The Resistance in Honduras
The Resistance is quick to remind us that they are not Zelayistas (Zelaya supporters)… We need to expand the vision of what the Resistance movement is and not just emphasize the liberal storyline around Zelaya, for the Resistance movement would not continue without the popular movement driving it.
The entire spectra of “coup/non-coup” propaganda is confusing. Their are two camps and, obviously, each one accuses the other of horrible violations of justice.
As I’ve tracked the news about the on-going developments in Honduras, it seems several things are clear:
1. Ex-President Manuel Zelaya did enact laws that were benefiting the widespread poor in Honduras.
2. Ex-President Manuel Zelaya did attempt to illegally hold a vote that could have given him a longer presidency.
3. The manner of the removal of Zelaya is controversial at the least.
4. The leadership of interim President Roberto Michelletti as well as the current leadership of recently elected President Perfirio “Pepe” Lobo have led to grave injustices committed against the Honduran people, including the use of noxious gas and severe injuries and even death for peaceful protesters.
You don’t want a President usurping a country. Nor do you want a militaristic government that makes protesters vanish.
Where’s the truth in all of this? What’s the solution??
A seemingly well-rounded perspective from The Student Life:
Adelante, Adelante la Lucha es Constante! A Political Timeline of the Honduran Resistance
By Jeannette Charles
“It’s not about supporting Mel Zelaya specifically, it’s about defending democracy in Honduras,” Miriam Miranda of OFRANEH (Fraternal Black Organization of Honduras) said, speaking about the Resistance movement at the Honduras Justice Tour forum held at Scripps College last November. The tour brought together speakers from all sectors of Honduran civil society to speak to the U.S. public and government officials on the issues facing Hondurans. More recently, I had the opportunity to re-visit Honduras as part of a delegation for three weeks ending Jan. 31.
Honduras has been the site of a political battleground as repressive conditions have escalated since the Jun. 28 coup against the democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya. The last seven months of Resistance against the government of interim President Roberto Michelletti, Zelaya’s replacement, have become an era of severe human and civil rights violations against the Honduran people. The struggle following the coup in June culminated in formal national elections to replace Micheletti permanently. On Nov. 28, Perfirio “Pepe” Lobo of the National Party “won” the much-disputed election despite overwhelming opposition, with 65 to 70 percent national abstention. For the Resistance, who opposed the initial coup, the election of Lobo was a farse. They demanded that international organizations and countries not recognize the outcome as a legitimate democratic process…
El Libertador’s January edition showcased the casualties throughout the Resistance, with political assassinations ranging from gunshot wounds, strangulation within resistors’ homes and health issues following marches during which police used noxious gas against peaceful protestors. In many of these cases, families have been denied their right to an autopsy. Last week, Vanessa Yamileth Zepeda, a 29-year-old union leader, was murdered after leaving a union meeting in Tegucigalpa. Her body was “dumped” and found Feb. 4 in a community known for its support of the Resistance. However, despite persecution, threats, censorship, curfews, and other mechanisms of state terror, the struggle against the perpetrators of the illegal coup and the illegitimately elected government of Lobo continues with 57 currently known local and national organizations in resistance.
Read the entire article by clicking here.
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