Archive:
Central America
10/09-1/10
8/09-9/09
6/09 - 7/09
2003-5/2009
1989-2002
On AfroCubaWeb
Honduras' General Romeo Vásquez
Velásquez and the Narcotraffickers, 11/1/09
Cartas desde Tegucigalpa,
29/9/09
Unconventional
Weapons in Honduras: the Israeli Factor, with updates
Col Edward Cutolo's tale - prelude to
Honduras, 2009?
Cyberattack on the "Frente Nacional Contra el Golpe" site?
9-22-09
General Romeo
Vasquez Velasquez and the Gobierno del Reino: Theocracy in Honduras?
with updates
Hospital Garifuna de Ciriboya
with updates
Belize Media
Channel 5
Guatemala Media
La Hora
Siglo XXI
Honduras anti-coup
ANMCLA
CMI Chiapas
Comité para la
Defensa de los Derechos Humanos en Honduras - CODEH
Comité de
Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras (COFADEH)
Consejo Civico de Organizaciones Populares e Indigenas de Honduras -
COPINH
Defensores en Linea
Dick Emanuelsson
El
Libertador
Frente Nacional contra el Golpe de Estado with Twitter Feeds from the
field
Habla Honduras
Hibueras
Honduras Coup 2009
Honduras Oye!
Honduras Resistencia
Honduras Resists
Honduras Resists!
Honduras Solidarity
Los Necios
- OPLN
Machetera
- in English
Mirada de Halcón
Resistencia Morazán
NarcoNews
Quotha -
Adrienne Pine
Radio Globo - live audio, ordered shut down, but still broadcasting!
Rights Action
TeleSur
- Golpe
Telesur - en vivo
Upside
Down World
Honduras pro-coup
Honduras This Week
Secretaria
de Defensa - FFAA
Honduras Media
El
Libertador
El Tiempo
Honduras News
La Prensa
La Tribuna
Radio
América
Radio Globo - live audio
Revistazo
Mexico Media
La Jornada
Nicaragua Media
Bluefields Pulse
Garifuna Media
Babakle
Garifuna Empowerment Movement
GarifunaWeb
Central America Media
Central America Daily
Directories
Central America.com
GlobalNet
Honduras Directory
Honduras Cities & Provinces
Hondirectory Garifuna
Portal de Desarollo Sostenible
Organizations
CODEH
Mopawi
ONECA
US based Media
Belize Newstrove
Central America Daily
CNN Español
EIN Honduras
El Nuevo Herald
Guatemala Newstrove
Honduras Newstrove
IFCO News
Google: Indigenous Peoples of the Caribbean list
Miami Herald
South America Daily
Europe based media
BBC Mundo - América Latina
Rebelión
Sodepaz
Cuba News
Cuban Culture News
Cuba: Race & Identity in the News
Venezuela News
Columbia News
|
Central American News
Archive: 1/2010 - 4/2013
Indígenas violadas narran horrores en jucio contra Ríos Montt 4/3/2013 CubaDebate: "Con
los rostros cubiertos con mantos, diez mujeres de la etnia maya ixil
testificaron este martes ante una corte de Guatemala los atroces abusos
sexuales y torturas que sufrieron a manos de soldados durante el régimen
(1982-83) del exdictador Efraín Ríos Mott, procesado por genocidio."
Periodistas y abogados, víctimas de violencia en Honduras 4/3/2013 CubaDebate: "Periodistas
y abogados están entre las mayores víctimas de la violencia en Honduras
durante la administración del presidente Porfirio Lobo, según un informe del
Comisionado Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (Conadeh), citado hoy por
medios locales. En los 35 meses de gestión del mandatario Lobo murieron en
forma violenta alrededor de 80 profesionales del Periodismo y el Derecho,
revela el documento."
A Look at Who Gets Left Out of Black History Month 2/3/2013 Alternet: "We
have just celebrated the reelection of our first black president, Barack
Hussein Obama. Yet my students have been unable to answer the question, "Who
was the first black President in North America?" None thought to mention
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, as first head of state of a liberated Haiti. But if
we are defining North America as Canada, the U.S. and Mexico (excluding the
Caribbean), there is little excuse to be ignorant of the historic figure of
Vicente Guerrero, who became Mexico's second president on April 1, 1829. His
father, Pedro Guerrero, was an Afro-Mexican and his mother Guadalupe
Saldaña, was indigenous."
Rios Montt on Trial for Genocide 1/30/2013 Counterpunch: "Efraín Rios
Montt, Guatemala�s former dictator, may yet face the consequences of his
actions. Last Monday, Judge Miguel Angel Gálvez announced that both Montt,
86, and José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, another former general, must �stand
trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity,� Elisabeth Malkin
wrote in the New York Times. Her article, in accordance with Times
standards, left a few things out, among them the fact that Montt completed
coursework at the School of the Americas (SOA) three decades before taking
power. (The school is now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for
Security Cooperation, or WHINSEC, but �there are no substantive changes
besides the name,� one of its former instructors testified shortly after the
rebranding.) His 14 months in charge were brutal, even by the standards SOA
grads have set: �an estimated 70,000 unarmed civilians were killed or
�disappeared;� hundreds of thousands were internally displaced,� according
to Amnesty International. And his �Operation Sofia� was �aimed at massacring
thousands of indigenous peasants,� the National Security Archive website
explains�and was quite successful, given the 600 Mayan villages it
destroyed."
Honduras: La remilitarización del país profundiza la violación a los
derechos humanos 12/21/2012 Prensa Indigena: "El Cofadeh (Comité de
familiares de detenidos desaparecidos en Honduras) presentó ayer (13/12) en
conferencia de prensa cuatro casos emblemáticos de violación a los derechos
humanos, que en las próximas horas serán sometidos al conocimiento de la
justicia internacional, "en los que concurren elementos graves de impunidad
y factores hegemónicos de seguridad hemisférica de Estados Unidos�, se lee
en un comunicado de dicha organización. De acuerdo con el análisis del
Cofadeh, el proceso de progresiva remilitarización de la región
centroamericana, impulsado por Estados Unidos en aras del �combate al
narcotráfico y al crimen organizado�, Honduras ha devuelto a las Fuerzas
Armadas "instrumentos legales y facultades discrecionales� que en sólo tres
meses de 2012 ha provocado esos cuatro casos emblemáticos, "envueltos por
mecanismos institucionales y presiones externas en la absoluta impunidad�."
Death Squads, Swastikas and "Medieval Methods" of Torture - Honduras�
Post-Coup Elections 11/20/2012 Counterpunch: "She expressed concern
that many LIBRE voters would not vote today out of fear, and that many
people could not vote for LIBRE, because they would lose their jobs. We
later learned that a notice came out in a newspaper Saturday that any state
worker who voted for LIBRE would be fired."
US-Backed Honduran Soldiers Chase Down, Murder Innocent Teenager 11/15/2012 AntiWar: "Ebed
Yanes, 15, was killed the night of May 26 after driving through a military
checkpoint. His father, Wilfredo Yanes, a mild-mannered organic food
supplier, tracked down the soldiers, eventually uncovering an allegedly
high-level attempt to hide evidence. Further, his quest led to new
information reported this week that the unit in question was supported by
the U.S."
Mexico�s New President Set to Empower a �Devil�s Cartel� 11/10/2012 NarcoNews: "Baruch
Vega, a long-time CIA operative, has raised a red flag over the incoming
president of Mexico�s decision to employ the former head of the Colombian
National Police, Gen. Oscar Naranjo, as his security advisor in the war on
drugs. �I do not think Naranjo will be running a war against drugs,� Vega
contends. �He will be running a war to protect Mexican drug traffickers.�"
Presidente panameño anula Ley de venta de terrenos en Colón 10/28/2012 Cuba
Debate: "El presidente de Panamá, Ricardo Martinelli, firmó este domingo el
decreto que formaliza la derogación de la Ley 72 que permitía la venta de
los terrenos de la Zona Libre de Colón, luego de que la Asamblea Nacional
aprobara el proyecto de Ley 541 que restablece la Zona Libre tras nueve días
de intensas protestas populares que dejaron cuatro muertos y decenas de
heridos."
