On the 80^th day of the coup, both the de facto government and the resistance movement against the coup held marches to celebrate the anniversary of Central America’s independence from Spain. At a military parade, de facto President Roberto Micheletti defiantly insisted that it would take a military intervention to remove him. Meanwhile, thousands of coup resisters, with elected President Manuel Zelaya’s wife at the head, marched through the central park of Tegucigalpa, where last month police and military attacked peaceful protesters and passers-by.   The massive resistance movement in Honduras continues to grow, denouncing the violent coup as an illegal take over on the part of neocolonial economic and military interests.  

 We thank everyone for their prayers for the Honduran people, and for our delegation this week. Our delegation will issue a more formal report after we return home, but informal notes follow in order to share a glimpse of what we are experiencing. While we are the sixth delegation in a series of international human rights missions since the coup on June 28th, we are the first religious delegation.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras, August 21, 2009 — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) today concluded its on-site visit to Honduras, which began on August 17, 2009. The purpose of the visit was to observe the human rights situation in the context of the coup d’état of June 28, 2009. The delegation was composed of the IACHR President, Luz Patricia Mejía; the First Vice President, Víctor Abramovich; the Second Vice President and Rapporteur for Honduras, Felipe González; Commissioner Paolo Carozza; and Executive Secretary Santiago A. Canton. The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Catalina Botero, was also part of the delegation.

I returned on Saturday from an intense two weeks of accompanying International delegations in Honduras.

Wednesday's Events in Tegucigalpa

We had breathed a collective sigh of relief that the mass mobilizations of Tuesday had passed without major incident.  In the morning on Wednesday, part of our delegation went to join that day’s march which, after an extended assembly at the University headed off towards downtown Tegucigalpa.  Three of us who have been coordinating spent the morning writing a framework for an ongoing presence of delegations.

Our plan for the day had been to divide our delegation into three groups, with each group joining marches from different directions.  At the last minute we were advised that the marchers coming in from the North, from Siguatepeque and La Esperanza, were the smallest group and thus thought to be the most vulnerable.  As it turned out, they were also the group that was the farthest away from the city.

The march in Tegucigalpa today was massive and spirited.  It would be hard to get an accurate count of how many people participated, but it spread out for blocks and blocks.  It left from the Pedagogic University and we walked for several miles to the headquarters of the United Nations.  A letter asking for UN accompaniment had been prepared beforehand which was delivered to the representative.

Something unprecedented is occurring in Honduras.  Since the military coup which occurred on June 28th, the people of Honduras have mounted 6 weeks of sustained, massive, non-violent resistance to the violent take-over of their country.   Perhaps even more astounding, is that this resistance shows no signs of tapering off.  On the contrary, the movement continues to build in momentum and numbers despite violent repression on the part of the military.

Last week, hundreds of thousands of people began walking 10-12 miles per day, from all parts of the country, to converge on the cities of Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula on Tuesday, August 11.  The columns of people, filling two to three lanes of traffic, camp out in towns along the way at night, picking up more marchers at every stop.  Reminiscent of Ghandi’s great salt marches, the people of Honduras are writing a new chapter in the history of non-violent struggle in Central America.

Saturday we went to a cultural event in the Central Park of Tegucigalpa, where poets and singers entertained an animated crowd. The event was titled “Youth armed with Culture against Barbarity”.  It was a lively and uplifting time.

Part of our group then headed to Sabana Grande, one of the locations where people who are part of the 7-day march are walking into Tegucigalpa.  By the time the delegates arrived, people were done walking for the day, and many were already in houses which had offered spaces to sleep.  There were at least 2000 people on the walk by then, and about 200 of them were at a school, where they had a spirited encounter.  For many on our delegation, this was their most memorable moment. The spirit of resistance bubbled from the crowd, many of whom have walked 10-15 miles a day for almost a week.

Sábado 8 de agosto de 2009

Buenos Días, Gente de la Resistencia!

Le brindamos saludos de parte de todos los pueblos del mundo, especialmente la gente solidaria de los EEUU. Nosotros somos un grupo de estadounidenses que venimos aquí tras la invitación de ustedes, y continuando una presencia internacional representando la Alianza Social Continental, el Centro Quijote, la Búsqueda para la Paz,  Enlazando Alternativas y otras delegaciones internacionales de derechos humanos. Venimos aquí como observadores porque sabemos que es sumamente importante la presencia internacional durante este periodo crítico de este pueblo. Los ojos del mundo tienen que quedarse firmes en este país, con este pueblo y sus manifestaciones claras de amplia resistencia.