Open Letter: Restore Civil Liberties and Protect Human Rights in Honduras
We call on the de facto government of Honduras to restore
constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties, respect human rights and freedom
of expression, accept international monitoring and mediation, and establish
dialogue with the constitutionally elected administration of President Manuel
Zelaya. We call on all parties in Honduras to resolve this conflict through
peaceful means.
We are greatly concerned about the Micheletti government’s
decision to suspend constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties through the
decree published on September 26th, 2009 in the official government
newspaper. We are also concerned about
the violations of human rights and freedom of expression that have taken place
since President Manuel Zelaya returned to Honduras on September 21st. 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. We urge the government
to cease acts of hostility and harassment directed at the Brazilian
Embassy. We are gravely concerned about
restrictions upon the freedom of the press, including the suspension of
guarantees of freedom of expression included in the September 26th
decree and actions to cut off power to, occupy and close media outlets.
We urge the de facto government to immediately accept
Organization of American States mediators, and call upon the Honduran Supreme
Court and Congress to accept the request of the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights to conduct a visit to verify the reports of human rights abuses
since September 21st. We further
call upon the government to provide access to other UN and OAS special
rapporteurs to monitor the human rights situation.
Finally, we urge the U.S. State Department to advocate
strongly for protection of human rights and civil liberties, and to use all
diplomatic means to restore constitutional order in Honduras and support, in
conjunction with Organization of American States, a process for national
dialogue.
Jean Stokan
Director
Institute Justice
Team, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Reverend John L.
McCullough
Executive Director and CEO
Church World Service
Vicki Gass
Senior Associate for Rights and Development
Washington Office on Latin
America
Robert E. White
President
Center for
International Policy
Jennifer Atlee
Co-Director
Quixote Center
John A. Nunes
President and CEO
Lutheran World Relief
Viviana Krsticevic
Executive Director
Center for Justice
and International Law
Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo, Executive Minister
Michael
Neuroth, Policy Advocate on International Issues
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
LaMarco Cable
Program Associate for Advocacy and Education
Global Ministries
of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ
James E. Winkler
General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church
T. Michael McNulty
Justice and Peace Director
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Sarah Stephens, Executive
Director
Bart Beeson,
Program Associate
Center for Democracy
in the Americas
Mary B. Campbell
Associate Director for
Companionship, Advocacy,and Education for Latin America and
the Caribbean, Global Mission
Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America
Erin Kliewer
Executive Director
STITCH
Amanda Martin
Director
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Eric LeCompte
National Organizer
SOA Watch
John Lindsay-Poland
and Susana Pimiento Chamorro
Co-Directors
Fellowship of
Reconciliation Task Force on Latin America and the Caribbean
Marie Dennis
>Director
Maryknoll Office for
Global Concerns
Nan McCurdy
President
CEPRHI, Ecumenical
Committee of English Speaking Church Personnel, Nicaragua
Stephen Coats
Executive Director
US
Labor Education in the Americas
Project - USLEAP
Kristen Moller
Executive Director
Global Exchange
Dave Robinson
Executive Director
Pax Christi USA:
National Catholic Peace Movement
Roz Dzelzitis
Executive Director
May I Speak Freely Media
Laura Carlsen
Director, Americas
Program
Center for
International Policy
Sharon Hostetler
Executive Director
Witness for Peace
Barbara Mecker
Staff Liaison, Latin America/Caribbean Committee
Loretto Community
Mary Ellen McNish
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee
Sarah Aird
Board
Member
Amnesty International USA
Jim Vondracek
Managing Director
Chicago Religious
Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)
Manuel Pérez Rocha
Associate Fellow
Institute for Policy Studies
José
Artiga
Executive Director
SHARE Foundation
September 29, 2009
Coordinated by Latin America Working Group
