September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON. DC – Human rights advocacy organizations in Washington are calling on the de facto government of Honduras to restore civil liberties and respect human rights and freedom of expression, in the wake of crackdowns in the country following the June ouster of President Manuel Zelaya and Zelaya's secret return to Honduras on September 21.

In a statement issued yesterday to the de facto government of President Roberto Micheletti, global humanitarian agency Church World Service Executive Director and CEO the Rev. John L. McCullough joined with faith-based and other NGO, Latin American policy, human rights, labor, and peace organizations, urging that the country's constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties be restored along with freedom of the press.

The statement's endorsers, members of the Latin America Working Group foreign policy coalition in Washington, also are calling on the Micheletti government to accept international monitoring and mediation and to "dialogue with the constitutionally elected administration of President Manuel Zelaya."

In their letter to Micheletti, the rights groups stated deep concern about the interim government's decree restricting freedom of expression and the right to freely assemble.

The de facto government in Tegucigalpa had earlier shut down Honduran broadcast stations Radio Globo and TV Channel 36, on grounds of the stations' alleged connections to Manuel Zelaya.

Particularly decrying violations of human rights that have taken place since President Manuel Zelaya returned to Honduras on September 21, the statement urged, "We call upon the government to immediately cease excessive use of force by police and military directed at peaceful protestors; arbitrary detentions; and harassment, surveillance and attacks against human rights defenders." The statement also pressed the de facto government to cease acts of hostility directed at the Brazilian Embassy, where Zelaya has sought asylum.

Asking the de facto government to "immediately accept Organization of American States mediators" and to allow other UN and OAS special rapporteurs to monitor the human rights situation, the U.S.-based organizations also are calling on the Honduran Supreme Court and the country's congress to accept the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights' request to conduct a visit to verify reports of human rights abuses in recent days.

The Latin America Working Group members additionally are asking the U.S. Department of State to call for protection of human rights in Honduras, "to use all diplomatic means to restore constitutional order in Honduras," and support a process for national dialogue in conjunction with OAS.

Latin America Working Group (at http://www.lawg.org/) is one of the nation's longest standing coalitions dedicated to foreign policy. Church World Service is a global relief, sustainable development, refugee assistance and advocacy agency, with offices and programs in Latin America, the U.S., Europe, Africa and Asia.

English pdf of statement at: http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/DocServer/Honduras_public_statement_Sept_28_2009.pdf?docID=2321.

Spanish pdf at : http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/DocServer/HondurasPublicStatementSpanishSept29-2009.pdf?docID=2322.

Church World Service