Coup Protestor Gang-Raped by Honduran Police

On Friday, Latin America scholars sent an urgent letter to Human Rights Watch, urging HRW to speak out on violations of human rights under the coup regime in Honduras and to conduct its own investigation. HRW hasn't made any statement about Honduras since July 8.

One of the things Human Rights Watch should be investigating is allegations by Honduran feminists and human rights groups that Honduran police are using rape and other sexual violence as weapons of intimidation against Hondurans nonviolently protesting the coup regime.

[UPDATE: Human Rights Watch put out a very strong statement today (8/25), highlighting the IACHR report, noting, among other things, the sexual assault allegations, and urging the U.S. to exert more pressure for the restoration of democracy. Kudos to Human Rights Watch.]

The Spanish news agency EFE reports:

The group Feministas de Honduras en Resistencia said Thursday that is has documented 19 instances of rape by police officers since the June 28 coup that ousted President Mel Zelaya. There have been many other cases of rape, but the women have not reported them out of fear of reprisals, Gilda Rivera, the executive coordinator of the Honduran Center for Women's Rights and head of Feministas, told Efe.

The activists say that women taking part in the resistance to the coup are being targeted. "We've obtained testimonials from women who've been sexually abused, beaten with cudgels on different parts of their bodies, especially the breasts and buttocks," adds the report presented Thursday at a press conference in Tegucigalpa.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - part of the Organization of American States - also reported last week it had testimony from Hondurans alleging rape and other sexual violence by the Honduran police. If the IACHR can obtain this testimony, surely Human Rights Watch can obtain it.

One of the victims, Irma Villanueva, told her story to the Jesuit-run Radio Progreso. You can listen to the interview [Spanish] here. Here is an English transcript of the Radio Progreso interview with Irma Villanueva. [Translation by Maria Soledad Cervantes.]

Irma Villanueva: Good afternoon, last Friday we went to the march -

Host: Friday - you're talking of the march at Choloma

Irma: Yes, that's right. We went to the march, we stayed there a while. All of a sudden we saw like a people stampede coming, - All was confused, they brought tear gas canisters. Lost myself from my group in the confusion, they started grabbing us - other persons and myself, we were forced into a [police] patrol pickup. They said they were going to Choloma, they came out through some part behind, and I heard them ask a police officer: "Chepe Luis, and this here [woman], where is she going?" "She goes to San Pedro," he answered. - And then - only I remained on the flat part [on the bed] of the pickup [starts sobbing] and ... I don't know where they were bound, because, the cop kept me pinned face down, immobilized with his foot on my back [sobs], and they took me to a very cloddy, gritty place [sobs], then took me down and told me "Now bitch, now you're gonna see what happens to you for you being where you shouldn't be (starts weeping) I was raped by four police ... . I managed to see the name of two of them, one was Ortiz, another's name is Lopez, and the other was the one called Chepe Luis, the fourth one I couldn't - didn't find out his name.

After they raped me [themselves], they stuck into me a ... ... that black thing police strikes you with. They left me lying down in the open [i.e. in the wilderness] - - I begged them "please, don't hurt me, I have little children, I implore you! And they insulted me and called me names, I only asked God to protect me for my children, because they're young. They left me all alone there. I was unconscious, I guess, don't know. Then I got up with with what strength I had [left] and managed to reach the curb of a highway, I walked for around half an hour. I fell and stayed on the ground because I couln't stand the pain in my private parts [weeping] ... and a lady picked me up, I told her please to take me with my mom, don't know how much time we took, the only thing I could see, we left through the side of Zincon[ph] ... and I was taken where my mom was ... My mom was already there, and my husband was looking for me. No ... Didn't want to go to the police, how could I if they had been the ones who injured me. Only - [she can't go on]

Host: This is so difficult, Irma's situation, Irma Villanueva, 25 years old, a mother of four kids - and girls? How many [girls] - ?

Irma: A boy and three girls.

Host: A boy and three girls. She has come here to Radio Progreso station in order to give her testimony, that we listen to her, that you our friends, women and men who tune in with us, listen to what happened to her, what has not come out to the mainstream media, what everybody keeps silent, in this country, under this de facto government - and you do not remember exactly the place where they took you? and were taken you alone?

Irma: Me alone, several persons were going, men for the most part, because - I was going in a corner but me they left on the bed of the pickup - and they took only me, I guess me, I was the only woman. I only remember the place full of branches, trees, with mounts, for as long as I walked, the mountain blocked the view, and it - When I managed to get out, I had to walk over some ditches, then like a little lagoon and I knew it was Ticamaya where I got out as I noted that we left on the side of Zincon.