VII ENCUENTRO DE LA RAÍZ AFROMEXICANA 10/21/2012 Cimaronajesss
Honduras: De mal en peor 10/21/2012 Cuba Debate: "Desde que se
quebrantó la constitucionalidad hace tres años y se instauró otro régimen al
que la loba feroz del Estado de Florida (la congresista Ileana Ros-Letienen)
vertió su agua bendita, las cosas no han dejado de ir de mal en peor.
Contrariando su gusto, en este reciente capítulo, la mayoría de los
magistrados determinó que el proyecto de llamadas �ciudades modelo�, viola
el principio de soberanía e integridad territorial, mientras la oposición
acusa al gobierno de querer vender el país a pedazos a capitales
internacionales."
Mitt Romney�s �Pinochet Moment� 9/20/2012 Mad Cow Morning
News: "Speaking about US policy towards Honduras, Romney accused President
Obama of backing a "pro-Marxist" leader in Honduras, faulting him for not
more quickly and enthusiastically supporting the military coup in 2009 that
deposed the elected President of a fledgling democracy. That Romney chose to
say anything at all about a small nation in Central America was somewhat
surprising, especially since he hasn't been specific about much else. But,
as he must know, Honduras is important to US foreign policy for only one
reason: Controlling Hondurus is important to controlling the drug trade."
Romney Campaign Calls Obama Foreign Policy 'Confusing' and 'Amateur Hour' 9/14/2012 ABC: ""When
Honduras and their supreme court removed the president of the country -- a
pro-Marxist, anti-American president -- and he insisted, our president,
President Barack Obama insisted he get put back. That sent a message to the
world," Romney said, igniting applause from the 900 attendees."
Mainstream Media Attends -- Then Ignores -- U.S. Caravan for Peace 9/14/2012 Alternet: 'A
minimum of 60,000 drug prohibition related deaths have been recorded in
Mexico in the last 5 years of Calderon's presidency and at least 10,000
others have been �disappeared�. Yes, a few stories broke in local markets
but not one word was shared via national news programs in the US."
Rising Violence in Post-Coup Honduras - Central America�s Newest �Death
Squad Democracy� 9/14/2012 Counterpunch: "As Mariam Herrera, an
Afro-Honduran woman told me yesterday, �The politics of this country are
shitty. The laws are shitty, and everybody violates them. Half the Congress
violates the laws.� Do you hold the United States responsible for part of
that? �Yes, because the guns come from the United States. Honduras don�t
manufacture guns, we have machetes. Guns � they come from the United
States.�
Romney broadens criticism of Obama on Middle East violence 9/14/2012 Detroit
News: "The Republican presidential candidate offered a series of criticisms,
attacking Obama for refusing a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, backing a "pro-Marxist" leader in Honduras, failing to support
protesters in Iran and mismanaging the alliance with Egypt."
Honduran jet fighter shot down DEA drug plane 9/11/2012 MadCow Morning
News: �The U.S. agreement with Honduras for sharing radar intelligence
specifically prohibits shooting down civilian aircraft. We are merely
seeking better controls for its militarized approach to combating drugs in
Central America,� said the spokesman. �The decision came after two separate
incidents in July, when civilian aircraft were shot down off the coast of
northern Honduras. We don't have information about the occupants or their
cargo."
EEUU garantiza inmunidad a Ernesto Zedillo ante la matanza de Acteal 9/8/2012 CubaDebate: "El
último presidente del PRI de la vieja era, el mexicano Ernesto Zedillo,
actual profesor de economía y política de la universidad de Yale, puede
respirar tranquilo. El Departamento de Justicia de EEUU le ha otorgado
inmunidad diplomática y, por tanto, no enfrentará los cargos que se le
imputan en un tribunal de New Haven (Connecticut) donde se le pretendía
procesar como responsable intelectual de la matanza de Acteal, el asesinato
en 1997 de 45 indígenas de ese pueblo de Chiapas (entre ellos mujeres
embarazadas y niños) a manos de un grupo, también de indígenas,
supuestamente armado por el Estado."
US suspends anti-drug radar support in Honduras 9/7/2012 AP: "The
United States has suspended sharing of radar intelligence with Honduras
because the Central American nation's air force shot down two suspected drug
planes in violation of agreements with Washington, the State Department and
U.S. military confirmed Friday. The decision came after two separate
incidents in July, when civilian aircraft were shot down off the coast of
northern Honduras, said William Ostick, spokesman for the State Department's
Western Hemispheric Affairs Office. The U.S. agreement with Honduras for
information sharing specifically prohibits shooting down civilian aircraft."
�Pepe� Lobo confirma derribo de avioneta 9/7/2012 Nuevo Herald: "El
presidente de Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, admitió que hubo un derribo de una
avioneta por parte de una autoridad nacional sin respeto a un �protocolo�, y
dejó entrever que el incidente le costó el puesto al exjefe de las Fuerzas
Aérea Hondureña (FAH), Ruiz Pastor Landa. El gobernante tampoco precisó qué
incidente fue y en qué fecha. EL HERALDO informó esta semana, en exclusiva,
que la aeronave fue derribada en las proximidades de Guanaja."
Honduras signs deal to create private cities 9/5/2012 AP: "The project
is opposed by civil society groups including indigenous Garifuna people who
say they don't want their land to be used for the project. The developers
say the fears are unjustified."
Avión derribado en Guanaja creó fricción con EE UU 9/5/2012 El Heraldo,
Honduras
Mexico�s new President owes election to �Narco-Televisa� 9/5/2012 MadCow
Morning News: "The first to question what had quickly become the official
story�that the busted Mexicans had merely been posing as journalists�was a
local publication called The Digital Reporter. While offering no proof, the
Digital Reporter insisted that the crew in custody�charged with money
laundering and organized crime�were under the direction of Televisa, and
that the convoy of vehicles belonged to Televisa as well. Ringleader Raquel
Correa Alatorre, as well as three or four other detainees, were working for
the Mexican television giant, the publication asserted. The publication, it
was later learned, was getting leaks from Nicaraguan military sources, who
indicated that there was a senior executive at Televisa�a corporate vice
president�also involved in the case."
Se reanuda el Proceso de Remedición de las Tierras de Vallecito, Colón 9/5/2012 OFRANEH: "Como
parte del reclamo del pueblo Garifuna sobre la usurpación de Vallecito,
Colón, nuestra organizacion emprendió la semana pasada una jornada cultural
y política en el territorio usurpado, que tuvo como ambientación traqueteos
constantes de armas automáticas, con el proposito de intimidarnos y disuadir
el proceso de remedición prometido en diversas ocasiones por el Instituto
Nacional Agrario, I.N.A y que una vez no se llevó a efecto."
URGENT ACTION on Vallecito, from OFRANEH - Process of Land Remediation is
Renewed on the Garifuna Lands of Vallecito, Colon 9/4/2012 Quotha: "Any
action suffered by the Garifunas will be the responsibility of the paid
gunmen of Reinaldo Villalobo and of Miguel Facusse, as well as the
government itself." [Facusse is one of the wealthiest men in the country and
a large scale drug trafficker.]
Honoring Dr. Alfonso Lacayo, first Garifuna MD from UNAH 9/2/2012 Quotha
Honoring Dr. Alfonso Lacayo, first Garifuna MD from UNAH 9/2/2012 Quotha: "This
is from back in April, but I came across it recently, and loved the son's
recollections of his father, who said he would always say that él no era un
profesional de la medicina, sino que era un obrero de la salud. He was not a
medical professional; he was a healthcare worker."
U.S.-funded/trained police going on witch hunts 9/2/2012 Quotha: "Last
week police raided a woman's house in Choloma and found evidence of a
traditional Garifuna medicinal drink, Guífiti (El Tiempo, whose reporters
went along for the raid, puts "guífiti" in scare quotes), which they
confiscated as evidence of witchcraft along with, allegedly, pictures with
pins in them. And something that is presumed to be marijuana. They also
arrested a suspected witch. For allegedly being a witch."
