commercial firms, against media that oppose their views and against FAMILY members of people they believe are related to the "coup". This sounds like terrorism to me because they are targeting innocent people.

In effect, these firms have been attacked. Have you seen the pictures of Popeye's burning?

These attacks have occurred "on the way home" after the "peaceful" manifestations have taken place. This is important because it means that the police had been left behind. Look at some of the situations:

The case that Mr. Tucker mentions happened on the Nicaraguan border during Mr. Zelaya's game of hopscotch at the Honduran border. The man was reported dead the next day. When the forensic team tried to approach the area, they were attacked, held prisoners, their car was overturned and bashed in. In other words, it was deep in Resistance territory where not even a forensic team could enter. The man was killed of 21 machete wounds. Does this sound like a military death squad?

[JGallardo]

Another of Mr. Arias’ 7-or-12 point plans calls for a General Amnesty. Bear in mind that the only organism in the Honduran State legally capable of declaring an Amnesty is the Honduran National Congress. But, they know that the people they represent, tired of corruption and impunity, will not stand for a General (blanket) Amnesty like a blank check.

Last night, the Honduran Congress responded to the San Jose negotiating team that they will not pronounce themselves on Amnesty until the San Jose talks have reached an agreement. Thus, the San Jose talks must reach an agreement without the General Amnesty clause. Hey, if you have nothing to hide…

But. keep in mind that Mr. Zelaya has 3 outstanding arrest warrants and at least 15 charges under investigation.

This decision is effectively saying that first the LEGAL issues must be solved BEFORE you can consider a political solution.

That the International Community tries to impose a “solution” against this very firm, moral and historic stand of the Honduran people against corruption and impunity is nothing short of destroying the Constitution and the institutions that conform it: the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary Branches of Government.

At this time, Mr. Zelaya should be seated with a group of constitutional lawyers establishing a legal defense of his actions. With all the media attention he's getting, there's no way that a trial could be bent. And one way or another, we would know the truth.

[JGallardo]

Its really sad to hear all these conspiracy theory buffs going on about Chiquita Bananas (What century is he living in?) and Billy Joya (I hear he's doing well in Miami). I read another story about a group of old ladies gathered in a glitzy cafe having engineered the "coup".

Here is a more interesting "Conspiracy theory" in the sense that there is concrete information to back it:

Ever since the White House declared the San Jose Dialogue as the route to solving the current crisis, Honduras has faced alone the burden of defending its Democracy against Hugo Chavez’s mighty petrodollars. While Mr. Arias established himself as the MEDIATOR in the dialogue, he secretly negotiated a multi-million petrochemical investment with The People’s Republic of China that requires Venezuelan oil to succeed. Its no wonder that Mr. Arias initiated the “dialogue” with a 7 point plan in which one of the points was non negotiable. Currently his government is seeking harsher measures to force Honduras to agree to his proposition (or else!!).

Fine mediator he makes.

[larry1234]

I have lived in Honduras for four years and have many friends who are still there. I find it amazing that they do not share the view of Mr. Naiman and now Mr. Tucker and in fact they would agree with JGallardo's post.

I do believe that Mr. Naiman and Mr. Tucker have good intentions however I think they, like a lot of the media, are more than a little naive. You might want to read the following as it does a very good job of outlining what is really happening in Central America and Honduras:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTyfJbgAI1lKkjwZqvSa3013i_ZwD9A6241O0

[EgyptianMysterySchool]

John Perkins, author of NY Times best seller "Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man" - exposes the truth about the Honduran coup...

Honduras Military Coup Engineered By 2 US Companies?
By John Perkins
8-19-9
http://www.rense.com/general87/engin.htm

[HRreports]

There are other human rights violations reports than the Amnesty report, including one made by a Honduran NGO (COFADEH), one by an international mission, and one by a support group:

COFADEH (Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras):
http://www.cofadeh.org/html/documentos/informe_violaciones_ddhh_golpe_estado.doc (Spanish)

A major mission including the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and others:
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2040/68 (English) (preliminary)
http://alainet.org/active/32206 (Spanish) (final)

Quixote Center report/letter:
http://quixote.org/node/934 (English)
http://ln-s.net/3yDT (Spanish)

And at the moment, there's a CIDH (Inter-american Human Rights Centre) mission in Honduras gathering information.

Amnesty seems to be the only human rights organisation that claims only two extrajudicial executions under Micheletti - all the others list about 5 to 10 deaths that show direct links to the people being killed because of their political point-of-view - their opposition to the coup d'etat.

Someone commented about Battalion 3-16 member Billy Joya. Don't forget that two other Battalion 3-16 members, Nelson Willy Mejía Mejía and Napoleón Nassar Herrera, are part of the Micheletti de facto government. Amnesty seems to have forgotten its previous campaigns calling for an "end to impunity", since death squad members being part of a government is not just impunity, but major retention of political power by human rights violators.