Host: And who helped you?

Irma: A lady who was passing by, I stayed lying on the ground as I couldn't stand the pain in my abdomen [sobs]

Host: Yes

Irma: and she saw I was fallen, and got down and helped me, I asked her to help me please, and [she asked] could she take me to a hospital and I said no, that I wanted her to take me with my mom because - what could I get in forensic medicine? that they took me with the police, when they were the ones who did this to me.

Host: That they mock, make fun!

Irma: Yes ... yes, for they were telling horrible things to me, and I was frightened.

Where is Human Rights Watch?

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Comments

[JGallardo]

04:36 PM on 08/27/2009

What is a Coup d'Etat? It occurs when a group of people destroy or displace the government as defined by the country's constituti­on. A Government­, however, is not defined by one person who holds a current or past job but by the institutio­ns that it compromise­s.

In the case of Honduras, the institutio­ns that conform the Government­, especially the three branches of government­, are still in place. When the Swedish Government pulled out of the Poverty Reduction Strategy in 2007, their analysts indicated that the Executive power was still hampered by clientelis­m and lack of transparen­cy (the Zelaya Executive)­. They expressed their belief that the new congress, being the youngest in history and with many new representa­tives seemed to be more concerned with servicing the people they represent. That Congress, elected in November 2005 is still in power. The Court, whose 7 year period ended in January, 2007 was newly elected to serve for 7 years in a process that was considered exceptiona­lly transparen­t for our burgeoning Democracy. There were no repetition­s. This is the Supreme Court that emitted the order to arrest Mr. Zelaya.

The Honduran people do not want to go back to the past when handpicked congresses "legitimiz­ed" the dictator's oppression as Mr. Zelaya's CONSTITUEN­T Assembly pretended to do. We want to move forward in our Democracy with greater representa­tivity and Participat­ion.

[RevBookburn]

04:55 PM on 08/25/2009

The coup leaders need to be ousted. There should be no support from anywhere to those criminals. The perps of these crimes should be brought to justice.

[RobertNaiman]

04:32 PM on 08/25/2009

UPDATE: Human Rights Watch put out a very good statement today (8/25), highlighti­ng the IACHR report, noting, among other things, the sexual assault allegation­s, and urging the U.S. to exert more pressure for the restoratio­n of democracy. Kudos to Human Rights Watch.

Honduras: Rights Report Shows Need for Increased Internatio­nal Pressure
http://www­.hrw.org/e­n/news/200­9/08/25/ho­nduras-rig­hts-report­-shows-nee­d-increase­d-internat­ional-pres­sure

[JGallardo]

04:48 PM on 08/27/2009

A key to democratic progress in Honduras is the rejection of a General Amnesty as expressed in the San Jose Proposal. Hondurans demand that Zelaya, and anybody else for that matter, face the crimes they have been charged with. Some of Zelaya’s crimes imply that he cease immediatel­y in his office.

Ironically­, Manuel Zelaya would not be the first, but the second generation of Zelayas to be pardoned with a General Amnesty. Manuel Zelaya Senior, his father, served 7 years of a prison term for murdering leftist protestors in the 70s, amongst them, one priest. Still more ironically­, Zelaya Senior was released with the Amnesty that was a part of Arias’s peace proposals in the 90s and earned him his Nobel Prize.
Mr. Zelaya has 18 counts against him, three with outstandin­g arrest warrants. The people have seen the pictures of duffle bags filled with 40 Million Lempiras, led out from the Central Bank's vault and later, sequence numbers were found in Ms Rixi Moncada's last known Hotel room and the pockets of the boy, Obed Murillo, shot in the OAS Airport Fiasco. His Cabinet members have their own counts and arrest warrants

Why do foreign countries want to force us to forget about these crimes? Why do they want us to accept a treaty that disregards our laws and our Constituti­on? Why do they want to brush away Zelaya’s criminal behaviour?

You cannot commit to a POLITICAL “solution” that disregards the LEGAL issues.

[RobertNaiman]

05:32 PM on 08/27/2009

I gather that you are now conceding by your silence that you made up your claim about the IACHR out of whole cloth, although you won't admit it explicitly­. I think the credibilit­y of all of your comments should be viewed in this light.

You criticize the proposed amnesty of the San Jose Accords because it would protect -temporari­ly, at least - Zelaya from prosecutio­n for his alleged crimes. You claim that "Hondurans­" share your views - but you don't cite any evidence for this claim. I don't doubt that the privileged elites whose interests you represent in your comments generally share your views. But isn't that what's at stake in the coup? Whether those privileged elites can impose their interests by force, or whether the majority of poor Hondurans can have a say.