Romney's El Salvador Death Squad Ties 8/28/2012 Common Dreams: "In a
book entitled �The Country Between Us,� the noted US poet Carolyn Forché
writes about the brutality in El Salvador during those years. In a short
vignette called The Colonel, Forché tells of being invited for dinner at a
Colonel�s house. �What you have heard is true. I was in is house,� writes
Forché. �…The parrot said hello on the terrace. The colonel told it to shut
up, and pushed himself from the table. My friend said to me with his eyes:
say nothing. The colonel returned with a sack used to bring groceries home.
He spilled many human ears on the table. They were like dried peach halves.
There is no other way to say this. He took one of them in his hands, shook
it in our faces, dropped it into a water glass. It came alive there. I am
tired of fooling around he said. As for the rights of anyone, tell your
people they can go fuck themselves. He swept the ears to the floor with his
arm and held the last of his wine in the air. Something for your poetry, no?
he said. Some of the ears on the floor caught the scrap of his voice. Some
of the ears were pressed to the ground.�"
Alert: Urgent request for solidarity as Day 2 of Land Recovery begins over
the presence of armed men in expensive vehicles 8/28/2012 Honduras
Eyewitness: "Since yesterday, many communications have been sent to the
current government administration, about the menace and threats directed at
the representatives of the Garifuna communties, awaiting the process of land
title remediation, of the associative (Garifuna) businesses of Vallecito."
Nicaragua seizes $7m from fake reporters 8/25/2012 AAP: "Granera said
the suspects told police about 25 bundles hidden in the vans contained the
cash. She said the elaborate ruse was intended to smuggle the cash through
Nicaragua to the neighbouring nation of Costa Rica to the south. Mexican
drug cartels frequently buy Colombian cocaine to ship north to the US
market, and often must smuggle cash proceeds from the drug sales back down
south to pay the Colombian suppliers."
The moral economy of a floating crate of cash 8/23/2012 Quotha: "Within
Ángela's community, at least, such finds are necessarily redistributed in a
way that strengthens, reaffirms, and creates kinship ties. In her poor
extended family�ranging from extremely poor to middle-of-the-road,
getting-by-fairly-well and university-educated poor like Ángela�a Limited
Good model of wealth distribution seems to guide the discourses of the
poorest family members, who see the relative wealth of their less-poor kin
as having been accumulated at their expense. Meanwhile, the less-poor family
members tend to employ a Protestant ethic/developmentalist logic, blaming
the extreme poverty of their family members on poor choices, bad morals, a
disdain for formal education, and excessively high fertility."
Collateral Damage of a Drug War 8/15/2012 CEPR: "On May 11, 2012, four
boat passengers were shot dead during a counternarcotics operation that
involved Honduran and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents.
Although Honduran authorities announced that drug traffickers had been
killed after agents had fired in self-defense, survivors of the incident, as
well as local authorities, insisted that innocent people had been killed,
including two women, a fourteen year-old boy and twenty-one year old man. In
late July of 2012, analysts from Rights Action and CEPR visited the region
where the shooting took place. This report summarizes and analyzes the
extensive testimony and other information obtained during the visit. It
presents detailed narratives of the sequence of events on May 11 and
provides detailed background profiles on the boat passengers who were fired
upon as well as on key witnesses. It also describes the region and context
in which the shooting incident occurred, in order to better understand its
impact on the local community. Finally, it offers a series of key findings
and formulates recommendations of measures that the U.S. government and
international community should take to address the May 11 incident as well
as the broader consequences of U.S.-sponsored drug policies in Honduras and
the Central American region."
The US and Honduras - Is the US lending financial support to a police force
and army linked to a campaign of extra-judicial killings? 8/14/2012 Al
Jazeera: "Honduras has become the newest front in the US war on drugs in
Latin America. The US has provided financial support for both the police and
the military there in spite of its deep corruption issues. Furthermore,
members of both institutions have been linked to a range of killings.
Political dissidents, human rights workers and members of the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have all been killed at alarming
rates."
Fault Lines: The US and Honduras 8/14/2012 L Jazeera: Interviews with
survivors of the DEA massacre.
Honduras cooperating with US human rights probe 8/13/2012 AP: "Despite
repeated U.S. criticisms that law enforcement agents have murdered and
tortured people, an in-house State Department report sent to Congress
Wednesday certifies that Honduras meets U.S. human rights requirements to
receive all $56 million appropriated by Congress. But the report said no
U.S. military or law enforcement aid - including $1.3 million in foreign
military assistance, and another $1.7 million in peace and security funding
- can go to anyone working under Bonilla until he is cleared."
Pics of new Mexican President with Sinaloa cartel lieutenant 8/10/2012 MadCow
Morning News: '�Rafa" Celaya, the new Mexican President�s friend, wasn�t
living rough in the mountains of Sinaloa. Instead, he is a long-time
functionary in Mexico�s ruling PRI party who has worked in mid-level
positions in state and municipal government in Hermosillo, including a
half-dozen years in Sonora State�s Ministry of Finance. The arrested man is
the nephew of Victor Hugo Celaya Celaya, an influential politico in Sonora,
according to Mexico City newspaper Proceso. In addition to pictures with the
president, Rafa is shown in photos with Emilio Gamboa, the newly elected
leader of the PRI in the Senate, and influential Mexican Senator Manlio
Fabio Beltrones."
Honduran President Puts �Tigers� Police Force on the Streets 8/7/2012 IPS: "But
Yuri Sabas, a lawmaker with the opposition Liberal Party, told IPS that the
creation of the Tigres should be studied in depth. �A few years ago, we
created another elite force in the police named Cobra, which has now been
implicated in criminal activities,� he said."
Por represas inminentes, pobladores de Concepción, Intibucá, se acercan al
movimiento de resistencia indígena 8/2/2012 Defensores en Linea
Es �hipocresía� decir que Honduras es aeropuerto de la mafia: Pepe Lobo 7/23/2012 La
Prensa, Honduras: �Yo lo que pediría a todos, al Departamento de Estado, es
que revisen si están haciendo lo suficiente, y si es justo que aquí en
Honduras, en lugar de hacer programas sociales, apoyar a los productores a
que siembren más o resolver muchos problemas... si es justo que estemos
invirtiendo recursos en esa lucha (contra el narcotráfico)�, expresó el
mandatario. A su juicio, el asunto no es de estarse �tirando la bola�,
porque al final la única realidad es: �qué pasaría si nosotros no
estuviésemos en el corredor entre donde se demanda y donde se produce�.
Hunden en Nicaragua "narcolancha" que se dirigía a Honduras 7/23/2012 La
Prensa, Honduras: "Una lancha rápida cargada con droga que viajaba de Panamá
hacia Honduras fue hundida el fin de semana en aguas del Mar Caribe por la
Fuerza Naval de Nicaragua tras un intercambio de disparos entre los
supuestos narcotraficantes y militares."
Mexico�s Peña Nieto hires US propaganda firm 7/22/2012 NarcoNews: "CLSA
is the same US image-building firm that was retained in the fall of 2009 by
the Honduran regime led by �de facto� President Roberto Micheletti in the
wake of its coup d'état in that Central American nation."
Nicaragua denuncia que cárteles de Colombia equipan a narcos en Honduras 7/20/2012 La
Prensa, Honduras: "Lo que está claro es que los medios venían procedente de
Colombia con destino a la Mosquitia hondureña (zona indígena del Caribe),
donde se han asentado unos cárteles de narcotraficantes muy peligrosos que
tienen altas vinculaciones con elementos colombianos", aseguró el jefe de
inteligencia militar, Adolfo Zepeda."
Policía colombiana se lleva de Honduras a capo 7/20/2012 La Prensa,
Honduras
Will Gutting Honduras� Police Force Get to the Root of Corruption? 6/15/2012 COHA: "Ironically,
Bonilla has been accused of the same iniquity that he pledges to eradicate
from the police force. In a report released 10 years ago by former State
Prosecutor Maria Luisa Borjas, Bonilla was accused of killing three people
and named as a suspect in the murders of 11 others. Bonilla was formally
charged in only one of these cases, but legal action was halted when law
enforcement officials refused to cooperate with the prosecutor. All charges
against Bonilla were subsequently dropped after Borjas� husband was attacked
and Borjas received multiple death threats from unknown assailants thought
to be operating on behalf of Bonilla."