[HRreports]

The Quixote Center says that its mission to Honduras was the fourth international human rights mission to visit (which makes the Amnesty visit the fifth or later, certainly not the first!).

There should be two other international human rights missions reports available somewhere on the web, including that of the mission including Nobel peace prize laureat Rigoberta Menchu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoberta_Menchú

Can someone find the two missing reports?

[DeWayne]

I do not believe the US-Gov will do anything about this deteriorating conditions for citizens in Honduras, instead these same conditions I believe are coming to America.
This is not due to our Corp-Gov involved in the Honduran condition, it is due to American citizens who once had an opportunity to do something about Honduras and many other nations and peoples suffering under Super Power elite, but did nothing.

[Alabama John]

"the Honduran condition, it is due to American citizens "

About 50% in the U.S. is laboring class, we who have not 12 years of formal education.

And so, the 10% rich control the media and government, the 30% intelligent middleclass is given laws that turn the laboring class into economical slaves, and all enrich themselves upon the misery of slaves.

Honduras being a colony of Empire USA, surely the same holds true for their society. For everyone in Honduras is well aware that their 15 richest families planed the coup, executed the coup and are now ready for all-out war to maintain the coup.

[CalvinTucker]

I recently returned from reporting freelance in Honduras and, if anything, Amnesty is playing down the deteriorating human rights situation.

At one protest I attended, I and 300 unarmed and entirely peaceful civilians were pinned down on the open road by armed and hooded policemen, soldiers, snipers, and a military aircraft. I managed to leave the same day, the protesters remained. The following morning at sunrise, the mutilated body of a 23 year old protester was dumped 400 yards from where I had been standing. I believe it was left there as a warning.

Intimidation, beatings, shootings and illegal detention are widespread. Independent media has come under attack; journalists have been beaten, radio and TV stations visited by the military and taken off air, signals interupted.

Of the people I interviewed during my visit, one has subsequently been the target of an assassination attempt, three have been hospitalised with broken bones and knife wounds, one (a young lady) has been beaten with clubs. Two of the above have also been arrested.

The violence being inflicted on pro-democracy protesters is designed to intimidate the population into abandoning resistance to the coup. This cannot be allowed to happen.

If the Western media continue to turn a blind eye to the violence and killings in Honduras, they are not only failing in their duty to report the news, but are complicit in maintaining this dictatorship.

[JGallardo]

There is an interesting picture taken by a Honduran photographer the day of the protests in the University. It shows an international correspondent taking a picture of a protester's face. His close-up would only show his face covered with a bandanna and his angry expression. The local photographer however was a few steps back and his photo shows the protesters full body. In the protester's left hand, which he is using to point in a general direction and is out of focus of the international correspondent's lens, he's holding a Molotov bomb.

The picture is interesting because it shows simultaneously the different perspective in the International versus the local media.

Yes, in Honduras we are living in terror. A Christian School bus was attacked with 15-20 children inside by these "peaceful" protesters that Mr. Tucker defends. They savagely attacked a Children's playground in a local Burger King during the peak lunch hour. The set a local Popeye's restaurant ablaze with molotov bombs in midafternoon while normal working people were eating. They forcibly removed normal people from an urban bus and set it ablaze. They have attacked cars, buses and market stalls (elite?). They have thrown bombs at radio stations and newspapers and attacked local media correspondants, even Red Cross personnel hasn't escaped their rage.

Where was Amnesty International?

more...

[JGallardo]

... continues

The protesters have attacked school teachers for not supporting school closures, school teachers whose only "crime", according to these "peaceful" supporters of Zelaya, has been to do their duty: Teach the children.

Where are the teachers' human rights? What about the Children's human right to an education?

The protesters have published manifests calling for attacks on local business, where normal people work and visit, news media that oppose them and FAMILY members of people "related" to the coup. This is outright terrorism.

Their news media are on the air freely and anybody who says different never held a TV control in his hand in Honduras or never listened to the radio. The majority of the media are oppossed and are withstanding bomb and personal attacks on their correspondents. If one of their stations were attacked, "human rights advocates" would create a hullabaloo about the whole thing, but since these stations oppose them, its ok.

Yes in Honduras we are living in Terror, but not from the police but from these violent protesters who have allied themselves with the MARAs with financing from the FARC to create chaos and violence in our country.

And all of this has the objective of what? Bringing Zelaya back to complete his corrupt period for the 5 months that are left to his legal term? Grow up!

[CalvinTucker]

Reality check: This is a military dictatorship engaged in systematic repression and human rights violations, as detailed by Amnesty International. People are being arrested, beaten, tortured and murdered. Billy Joya, a death squad retread from the 1980s, has been brought into the coup regime as head of internal security. The results of this appointment are becoming ever more apparant.

The poster above is engaging in classic coup propaganda, ludicrously attempting to portray the pro-coup clan as the victims. Several claims is his post are inventions, as I discovered reporting from there. Next, he'll be claiming that the coup was a fully constitutional process.