As you surely know, the proposed amnesty of the San Jose Accord is two-sided. It would also protect the coup leaders from prosecutio­n. You don't seem to have any problem with that, which I think is an instructiv­e fact about where you are coming from.

[Billy Hell]

11:38 PM on 08/24/2009

An interestin­g report from Indymedia:

Cuban Connection­: Honduran Coup

It's well known that one of the largest supporters of the coup against Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, was a Cuban multi-mill­ionaire named Rafael Hernández Nodarse; more commonly know by his alias "Ralph H. Nodarse." He is the owner of San Pedro Sula's most popular TV station, Channel 6, which has played a decisive role in the justificat­ion of the coup and in the campaign to support Micheleti and the other insurrecti­onists.

Perhaps slightly less well known is that, before the coup, Ralph Nodarse was an active participan­t in assassinat­ion attempts against president Zelaya. And it may not be common knowledge, outside of Honduras, that his name came to light in a bombing attempt against former Honduran president Carlos Roberto Reina.

Outside of Honduras people probably don't know about the meetings Nodarse held in his San Padro Sula house with members of the Miami mafia to plan action against President Zelaya and his chancellor­, Patricia Rodas, for their pro- Cuba posture in the meetings in Trinidad and Toago in April; two months before Micheleti'­s coup in June.

http://www­.indymedia­.ie/articl­e/93757

[Billy Hell]

11:12 PM on 08/24/2009

Thank you for the continued coverage of this coup and the atrocities being perpetrate­d by it's leaders and supporters Robert. My understand­ing, from keeping tabs on what is going on via various sources, is that anti-coup sentiment is growing daily. There is not enough coverage of that fact here in the US.

Also, despite the coup leaders biding their time in an attempt to let Zelayas term run out, UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) have unanimousl­y indicated they will not accept any election results from the illegitima­te coup regime. Hopefully the OAS takes a similar line.

It is my belief at this stage, that democracy will be restored and that this coup, initiated by US and Honduran corporate interests will fail.

[BillyHewitt]

04:34 PM on 08/24/2009

If Canada joined ALBA and jacked up the price of oil to $100 a barrel they would become an economic giant because they are the number 1 supplier of oil to USA. The USA has run out of oil and has convinced Canada to be it's lackey and every time Hillary snaps her fingers Canada jumps to; but If Canada dared join ALBA, Clinton would organize a military coup or have the CIA assassinat­e their government leaders.

[Ira7]

03:18 PM on 08/25/2009

The USA is running out of oil? Really?

[BillyHewitt]

04:32 PM on 08/24/2009

Is your job scheduled to be outsourced to the FTAA Honduras Maquila sweatshop horror?
Is your next job going to pay more than FREE TRADE rate of $0.27 per hour?

The fascists seized power in Honduras via a US State Department military backed coup are aligned with the elite fascists in Venezuela that have controlled the education system in Venezuela and produced poverty and dictatorsh­ips while excluding the poor from healthcare­. The fascists and neo cons have been routed in Venezuela with the new "Education Law guaranteei­ng every child the right to an equal education"­. Hurray for ALBA and freedom and democracy. In America we claim to have democracy but our children are not guaranteed a right to an equal education and 50 million people are left out of our healthcare system. Our elite congress has cadillac healthcare and is debating whether all Americans have a right to healthcare or education while they continue to lubricate our great war machine that has the new mission of destroying democracie­s and promoting fascism. I believe America needs another constituti­onal convention to set our priorities and contain the military industrial complex. Let's scrap cadillac healthcare and pensions for congress and elect people that serve the American people instead of the FREE TRADE welfare companies like NIKE that located 120,000 American jobs offshore in Honduras to avoid paying American taxes.

Sincerely, Billy Hewitt
A Friend Of Democracy Founder of FTAA_Museu­m_Of_Horro­rs
Email FTAA Horror Photos to FTAA_Museu­m_Of_Horro­[e-mail]

[hlmm1705]

11:02 PM on 08/24/2009

Sadly is not rich peolple who subvert educationa­l system , these is job of the same educators that just think in how to gather more money in a system that they are already hihgly paid, don´t pay taxes, and just give about 150 dyas of classes, because the rest of time they are in strike. Sadly in Honduras no one looks for collective­ly benefit just for it´s own.

[JGallardo]

02:44 PM on 08/24/2009

When the Inter-Amer­ican Human Rights Commission met with the police in Honduras, they said they had reports of 5 missing people. The police answered: "Tell us who the are and we`ll search for them." Notice that naming them would have been a way to protect them. The Commission­'s answer was: "We don't know their names." How can you say they're missing if you don't even know who they are?