The Massacre in the Moskitia - The DEA and the Return of the Death Squads 6/15/2012 Counterpunch: "I
first heard of the tragedy while in the process of preparing for a human
rights delegation to Honduras coordinated by the Alliance for Global Justice
and led by Karen Spring from Rights Action. The New York Times, the
Washington Post and the Associated Press have all published stories
glorifying the role of the DEA in seizing a huge quantity of drugs in the
incident. They not only down played the killing and injuring of innocent
people (some reports even questioned if there even were casualties), but
also some of the news reports stated that those shot were actually involved
in drug trafficking. In typical mainstream media fashion there was
over-the-top anonymous quoting of US and Honduran officials and not much
fact checking."
Víctimas inocentes 6/13/2012 El Heraldo, Honduras
CNN acts as SOUTHCOM's propaganda agent on Honduras 6/10/2012 Quotha: "This
article about an imaginary Honduras where people don't give a shit about DEA
massacres on national territory cites as its two "expert" sources the
Monologue's Michael Shifter and FIU prof Eduardo Gamarra, both of whom have
recently been paid quite a bit of money to write reports for SOUTHCOM
(through Florida International University) and unspecified Intelligence
agencies (at least in Shifter's case with his work for WHEMSAC)."
Honduran Miskitos Caught in Anti-Narcotics Crossfire 6/9/2012 Repeating
Islands
Legal Questions Remain in DEA Miskitia Attack 6/8/2012 Honduras Weekly
Taiwan-Honduras ties remain strong despite criticism 6/7/2012 Focus
Taiwan: ""Our relations with Honduras are very stable," Deputy Foreign
Minister Tung Kuo-yu said in a question-and-answer session at the
Legislature's foreign affairs and national defense committee. Tung's remark
came amid blasts from lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic
Progressive Party (DPP) that China is helping Honduras establish a US$300
million hydroelectric power plant. Furthermore, the Chinese national flag
has been seen flying at the construction site, DPP Legislator Tsai
Huang-liang said, describing the incident as a diplomatic crisis."
La masacre en Mosquitia, Honduras: �Sólo los agentes de la DEA pueden
disparar desde un helicóptero que por otra parte, es suyo� 6/5/2012 Dick
Emanuelsson: "Habla agente de la policía antinarcótica del Ministerio
Público."
Video of COFADEH press conference on DEA massacre in Ahuas 6/5/2012 Quotha: "Graphic
image warning. Skip to 1:30 if you don't want to see the horrifying
photographs of how the DEA destroyed the bodies of the indigenous Miskitu
people whose brave relatives are present at the press conference that begins
at that time mark. Video by Dick and Mirian Emanuelsson."
Drug interdiction: The U.S. wades more deeply into Honduras 6/4/2012 Pittsburgh
Post Gazette: "To Americans of a certain age, the picture of U.S. drug
advisers, flying in State Department helicopters and operating in a small
jungle country in support of the corrupt security forces of a questionable
president, is all too familiar. It is also entirely inappropriate,
particularly as innocent civilians die as a result of their work."
URGENT ACTION: Honduran State Discriminates Against Victims of the DEA 6/4/2012 Quotha: "The
child WILMER LUCAS WALTER (14) and youth LUCIO ADAN NELSON QUEEN (22), who
were traveling in the boat that was fired on by the DEA and Honduran agents,
have been hospitalized since May 11 en regional hospital centers and to date
have not received the surgical attention required to treat their serious
injuries. Wilmer is at risk of losing his left hand due to negligence and
lack of attention and Lucio is weakened by infection as he waits for
orthopedic intervention in his right arm. In the midst of the so called �war
against drugs� the principal victims are the indigenous, Misquito villagers
including children and women; the principal actor responsible for these
serious actions is the State."
Dana Frank on This is Hell 6/3/2012 Quotha: "Click for Dana Frank�s
40-minute interview on the DEA attack in Honduras on the Northwestern
University program �This is Hell�, a weekly, 4-hour political analysis
program broadcast each Saturday morning."
Annie Bird: USA/DEA Killings in Ahuas 5/30/2012 Quotha: "The Patuca
River is like a highway for over 25 Miskitu, Tawaka and Pech communities
that live on its shores; there are no roads in this part of the Gracias a
Dios department. But the river is much more than a road, it is their source
of life. Communities farm rice, beans, yucca, and plantains on its shores,
and fish the waters. They leave their towns in planting and harvest seasons
to spend weeks at a time in huts along the river shore close to their
fields. Though most make their life from the river, the main source of
outside employment is working on the commercial fishing boats that pick up
Miskitu men at mouth of the river and take them to sea for weeks at a time.
For over 20 years, Lilda Lesama has coordinated divers and fishermen for the
commercial boats, transporting them by canoe from Ahuas to Barra Patuca."
Death in Miskitia Land and the Search for Justice 5/28/2012 COHA: "On
May 11, death came to the Miskitia from U.S. State Department-owned
helicopters manned by contract Guatemalan pilots, members of a special
Honduran Police Unit, along with U.S. DEA agents. Reports concerning the
botched anti-narcotics operation barely survived three news cycles before
expiring in the face of an indifferent public. During week one, a number of
initial news reports (with the notable exception of the coverage by the
Huffington Post) offered a defaming criminal profile of the local Miskito
population using anonymous �official� U.S. government sources. During week
two, when the voice of the Miskito community was beginning to be heard more
clearly, some news reports offered a more humanized version of the people of
Ahuas and surrounding villages. By May 17, the question of U.S.
accountability began to lose steam when State Department spokeswoman
Victoria Nuland deferred the responsibility of carrying out an investigation
to the notoriously corrupt Honduran authorities. Despite the current paucity
of news about this incident, the struggle for justice in the Miskitia
continues."
Informe Preliminar de Verificación - Caso Ahuas 5/24/2012 COFADEH: "Del
20 al 24 de mayo de 2012, una Comisión de verificación conformada por tres
personas del Comité de Familiares de Detenidos Desaparecidos en Honduras,
COFADEH, con el acompañamiento internacional de representantes del Programa
de Acompañamiento Honduras PROAH y de Acción Permanente por la Paz, visitó
los municipios de Ahuas y Puerto Lempira en el Departamento de Gracias a
Dios y también La Ceiba en el departamento de Atlántida, con el objetivo de
documentar los hechos trágicos del 11 de mayo de 2012."
DEA Facing Fallout from Deadly Honduras Raid 5/22/2012 Stop the Drug
War: "In the Honduran village where four residents were killed last week by
gunfire from a helicopter on a US-backed anti-drug operation complete with
DEA agents on board the chopper, feelings continue to run high. On Monday,
they told the Associated Press that DEA agents also accompanied Honduran
commandos who stormed into homes and mistreated residents after the raid,
but the agency denies that."
US agents on deadly Honduran military operation 5/16/2012 AP: "The
leaders of the Masta, Diunat, Rayaka, Batiasta and Bamiasta ethnic groups
said in a press statement that "the people in that canoe were fishermen, not
drug traffickers." "For centuries we have been a peaceful people who live in
harmony with nature, but today we declared these Americans to be persona non
grata in our territory," the statement continued."
¿Mamá por qué no puedo llevar trenzas a la escuela? 5/9/2012 Negra
Cubana: "¿Sabías que en Panamá han prohibido el uso de trenzas y drealocks
en los centros escolares? La respuesta a tal prohición no se ha hecho
esperar pues la Coordinadora Nacional de las Organizaciones Negras Panameñas
(Conegpa) ha designado el 21 de mayo del 2012 como el �Día de la Trenza� en
ese país centroamericano. Tal designación tiene como objetivo reivindicar la
identidad afrodescendiente y el respeto a la cultura negra, especialmente en
la niñez y adolescencia."
