PETITION: U.S. DELEGATION TO GATHER EVIDENCE ON CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS AND IMPACT OF COUP; YOUR SUPPORT for this human rights delegation is URGENTLY NEEDED
Send a message to the White House, Congress, Honduran
officials and the media demanding they insure the safety and security of this
U.S. delegation.
Sign the petition online
at http://www.iacenter.info/honduras/safeguardhondurasdelegation
On Wednesday, a 12-person delegation
from the United States will be traveling to Honduras .
The purpose of the trip is to conduct a fact-finding investigation of the
critical situation in the country.
The delegation must be permitted to enter Honduras . The continuing shut down
of Honduras by the government that issued from the June 28 coup must be
challenged.
The delegation calls on their elected officials, members of Congress and
representatives of the media to take action to ensure the unrestricted entry
and the success and safety of the U.S. delegation. With the long-term Soto Cano
U.S. air base in Honduras (also called Palmerola base) and a history of
training Honduran military officers, Washington plays a major role in any
decision in that country.
Students, labor, clergy as well as peace activists are traveling to Honduras to
learn about the critical situation in the country including a ban of
constitutional rights. They aim to return and explain to the U.S. population
all the facts about the current situation in Honduras , including the situation
of those who have opposed the coup government.
The delegation will be in Honduras from October 7 through October 11,
participating in a fact-finding delegation.
The delegation had planned to attend the “First International Conference
Against the Coup D’Etat and for the Constituent National Assembly in
Honduras ,” which was scheduled to take place Oct. 8-10. The conference
is now postponed due to the political situation, which has grown tenser since
President Manuel Zelaya returned to Tegucigalpa and found refuge in the
Brazilian Embassy.
The U.S. Delegation is continuing its trip in order to meet with students,
labor, women, youth, and representatives of the resistance to the coup and
others to find the truth about the situation in Honduras .
On Saturday, Honduras will be the site of an important World Cup qualifying
soccer match, expected to attract 50,000 people in San Pedro Sula . If the
existing coup government of Honduras can not guarantee the safety of this small
human rights delegation how can they claim to be able to guarantee the safety
of such a large crowd, including many international visitors?
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) led a delegation to Honduras in late August.
Organizers of the delegation told the October 7 – 11 delegates that U.S.
human rights presence is critical at this time and they support the efforts of
the current fact-finding delegation.
The report of the NLG trip, which was written by members of the American
Association of Jurists, the NLG and the International Association of Democratic
Lawyers as well as the International Association Against Torture confirm that
the June 28 events in Honduras constitute a genuine military coup. The report
further states that the military overthrow “was a clear violation of
Honduras ’ 1982 Political constitution.”
Take action now - sign the petition below to demand the safety and
security of the human rights delegation!
PETITION
To: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President
Joe Biden, Congressional leaders, U.N. General Assembly President
d'Escoto-Brockmann, U.N. Secretary General Ban, the Organization of
American States, FIFA and World Cup leaders and sponsors and major media
representatives including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los
Angeles Times, the Associated Press, Reuters and Telesur:
I want to call your attention to a delegation from the United States that will
be traveling to Honduras on Oct. 7. Ensuring the safety and security of this
delegation requires your attention.
Students, labor, clergy as well as peace activists plan to visit Honduras from
October 7 through October 11 to learn about the critical situation in the
country including a ban of constitutional rights. The fact-finding
investigation of the critical situation in the country can only be carried out
if its freedom of movement and safety is guaranteed. The delegation must be
permitted to enter Honduras and to speak with Hondurans.
With the long-term Soto Cano U.S. air base in Honduras (also called Palmerola
base) and a history of training Honduran military officers, the attitude of the
U.S. government is vital to any actions taken by the de-facto government in
Honduras.
They aim to return and explain to the U.S. population all the facts about the
current situation in Honduras, including the situation of those who have
opposed the coup government.
On Saturday, Honduras will be the site of a major World Cup qualifying soccer
match, expected to attract 50,000 people in San Pedro Sula. If the existing
coup government of Honduras cannot guarantee the safety of this small human
rights delegation how can they claim to be able to guarantee the safety of such
a large crowd, including many international visitors?
The American Association of Jurists, the National Lawyers Guild, the
International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the International
Association Against Torture have just released a report that confirm that the
June 28 events in Honduras constitute a genuine military coup. The report
further states that the military overthrow "was a clear violation of
Honduras' 1982 Political constitution."
Under these conditions, the people of the world will hold you accountable for
insuring the security and safety of this fact-finding delegation and its
ability to gather the truth and bring it back to the people of the U.S.
Sincerely,
(Your signature will be appended here based on the contact information you
enter in the form above)
Sign
the petition online at http://www.iacenter.info/honduras/safeguardhondurasdelegation
