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Fri Jul 10 03:32:51 MDT 2009

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Greg

HONDURAS COUP ALERT #19 – July 9, 2009

BELOW:

URGENT ACTION:  Father of boy, who was shot and killed by army during  
Sunday’s pro-democracy protest, has been detained by police!
THINGS OF NOTE (from the streets of Honduras)
CALLS TO ACTION for U.S. and Canadian citizens.  Our governments must  
move from rhetoric to concrete measures
* * *

URGENT ACTION - Illegal Detention

This morning (July 9, 2009), Jose David Murillo Sanchez came to a  
leading human rights group COFADEH (Committee of Family Members of  
the Disappeared) to give testimony about the death of his 19 year old  
son, Isis Oved Murillo Mencilla, who was shot and killed by the  
Honduran army during the Sunday July 5th pro-democracy march, at the  
“Tocontin” airport.

In the COFADEH offices, he gave his testimony to the DGIC (Honduras  
police investigation unit).  He left COFADEH at 1130am, to go home to  
Olancho.  Witnesses came running to COFADEH soon after to say that  
police, in civilian clothes, detained Jose David Murillo Sanchez, put  
him in an unmarked car, and took him away.

COFADEH has confirmed that the DGIC detained him, for some trumped up  
charges from 2 years ago.  Jose David Murillo Sanchez is a member of  
MAO, a campesino, environmental defense organization in Olancho.  The  
DGIC seemingly agreed to take his testimony about the killing of his  
son as a trap, so as to detain him … part of an on-going crackdown in  
Honduras against members of the social movement.

Please denounce this terrible abuse, as part of your on-going  
activism related to the military coup in Honduras.

More information in English: Sandra Cuffe, tel: [504] 9525-6778,  
lavagabunda27 at yahoo.es
More info en Espanol: ofadeh at sdnhon.org.hn, www.cofadeh.org,  
bertha.oliva at cofadeh.org, 8991-0259, 220-7147
* * *

THINGS OF NOTE

The pro-democracy marches continue daily.  The movement is pacing  
itself.  After the marches of 100,000 or more, last Friday, Saturday,  
Sunday, there have been daily marches of thousands in Tegucigalpa,  
Monday through Thursday.  Smaller marches are occurring throughout  
the country.  They are building towards more marches all around the  
country.

The pro-democracy movement has little faith in, but are respecting  
the "negotiations" in Costa Rica.  This is not surprising.  Inside  
Honduras, the rhetoric of the powerful pro-coup sectors (army,  
economic elites, hierarchy of the catholic church, most of the media  
(written, radio and TV) remains incredibly fixated on not giving in  
an inch.  They have the wealth, the means of communication and the  
army and police.  President Zelaya has stated publicly that he is  
"negotiating" only one thing - the date of his return, with all his  
powers and authority as President and with his entire government, and  
how the 'de facto' regime will cede power and how they will be dealt  
with.

Following on the decision of the U.S. government to take away  
recognition and diplomatic privileges of Roberto Flores Bermudez,  
Honduran ambassador to the United States who justified the military  
coup, the U.S. government has now suspended $16.5 million in military  
assistance programs to Honduras (according to the U.S. embassy in  
Tegucigalpa).  From Reuters, the U.S. embassy in Honduras also said  
“a further $180 million in aid for Honduras could also be at risk as  
a result of the June 28 coup which toppled President Manuel Zelaya.”

* * *

CALL TO CONTINUE PRESSURING CANADIAN & U.S. GOVERNMENTS TO IMPLEMENT  
CONCRETE SANCTIONS

UNITED STATES Call to Action:

Support House Resolution on Honduras! Urge your Representative to  
become an original co sponsor of House Resolution demanding  
reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras!

[This action alert comes to you from the Alliance for Global Justice  
and its member projects, the Nicaragua Network, the Campaign for  
Labor Rights, the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, and the Respect for  
Democracy Campaign.]

Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Bill Delahunt (D-MA) have  
sent out a Dear Colleague letter to the other members of the House of  
Representatives asking them to sign on as original co- sponsors to a  
House resolution calling for the reinstatement of Manuel Zelaya as  
president of Honduras. See text of the letter and of the House  
resolution below.  Call your Representative and ask him or her to  
sign on! The Capitol Switchboard number is: 202-224- 3121. All  
original co-sponsors need to be added before 5pm today. Here is some  
suggested language for your call:

"Please tell Representative _________________ that I urge him/her to  
be an original co-sponsor of the McGovern/Delahunt resolution to  
oppose the military led coup in Honduras. The resolution calls for  
the reinstatement of democracy in that country. Please contact Cliff  
Stammerman or Ben Dailey in Delahunt's office before close of  
business today as that will be the closing of original cosponsors."

= = =

Become an original co-sponsor of a resolution opposing the coup  
d'état in Honduras

Deadline is close of business Thursday, July 9, 2009

Dear Colleague:

We ask you to join us in co-sponsoring the resolution below  
condemning the coup d'état in Honduras, demanding that Honduran  
President Manuel Zelaya be returned to office, and welcoming the  
mediation efforts of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias.  As you are  
no doubt aware, an internal political dispute in Honduras degenerated  
into a coup d'état on June 28, 2009, in which the democratically- 
elected President of Honduras was seized by the Honduran military and  
sent into exile. This move was swiftly condemned by the United
States, the Organization of American States, the European Union, and  
the United Nations, all of whom have demanded that President Zelaya  
be reinstated to office.