Los afros veracruzanos y su cultura 5/1/2012 Caliban
Carbon Blood Money in Honduras 3/10/2012 Common Dreams: "Small farmers
in this region have increasingly fallen under the thumb of large landholders
like palm oil magnate Miguel Facussé, who has been accused by human rights
groups of responsibility for the murder of numerous campesinos in Bajo Aguán
since the 2009 coup. Yet Facussé�s company has been approved to receive
international funds for carbon mitigation under the UN�s Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM)."
Then and Now - Guatemala�s Reign of Terror 2/6/2012 Counterpunch: "Dr.
Reinaldo Pons heads the Cuban Medical Brigade active in Guatemala since
Hurricane Mitch in 1998. His report last year epitomizes an approach to
international outreach that serves people�s needs, not the wealthy few: 332
Cuban doctors were caring for 13.1 percent of the Guatemalan population.
They included 57 eye surgeons associated with Cuba�s multinational Operation
Miracle, 81 working in 23 hospitals, and the rest carrying out primary care
in 29 departments and municipalities. In areas where they worked, infant
mortality had fallen to eight deaths in the first year of life per 1000
births, down from 30-40 deaths elsewhere. Guatemalan students pay nothing to
attend Cuba�s Latin American School of Medicine; 345 had graduated as of
2007."
Panama police, indigenous clash over blockade 2/5/2012 AP: "Police
fired tear gas Sunday to clear blockades of the Pan-American highway by
indigenous groups protesting changes to the mining law. One person was
killed and 39 injured in the resulting clashes. Security Minister Jose Raul
Mulino said police broke up the blockades after members of the Ngobe-Bugle
tribe in western Panama refused calls for dialogue. Protest leader Liborio
Miranda said a 26-year-old indigenous man was shot dead in the chest."
En Honduras, un desastre hecho en los E.E.U.U. Friday, 27 January 2012 14:04
Administrador 1/27/2012 Defensores en Linea: "Cuando prominentes
figuras han salido ha acusar a la policía son acribillados por escuadrones
de la muerte y narcotraficantes, el más famoso acusador fue el antiguo
comisionado de policía, Alfredo Landaverde. El fue asesinado el 7 de
diciembre, hasta ahora el gobierno ha comenzado hacer significativos
arrestos de oficiales de policía… Porque el Departamento de Estado se ha
lanzado detrás de la administración Lobo a pesar de las evidencias de la
corrupción del régimen? En parte porque ha sido enterrados por la
circunscripción Cubana-Americana de la Representante Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, la
Presidente del Comité de Relaciones Exteriores, y sus aliados. Ellos han
sido feroces sobre Honduras como un primer dominó con el que pueden empujar
contra la línea gobiernos de izquierda y centro-izquierda que han ganado
elecciones en América Latina en los últimos 15 años. Con su base militar
aérea Americana, Honduras es crucial para la estrategia militar de los
Estados Unidos en América Latina."
In Honduras, a Mess Made in the U.S. 1/26/2012 NYT: "When prominent
figures came forward to charge that the police are riddled with death squads
and drug traffickers, the most famous accuser was a former police
commissioner, Alfredo Landaverde. He was assassinated on Dec. 7. Only now
has the government begun to make significant arrests of police officers… Why
has the State Department thrown itself behind the Lobo administration
despite brutal evidence of the regime�s corruption? In part because it has
caved in to the Cuban-American constituency of Representative Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, the Republican chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, and her allies. They have been ferocious about Honduras as a
first domino with which to push back against the line of center-left and
leftist governments that have won elections in Latin America in the past 15
years. With its American air base, Honduras is also crucial to the United
States� military strategy in Latin America."
Honduras says US personnel to help stem violence 1/19/2012 AP: "Honduran
President Porfirio Lobo says the United States is sending people to help
Honduras battle the violent crime that led to the withdrawal of U.S. Peace
Corps volunteers this week. Lobo says the Americans will work on analyzing
the problems. Lobo told the HRN radio network Thursday that "soon there will
be U.S. personnel here ... and that will contribute to the tranquility of
the Honduran people."
A State of Siege in Northern Honduras: Land, Palm Oil and Media 1/12/2012 Upside
Down World
What Lies Ahead for the Xicaques, Kunas, Garífunas and Mayas? 1/10/2012 Envio: "Whither
the future of these indigenous communities of Central America? Does it lie
in finding themselves assimilated into national culture or, at the other
extreme, ending up with their own autonomous governments?"
Marching Towards the Past in Guatemala 12/30/2011 Counterpunch: "In
Guatemala, former military officers and their supporters have filed legal
charges against human rights activists, journalists, and surviving victims
of State repression, even as a former general, Otto Perez Molina � himself
implicated in Guatemala�s genocide � prepares to assume the Guatemalan
presidency on January 14, 2012! Moreover, Perez Molina has named high
ranking trainers of the brutal Kaibil forces to the top three military
command positions. Kaibil�s were directly implicated in the very worst of
the State repression and genocide of the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, and some
today have direct links to the Mexico-based �Zeta� narco-trafficking
cartel."
Honduras: Falleció la Madre de la Canción Tigarigu Nanigui 12/27/2011 Legado
Afro: "Prensa ODECO � La organización de desarrollo étnico comunitario desde
La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras, manifiesta su pesar por la desaparición
física de la Señora Andrea Amaya Rochez (Doña Dade) y declara días de duelo
en su honor."
Honduras: Asesinato de Guillermo Norales Herrera sigue en la Impunidad... 12/22/2011 Legado
Afro: "Por tercera vez el tribunal de sentencia de la ceiba aplaza
celebración de juicio oral y publico en caso del pescador garífuna Guillermo
Norales herrera, asesinado por miembros de la fuerza naval el 24 de
septiembre de 2008."
Drug Trafficking in Honduras (Crime Part III) 10/21/2011 La Gringa
Post-2009 Coup, Honduras a 'Narco-Storehouse' 9/23/2011 In Sight: "With
the state's focus fixed elsewhere and crucial support from the U.S. missing,
criminal groups took advantage of the disorder. During Micheletti's brief
time in office, up to 1,000 tons of cocaine may have traveled through
Honduras by land, sea or air, according to analyst James Bosworth."
Court Pleadings Point to CIA Role in Alleged �Cartel� Immunity Deal 9/11/2011 NarcoNews: "The
fingerprints of the CIA have surfaced in a controversial federal criminal
case pending in Chicago against Jesus Vicente Zambada Niebla, an alleged
kingpin in the Sinaloa �drug cartel.� ...�That is a very reasonable
conclusion [that the CIA is likely involved in this case in some way],� says
a former federal agent familiar with national security procedures. �Seeking
CIPA protection, yup, there is hot stuff to hide.� Zambada Niebla,
extradited to the US in February 2010 and now facing narco-trafficking
charges in federal court in Chicago, claims in pleadings in his case that
the US government entered into a pact with the leadership of the Mexican
Sinaloa narco-trafficking organization that supposedly provide its chief
narcos with immunity in exchange for them providing US authorities with
information that could be used to target other narco-trafficking
organizations."
The Sweet Deal With �El Narco� 9/7/2011 Counterpunch
Revelan lazos de magnate hondureño con el narco 9/3/2011 Dick
Emanuelsson: "Obviamente, si bien Facussé tiene varias preguntas incómodas
que responder a partir del contenido de este cable, los Estados Unidos
harían bien en explicar cómo, si durante más de ocho años han tenido acceso
a esta información, nunca actuaron sobre ella."
DRUG PLANE BURNED ON PROMINENT HONDURAN'S PROPERTY 9/3/2011 Wikileaks: "Post's
JIATF-S TAT provided information to the HAF March 14 about a known drug
trafficking flight with a 1,000 kilo cocaine shipment from Colombia, which
resulted in a fruitless air interdiction attempt. Separately, a law
enforcement source provided information that the aircraft successfully
landed March 14 on the private property of Miguel Facusse, a prominent
Honduran, who is one of the nation's wealthiest individuals, leading
industrialist, and uncle of former Honduran President Carlos Flores
Facusse."
