What is happening in Honduras?

On June 28, 2009, the legitimate President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was taken from his house by the country's military at gunpoint and taken outside the country. An illegitimate and criminal government was installed with Raoberto Micheletti as its President.

It has since then ruled by extreme force and repression of the masses, with constant curfews, mass detentions, assassinations and multiple acts of violence perpetrated by the police and the army who have established in Honduras a state of siege where human rights violations are committed constantly against the majority of the people who are demonstrating against the coup. It has violated as well the freedom of expression, closing radio and TV stations that were reporting what was happening.

In spite of the unrelenting repression, under tear gases and live ammunition that so far have killed 8 people, injured scores and detained more than 1,500, the people, organized under the National Popular Front of Resistance against the Coup, have been on the streets daily since June 28 courageously demonstrating to bring back their elected President Zelaya, to restore constitutionality in the country and for their right to have a Constitutional Assembly to forge the future that they want in their own country.

If so many people are against the coup, why is the Micheletti government still in power?

THE ONLY SUPPORT THAT HOLDS THE COUP D'ETAT IN HONDURAS AND PREVENTS THE RETURN OF DEMOCRACY IN THAT COUNTRY IS THE UNITED STATES. The U.S. is Honduras' major trading partner and has used that country as its military outpost against the Nicaraguan and Salvadoran Revolutions in the 80's. It is in Honduras where the criminal "Contras" operated, trained by the infamous School of the Americas. The Honduran military is intimately linked to the Pentagon from which receives every kind of material aid and weapons, assistance in training, surveillance and military actions.

The Obama administration who claims to be on the side of democracy, says the U.S. should not intervene in Honduras. But they are intervening by refusing to recall its ambassador and by keeping the flow of aid and support to the criminal government.

Why should we be concerned here in the United States?

The people in the U.S. are part of the international community and what affects other countries, affects us here. Money spent in aiding criminals abroad is taken from the budgets for education, healthcare, housing and essential needs here. We need a culture of peace for our children, otherwise violence will perpetuate in this country.

What can I do?

The mainstream media lies about what is happening in Honduras. Write to the newspapers and demand that truth be told. Write letters to the editor. Talk to your family, friends, and coworkers about it. The same negative way that the media portrays poor people, people of color, workers demanding fair wages here, they portray our brothers and sisters in Honduras and elsewhere. We have more in common with the people in Honduras resisting the coup than with the bosses of AIG, Bank of America, General Motors and other big companies in the U.S.

Sign the online email petition to Obama, Clinton, Biden, Congress, the U.N. and the media at: http://www.iacenter.org/honduraspetition

For more information : International Action Center; 815 S. 48 th St., Philadelphia, PA 19143; 215-724-1618 PhillyIAC@peoplesmail.net