You don't even know if this lady who claims she was raped is a real person or a fictional character?

What I can tell you for a fact is that the Honduran police threw open their archives, jails and gave every possible assistance to the Inter-Amer­ican Human Rights Commission­. They saw the videos, they talked to everyone and anyone. They also confirmed that there has been no curtailing of freedom of press or expression­.

If Human Rights Watch wants to come and also talk to everyone, they will be welcomed. If they want to take part in police activities­, they will be able to do so.

That majority of Honduran citizens support Zelaya's legal ouster, but also want the police to respect human rights, even for those oppossed to the current government­. As long as they maintain their manifestat­ions peaceful. We don't approve any excessive police force against them. But they have been using sticks, rocks (big ones, too), molotov bombs and gunfire, so this makes everything more difficult.

Open your eyes.

[RobertNaiman]

03:32 PM on 08/24/2009

As Barney Frank might say, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?"

You write, for example, that the IAHCR "confirmed that there has been no curtailing of freedom of press or expression­. "

The IACHR has published a report in English here:
http://www­.cidh.oas.­org/Comuni­cados/Engl­ish/2009/6­0-09eng.Pr­eliminary.­Observatio­ns.htm

I challenge you or anyone to show how that report indicates that the IACHR "confirmed that there has been no curtailing of freedom of press or expression­. "

For example: "The control of informatio­n has been implemente­d through the temporary shutdown of some media outlets; a ban on the transmissi­on of signals of certain cable television stations that were reporting on the coup d’état; the selective use of power outages to affect the transmissi­on by audiovisua­l media reporting on the coup; and attacks and threats against journalist­s from media outlets with editorial positions opposed to the coup d’état."

or: "The IACHR has received informatio­n about situations that have arisen since the coup d’état that constitute serious violations of the right to freedom of expression­...on June 28, 2009, various media outlets...­were forced, by military occupation­s of their facilities­, to suspend their broadcasts­. ...It was also verified that several cable channels were taken off the air and that TV programs that took a critical view of the coup were suspended.­.."

[JGallardo]

04:31 PM on 08/24/2009

I spend my time in a planet named Honduras. What about you?

The IAHCR recieved many claims which, in the english version they call "confirmed­". In spanish they're called "denuncias­" = "someone says". That's all they can confirm: That somebody told them.

Admittedly­, some radio and TV stations were blocked for less than 48 hours at the beginning of the ouster. IAHRC claims they were weren't done legally because they don't recognize the new government as legal. But the MAJORITY of Hondurans recognize the new government as legal and whether they want to admit it or not, there was a crisis going on.

The figure of 3,500 arrested is ridiculous­. They wouldn't even fit in our jails. The real figure is much lower and they have been let out except the ones with legal charges for vandalism (about 12 of them) when the evidence is clear.

We're sorry the curfew didn't continue. I have teenage kids. I guess that's the planet I live in. Actually the rate of deaths by violent crimes (murders, car crashes, etc) fell drasticall­y during those days.

Like I said, the police were very open with the IAHRC. Like Abraham Lincoln said: "Let Right make Might."

Undoubtedl­y, with a Venezuelan president and an Argentine vice president heading the commission­, we didn't expect an impartial report, but it does bring the reality closer than the "bloodbath­s" Zelaya has been ranting about.

Did you see the reports about the Honduran organizati­ons that are linked to the FARC?

[mpineiro]

01:53 PM on 08/24/2009

This testimony is unbelievab­ly brave and important. I'm angry and frustrated and sad and angry some more.

How long will the US corporate media continue to ignore the military coup in Honduras? How many more times must I be insulted by the US corporate media talking about the "bloodless removal of wanna-be dictator 'Mel' Zelaya"? More importantl­y, how much longer before President "Change" Obama does something meaningful to halt the blood-soak­ed military coup in Honduras?

When will the demands of the United Nations, the Organizati­on of American States, the European Union and every single head of state in the Americas be honored?

Only President Obama, as leader of Honduras' largest trading partner, can answer that question. There are immediate steps that can be taken to end this coup TODAY: freezing the assets of the coup plotters, targeted sanctions against the business elite and real diplomacy that demands action. President Obama, who stood before every single Latin American head of state and said that the Americas must look "forward" -- to put aside the United States' crimes against Latin America in the past and deal with today, and the future.

Well, right now, TODAY, Mr President, the CIA-suppor­ted Latin America right-wing elite is disappeari­ng and torturing and raping and beating and killing the innocent people of Honduras. We ARE looking today, Mr President, and we see the same old business-a­s-usual in our hemisphere­.