It is critical that Congress be crystal clear that coups are  
unacceptable. This is particularly important in Latin America, a  
region which has suffered greatly in the past from military  
interference in politics but over the last 30 years has generally  
moved towards democracy. To accept the overthrow of a democratically- 
elected government is to wipe away the progress that has been made -  
progress that has been supported by both Democratic and Republican  
Presidents and Congresses.

To sign on, please contact Cliff Stammerman or Ben Dailey in  
Congressman Delahunt's office at (202) 226- 6434 or at  
cliff.stammerman at mail.house.gov or ben.dailey at mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,  Bill Delahunt, James P. McGovern

* * *

CANADA Call to Action:

CUT AID TO ILLEGAL HONDURAN GOVERNMENT
From: torontoboliviasolidarity at gmail.com

Call the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent,  
to demand that the Canadian government immediately suspend aid to the  
de facto government of Honduras. Democratically elected Honduran  
president Manuel Zelaya was overthrown in a military coup on June  
28th, and the de facto government has categorically refused to allow  
his return to power, threatening instead to arrest him if he sets  
foot on Honduran soil. Zelaya attempted to return to his country on  
Sunday, but his plane was unable to land after the Honduran military  
placed vehicles on the runways of the international airport.  
Meanwhile, at least two peaceful protestors have been killed and  
others injured, civil liberties have been suspended, and journalists  
have been harassed and detained by the current authorities.

The Canadian government has denounced the coup. However, its position  
remains ambiguous. Canada has not cut aid, including military aid, to  
the illegal government that assumed power following the early morning  
kidnapping of President Zelaya ten days ago.  Honduras is the largest  
recipient of Canadian aid in the Central American region. The  
suspension of aid would further isolate the illegal regime that has  
taken power in Honduras.

Already, the United Nations, Organization of American States (OAS),  
European Union and others have condemned the coup and called for  
Zelaya's return. The OAS has expelled Honduras, European and Latin  
American nations have withdrawn their ambassadors, and multilateral  
financial institutions including the World Bank have frozen loan  
payments.

We stand in solidarity with the thousands of Hondurans risking their  
lives in the streets to demand that their voices and their votes be  
respected. We join the Honduran and other Latin American communities  
in Canada in demanding that the Canadian government move beyond words  
in this urgent situation and take strong action against the illegal  
government that has taken over in Honduras. Call Minister Kent today!

Take Action!  Call, fax, or email Minister of State of Foreign  
Affairs (Americas), Peter Kent at Tel: 613-992-0253, Fax:  
613-992-0887, Email: Kent.P at parl.gc.ca. Use the call script below.

Call, fax, or email your MP (click here to contact your MP using your  
postal code) to demand that the Canadian government:

unequivocally denounce the military coup
refuse to recognise any ‘de facto’ government in Honduras
insist on the unconditional reinstatement of the legitimate Honduran  
President, Manuel Zelaya
cut aid to the illegal Honduran government
demand respect for safety and human rights of all Hondurans
demand justice and reparations for the illegal actions and rights  
violations committed during this illegal coup
SUGGEST PHONE CALL SCRIPT:  I urge Canada to take strong action to  
reject the military coup in Honduras.  In keeping with the Canadian  
government’s stated condemnation of the coup, please demand the  
immediate and unconditional reinstatement of legitimate Honduran  
President, Manuel Zelaya, as our European allies have already done.

I know that Honduras is the largest recipient of Canadian aid in the  
Central American region.  Please also cut all Canadian assistance to  
the de facto government, including military aid. Canada must  
immediately back up its words with actions to further isolate the  
illegal government in Honduras.

For more information: http://www.barrionuevocanada.blogspot.com/

* * *

FOR INFORMATION FROM HONDURAS, CONTACT: Grahame Russell (Rights  
Action co-director): info at rightsaction.org, [504] 9630-9507 & 9507-3835

WHAT TO DO

FUNDS ARE NEEDED FOR THIS ON-GOING, ‘PRO-DEMOCRACY’, EMERGENCY  
RESPONSE IN HONDURAS

Rights Action staff in Honduras are providing emergency relief funds,  
every day, to community development, campesino, indigenous and human  
rights organizations for: food and shelter, transportation and  
communication costs, urgent action outreach and human rights  
accompaniment work.

Make tax deductible donations to Rights Action and mail to:
UNITED STATES:  Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
CANADA:  552-351 Queen St. E, Toronto ON, M5A-1T8
CREDIT-CARD DONATIONS: http://rightsaction.org/contributions.htm

AMERICANS AND CANADIANS SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN MEDIA, MEMBERS OF  
CONGRESS, SENATORS & MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, TO DEMAND:

unequivocal denunciation of the military coup
no recognition of this military coup and the ‘de facto’ government of  
Roberto Michelletti and the unconditional return of the  
constitutional government
increasing economic and military sanctions against the coup regime
respect for safety and human rights of all Hondurans
the application of international and national justice the coup  
plotters, and
reparations for the illegal actions and rights violations committed  
during this illegal coup