Honduras: killings continue as Aguán becomes "new Colombia" 8/30/2011 WW4
Report: "African oil palms have replaced bananas as the main commercial crop
in the valley, and tensions increased as landowners like Facussé saw the
potential for the palms in the biofuel business, which could attract carbon
credits and international financing. To maintain their estates, the
landowners have hired private guards and supplied them with arms. Campesino
groups consider the guards paramilitaries and blame them for most of the 51
killings of campesinos that they say have taken place in the past two years.
Meanwhile, narco traffickers and other criminals have reportedly moved into
the area."
Honduras: Cumbre mundial de Afrodescendientes contra la exclusión 8/25/2011 La
Guarura: "Del 18 al 21 de agosto se realizó la Cumbre Mundial de
Afrodescendientes en la ciudad de La Ceiba, que congregó a representantes de
44 países de América, África, Europa y Asia, junto a organizaciones
españolas que participaron como afrohispanos y África activa. El cónclave
fue convocado por la Organización de Desarrollo Étnico Comunitario (Odeco),
con sede en La Ceiba, bajo el auspicio de la Organización de las Naciones
Unidas (ONU)."
Are Foreign Criminal Gangs Driving Honduras Land Conflict? 8/24/2011 Honduras
Weekly: "Drug traffickers are certainly a powerful presence in Colón, but
other reports have tied them to palm oil plantation owners, rather than to
the peasant movements. The state, located on the Caribbean coast close to
Nicaragua, is a key transit location for trafficking groups moving drugs
from South America towards Mexico and the United States. A statement
released by representatives of the Catholic Church in Honduras said that
drug traffickers are in the process of becoming big landowners in the
region, and that they dominate Bajo Aguán, flaunting their wealth.
Similarly, the palm oil landowners have themselves been accused of using
foreign firepower, with allegations after a series of killings in November
2010 that Facusse had hired 150 Colombian paramilitaries to form a private
army and attack the peasant movements. Land conflicts in other parts of
Latin America, driven by the accumulation of land to grow monocrops such as
palm oil, have tended to feature organized criminal groups on the side of
big landowners, rather than on the side of the peasants. In the 1990s and
2000s Colombia saw mass displacements carried out by paramilitary groups,
who would remove peasants from their land on behalf of big agribusinesses
like palm oil."
World Summit Celebrates People of African Descent in the Americas 8/24/2011 US
State Department: by Zakiya Carr Johnson. "Summit participants included
civil society, government, and international organizations from more than 30
countries. I headed the Department of State's delegation. The U.S.
delegation also included several staff from the Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs and U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as officials
from the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. Participants in the opening ceremony
included President Porfirio Lobo of Honduras, President Alvaro Colom of
Guatemala, Vice-President Alfio Piva of Costa Rica, ambassadors and members
of the diplomatic corps in Honduras, central government ministers, the mayor
of La Cieba, representatives of 34 international delegations, and the local
community. President Lobo stressed, "Racial and ethnic discrimination in
whatever type is intolerable…There is no exception."
A propósito de la cumbre mundial afrodescendiente en Honduras 8/20/2011 Matriz
del Sur: Por Pedro de la Hoz - "Pero sucede que tanto el lema como la agenda
están viciados desde el mismo punto de partida. El reconocimiento de las
contribuciones de la diáspora forzada de las poblaciones africanas tiene que
pasar por la admisión de la deuda histórica contraída por las antiguas
potencias coloniales con los esclavos y la consecuente reparación de los
daños físicos y morales infligidos por la infamante trata. La valoración de
las culturas originarias y las que nacieron de complejos procesos de
transculturación y mestizaje deben trascender las márgenes espurias de la
exhibición folclorizante y la explotación turística. Las políticas de
inclusión, formalmente establecidas en algunos casos de la región, se
contradicen y anulan en el contexto de las democracias representativas que
no toman en cuenta la real participación ciudadana."
Honduras instala I Cumbre de Afrodescendientes 8/18/2011 El Heraldo,
Honduras: "Más de 800 representantes de 40 naciones iniciaron el jueves en
Honduras la Primera Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes para combatir el
racismo y la discriminación y hacer prevalecer los derechos milenarios de
ese grupo étnico. La cita fue inaugurada por el presidente Porfirio Lobo en
la sede de la Universidad Nacional en La Ceiba, 450 km al norte de
Tegucigalpa. En su discurso, el mandatario hondureño abogó para que la
Cumbre, que definió como "un evento histórico, el primero de su tipo de la
ONU" logre "importantes avances en las reivindicaciones de los pueblos
indígenas y afrodescendientes".
Drug Trafficking: Central America�s Dark Shadow 8/17/2011 Honduras
Weekly: "Drug-related corruption has thoroughly infiltrated Central American
governments and business elites. Cartels have penetrated key state
institutions throughout Central America, including the police, army,
executive branches, and judicial systems."
A drug trafficker's paradise 8/15/2011 Al Jazeera: "When cameraman
Alfredo DeLara and I travelled to Colon, Honduras, we were surprised to see
what this rural province has become. Everyone is armed: we saw drug dealers
with AK-47s and revolvers in Toyota cars, farmers with submachine guns and
gunmen in trenches within the perimeters of the palm oil plantations."
Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes 8/14/2011 Cumbre Mundial de
Afrodescendientes: "La Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes se realizara del
18 al 21 de agosto de 2011, y es convocada por la Organización de Desarrollo
Étnico Comunitario, ODECO, que tiene su sede en la ciudad de La Ceiba,
Honduras, Centroamérica."
Pueblos negros de Honduras Denuncian Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes por
excluir comunidades 8/10/2011 Frente Nacional de Resistencia
Popular: "Lideres y lideresas de unas veinte organizaciones de los pueblos
negros de Honduras rechazaron hoy que la �Cumbre Mundial de
Afrodescendientes� sea representativa de los pueblos negros, por excluir a
representantes de las comunidades garífunas, al mismo tiempo que anuncian la
celebración entre el 18 y 21 de agosto del Foro �Acaparamiento de tierras y
territorios en África y América Latina�. Miriam Miralda, Coordinadora de la
Organización Fraternal Negra de Honduras (OFRANEH) dijo que el Foro sobre
�Acaparamiento de tierras y territorios en África y América Latina�,
paralelo a la Cumbre Mundial, tiene la clara intención de darle la palabra a
los excluidos del evento internacional organizado por la Organización de
Desarrollo Étnico Comunitario (ODECO), una ONG que recibe financiamiento
estatal, y el gobierno de Porfirio Lobo Sosa."
¿Que hay detrás de la Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes de Honduras? 8/5/2011 Blog
Fosforito: "Primero, específicamente sus dos o tres líderes visibles, buscan
el beneficio personal y han vendido su alma al diablo. Segundo, el
imperialismo norteamericano a través de USAID, la NED, Open Society y la
derecha rancia europea, saben que 150 millones de afro en América Latina es
un capital político importante para planes futuros de endeudamiento
económico a través de la Banca internacional y sobre todo la
desestabilización política hacia los avances progresistas en nuestros
países. Tercero, la derecha hondureña intentará tapar sus crímenes con el
golpe de estado apoyado por USA., Aquí en Colombia algunas veces los árboles
lloran sangre y la Ceiba no escapa de esa mitología."
Honduras Catches First Narco-Sub 7/15/2011 In Sight: "Honduras' Navy
intercepted a semi-submersible vessel, containing between three and five
tons of cocaine, in the Caribbean Sea. The drug trafficking craft was
spotted off the Mosquito Coast, close to the border with Nicaragua. The
military gave chase, but the crew reportedly abandoned the semi-submersible
and tried to sink it to destroy the evidence."
Honduras: Narco-trafficking threatens Plátano River Reserve 7/15/2011 InfoSur
Primera Cumbre Mundial de Afrodescendientes. La Ceiba, Honduras, 18 - 21
Agosto 2011 . 6/30/2011 Facebook
InSight gets it wrong, again 6/17/2011 Quotha: "InSight, based (sadly)
at my university (where I love working, but fear I am rapidly losing my shot
at tenure), recently published a piece by Jose Luis Flores called Honduras
Mass Grave Found, Amid Gang's Peace Offer, in which great weight is given to
government claims that the mass grave recently found in La Lima is a Mara 18
burial ground for its victims. InSight further authoritatively states that
this undermines Mara 18's attempts at negotiations with the police. Anything
InSight publishes, as well as any claims by Security Minister Oscar Alvarez,
should be viewed with deep suspicion, if not discarded out of hand as
pro-neoliberal crime control propaganda. A large part, if not a majority, of
so-called "street violence" in Honduras is perpetrated by the police force
and military, which regularly orchestrate massacres that are then blamed on
gang members (and in which the victims are posthumously blamed for their
deaths for having been involved in gangs or drugs themselves, when this is
more often than not patently false)."
Honduras Re-Admitted to the OAS: 3 killed; 2 kidnapped in the Aguan 6/16/2011 Honduras
Human Rights: "There are reports that approximately 400 private security
guards, employed by African palm producers in the region, are being trained
in the Rio Claro base in Tocoa, Colon , home of the 15th Army Battalion. The
security guards reportedly are from the Orion security company, employed by
the Exportadora del Atlantico, and others are employed directly by the
Dinant palm oil and derivatives company. The trainers wear Honduran military
uniforms, and rarely leave the base though they have been reported to
participate in forced, illegal evictions. During these evictions security
guards have been reported to change into military uniforms; close
collaboration between police, military and security guards has been
reported. Local informants claim the trainer�s accents, stature and coloring
lead people in the region to believe they are not Honduran. Many suspect
they are Colombian. In October 2009, the United Nations Special Rapporteur
on the use of Mercenaries, Private Security and Paramilitaries reported the
Honduran African palm producers were recruiting security forces in Colombia
particularly among former AUC members � a right-wing paramilitary group.
There have also been reports of Chinook helicopters flying to and from the
Rio Claro base, which leads many to believe US troops maintain a presence on
the base. On January 8, 2011, Juan Chinchilla, a Honduran land rights
activist, was kidnapped and tortured. Able to escape the evening of January
9, while being moved from his illegal detention center, Chinchilla reported
that participants in his torture spoke English and another language he was
not able to identify." [Israeli?]
Miguel Facussé Blinks 6/11/2011 Honduras Culture and Politics: "His
recent actions suggest he has reached the end of his rope. In short order,
he has sued prominent critics; taken out self-promoting newspaper ads,
including one in which he sought to unilaterally renegotiate the terms of a
settlement with the Honduran government over disputed land in the Bajo
Aguan; and continued his campaign of seeking police enforcement of judicial
orders against campesinos living on land he refuses to cede."
Zelaya ya está en Honduras 5/28/2011 Cuba Debate
Negev Security, NED, the misuse of culture within the FNRP, & more 5/26/2011 Qotha: "NED
was the organization that financed, organized, and sent the bulk of
"observers" to legitimize the illegitimate and fraudulent 2009 elections �
since the EU, UN, OAS and Carter Center had declared them illegal and thus
prevented the legal possibility for the presence of international monitors."
Honduras en el laberinto 5/3/2011 ArgenPress: "El reciente encuentro
del presidente de Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, del presidente de Venezuela
Hugo Chávez Frías, y del continuador de la política golpista hondureña
Porfirio Lobo, ha sido una decisión que todavía trata de ser interpretada en
las filas de la Resistencia Hondureña y de los movimientos populares
colombianos, pero también por quienes hacemos del latinoamericanismo y del
internacionalismo nuestra particular manera de estar en este mundo."
Predators: Miguel Facussé Barjum, businessmen and landowner , Honduras 4/15/2011 Reporters
without Borders: "A community radio station launched on 14 April 2010 in a
fertile region coveted by the �oil palm magnate,� La Voz de Zacate Grande
has been the constant target of physical attacks, censorship and persecution
by private security guards in Facussé�s pay, with the police and army acting
as accomplices. The same goes for the Afro-Honduran Radio Coco Dulce, a
community radio station on the Atlantic coast. Ten journalists were murdered
in Honduras in 2010. A probable or proven link to the victim�s work as a
journalist exists in three of the ten cases. All are still unpunished."
Drug Trafficking in La Ceiba, a Honduran Caribbean City 3/7/2011 CoLab
Radio: "The core area of drug trafficking is indeed the Department of Colon
and the Mosquito Coast area, east of La Ceiba. There, the landing of
Colombian avionetas transporting cocaine is common, as are 4X4s and SUVs."
With Increased US Aid, Honduras Militarises Anti-Drug Fight 2/22/2011 Upside
Down World: "Javier Aguirre, a young man from Juticalpa, told IPS that
things there are tense. "The traffickers walk about freely, flaunting their
weapons and their bodyguards, and there are places where you can't go after
8:00 at night, because they shoot you if they don't know you. "The problem
is that there is complicity between the police and the 'narcos'. Leaders of
the cartels can often be seen going into the police station to 'fix' things
with the police, using drugs or money," he added. The stories coming out of
Olancho are shocking. For example, after the frequent shootouts and
killings, groups of heavily armed thugs often show up before the forensic
experts can identify the bodies, to burn the corpses so they won't be
recognised. But such incidents are rarely covered by the press. A journalist
from that area who spoke to IPS under condition of anonymity said reporters
there engaged in self-censorship because they would not be "the first killed
for talking."
Honduras Human Rights Abuses Worse One Year After President Lobo Took Office 1/27/2011 Common
Dreams
Nombran jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas al general que capturó a Zelaya 1/26/2011 Aporrea: "bo,
cumplió este jueves un año de gestión en medio de protestas contra su
gobierno y nombró jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas al general René Osorio
Canales, quien dirigió la captura y el destierro del mandatario
constitucional Manuel Zelaya durante el golpe de Estado del 28 de junio de
2009."
Denunciation of Facussé and el Cardemal 1/15/2011 Quotha: "That in July
2009 we presented a formal complaint to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor
requesting an investigation and determination of whether the ex-President,
Carlos Roberto Flores Facusee and Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez were
responsible for Abuse of Authority and diversion of public funds, because,
through an executive agreement in December 2001, the ex president authorized
payment of 100 thousand lempira to the office of the cardinal monthly and
permanently. This executive agreement was published in the newspaper La
Gaceta and the Cardinal has publicly acknowledged that the money was
received at least once by the archdiocese of Tegucigalpa."
Sus captores hablaban en inglés e idioma que Juan Chinchilla no reconoció 1/11/2011 Dick
Emanuelsson: "Según la primera declaración de Chinchilla, los secuestradores
eran guardias de Miguel Facussé, que incluso hablaban en inglés y en un
idioma que no reconoció, posiblemente israelita que son expertos tanto en
�consultoría de terrorismo estatal� como en ejecutar �acciones especiales�
al servicio a los Poderes Facticos del mundo, pero siempre por un buen
precio."
Interview with Juan Ramón Chinchilla, MUCA 1/11/2011 Quotha: [Israeli
Mercs] - "On the afternoon of Sunday the 9th. They got me up and showed me a
table with torture instruments on it. They began talking among themselves.
They said, �What are we going to do first? Are we going to pull out a
fingernail or burn him? Then they began to strike me in the face. They burnt
my hair. They told me they were going to pour gasoline on my head and burn
me. They beat me on the back with a club. There were several foreigners.
Some spoke English and another spoke a language that I was not able to
understand."
Pro-Coup Lobbyist Lanny Davis' Game Plan For Honduras 1/3/2011 NarcoNews: NarcoNews
publisher Al Giordano is allergic to any discussion of the Israeli role in
Honduras, this article does not discuss the fact that Davis is a Zionist
neocon.
Organized Crime in Central America 12/14/2010 Wilson Center: "According
to consultant James Bosworth, Honduras, like El Salvador and Guatemala, has
experienced the effects of organized crime in Mexico, especially with
respect to illicit trafficking. In recent years, the country has recorded
one of the highest (if not the highest) homicide rates in the world, upwards
of 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Honduras has also become one of the
world's most dangerous countries for journalists. However, Bosworth said,
what distinguishes Honduras from its Central American neighbors is the 2009
coup against President Manuel Zelaya. The coup facilitated the expansion of
organized crime in the country and demonstrated to the international
community the incompatibility of goals of democracy promotion and public
security."
Zacarias dirigió el asesinato de tres diputados ARENA que viajaban con $5
millones 11/17/2010 Contrainjerencia: "Jean-Guy Allard.- El venezolano
Victor Rivera Aguaje, alias �Zacarias�, viejo colaborador de la CIA y socio
de Luis Posada Carriles , fue parte de la estructura criminal que mató a los
tres diputados salvadoreños asesinados en Guatemala en febrero de 2007,
revela la investigación que también descubrió que los representantes del
partido ARENA llevaban consigo cinco millones de dólares."
Honduras: Asesinados 640 jóvenes durante el régimen de Lobo 11/12/2010 Aporrea
U.S. ratchets up Contra War II against Nicaragua 11/3/2010 UniverCIA22: by
Wayne Madsen
Honduras: Indigenous Peoples Ready to Mobilize Against Hydro Dams 10/29/2010 IntercontinentalCry: "Indigenous
and Black Peoples from across Honduras have said they are ready to mobilize
against 41 dam concessions which they say violate their rights, threaten the
environment and endanger their communities. Representatives from several
organizations and members of the Tulupanes, Pech, Miskito, Maya-Chortis,
Lenca and Garifuna Peoples met from October 2-3, 2010 to discuss the current
state of human rights and the environment in Honduras."
Narcotraficante Villela Meza, hermano de Armida de López contreras y cuñado
de Federico Álvarez, será extraditado a EE.UU. 10/18/2010 Vos el
Soberano: "Miguel Ángel Villela Meza es hermano de la lidereza de la
fascista Unión Cívica Democrática UCD Armida Villela Meza de López
Contreras, esposa del Canciller de la dictadura michelettista Carlos López
Contreras. Así mismo, el capo de la droga y también traficante de armas, es
cuñado del Supernumerario del OPUS DEI en Honduras, el costarricense
Federico Álvarez, analista estrella del Diario La Tribuna."
Partners in Crime: The U.S. Secret State and Mexico's "War on Drugs" 9/17/2010 Global
Research: Good links.
Honduras since the coup: Drug Traffickers� Paradise 8/31/2010 CIP: "In
his book El Narcotráfico en América Latina (English: Drug Trafficking in
Latin America), Adalberto Santana indicates that in the seventies and
eighties, during some of which time Honduras was under military rule, the
Central American country became a US ally against communism in the isthmus.
Santana states that the US tolerated drug trafficking that even the highest
ranks of the military government were involved with. The author cites a
report � �El Narcotráfico en Honduras 1982-1988� (English: Drug Trafficking
in Honduras 1982-1988) � from the Honduras Data Centre, according to which
drug trafficking there between 1982 and 1987 made revenue of 12 billion
dollars."
Arming Aid: Costa Rica, the US Military and the Ongoing �War� on Drugs 8/17/2010 Upside
Down World: "The US will begin sending warships to Costa Rica as early as
August 20 despite the fact that the Costa Rican Supreme Court agreed to hear
a case challenging its constitutionality. The court will hear the challenge
to the Costa Rican legislative assembly's decision to permit the US to move
46 warships (with the capacity to carry 7,000 troops and 200 helicopters)
into Costa Rican territory. While initially there were reports that the
court�s agreement to do so would delay the arrival of US military personnel
at least until they ruled, the US will begin to utilize the permission
unabated."
Honduran Peasant Leader Assassinated 8/13/2010 Upside Down World
Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico? 7/23/2010 The Nation: "Yet
the daily torrent of local press accounts from Ciudad Juárez makes it clear
that most of the murder victims are ordinary Mexicans who magically morph
into drug cartel members before their blood dries on the streets, sidewalks,
vacant lots, pool halls and barrooms where they fall dead, riddled with
bullets… General Jorge Juárez Loera, the first commander of the Joint
Operation Chihuahua, put it this way: "I would like to see reporters change
their articles and instead of writing about one more murder victim, they
should say, 'one less criminal.' "
Honduran women reject US military presence 7/16/2010 Prensa
Latina: "Honduran women rejected the increased US military presence in the
country and the installation of two new bases in the Caribbean Wednesday.
�There are clear intentions by Washington to continue extending its
operational range and to demonstrate from our territory its hegemony to wage
a war that the peoples, do not want,� warned the Visitacion Padilla Movement
of Women for Peace."
Washington Strikes out on Honduras 7/2/2010 Scoop: "President Obama�s
Latin American policy scarcely differs from President Bush�s and his
regional team has had few successes in rehabilitating Washington�s flawed
image throughout the hemisphere."
Mexico's Gaza 6/15/2010 Counterpunch: "Today, nearly a quarter century
after the initial Amnesty International report, the death toll in the Triqui
region has mounted to over 400."
Statistical Analysis and Visualization of the Drug War in Mexico 6/15/2010 Diego
Valle-Jones: "While the first joint army operations in 2006 and 2007 lowered
the homicide rates in Michocán and Guerrero, later military operations in
Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo León, Veracruz and Durango have coincided with
increases in homicides and attempts by the Sinaloa cartel to take over drug
trafficking routes from rival cartels."
El Paso 'Cat and Mouse' Turns Fatal 6/12/2010 Consortium News: "One
eyewitness told El Diario from Juarez, �I was at the flagpole on the [Paso
del Norte] bridge waiting for my wife, and I suddenly saw the boys entering
the American side. Immigration agents chased them, as they returned back.
The boys were on the Mexican side, and an immigration officer or a police
officer on a bicycle shot at the boys.� Another eyewitness, 53-year-old
Bobbie McDow, was walking across the Paso del Norte bridge as well. She
paused to watch the young men crossing back to Mexico. She said that the
border patrol agents arrived and detained two men, but the others escaped
back to Mexico. McDow said the 14-year-old teen was slain on the Mexican
side of the border and was not throwing stones."
U.S. Military has Special Ops "Boots on the Ground" in Mexico 6/12/2010 NarcoNews
Human Rights in Cuba and Honduras, 2010: The Spring of Discontent 5/19/2010 Cuba
L Analysis
Commentary: Growth of prominent Garifuna village in Belize will be doomed 5/15/2010 Caribbean
Net News: "Due to the beautiful beaches that Hopkins possesses, rich
Belizeans and foreign nationals have been buying up lands in the village and
surrounding areas to open up tourist resorts. Many residents of Hopkins have
and are migrating to the United States to join their family members, pursue
higher education or to improve their economic situation. While this is
occurring, there is a significant drop in the population growth among the
Garifuna people and an increase in the population of the newcomers. A
majority of the government land is being sold by the government and private
landowners for residential and commercial purposes. When some members of the
village experience economic hardship, they lean to sell their properties to
foreigners for a huge amount of money."
Commentary: Investment in the southern part of Belize is long overdue 5/8/2010 Caribbean
Net News: "How come suddenly they are interested in coming to live in the
south not only from the northern part of our country but also from the
neighboring republics? This is a question that I am grappling with every day
of my life and sometimes I am wondering whether it is happening by design or
accident. The industrialization of the south can only occur when the
government decides to give this region its fair share of revenues that it
has been deserving for years due to the amount of people that now reside in
the south. Dangriga town is in need of about four factories in the immediate
vicinity, to supply employment to its unemployed citizens. If we can help to
provide these industrial facilities for our citizens, it will reduce the
burden on the government."
Out of the Past, a New Honduran Culture of Resistance 5/3/2010 NACLA
Something fishy in Seine Bight? 4/27/2010 Amandala: "Amandala has
received multiple reports from residents of Seine Bight, Stann Creek,
alleging that the business of land transactions in the Garifuna fishing
village has been riddled with irregularities: for instance, a lot being sold
to one party when another party holds the lease for it; double issuing of
leases for the same lot; and the issuance of lease land where a house built
as a part of a community project now sits."
Activist speaks on human rights violations 4/15/2010 Bay State
Banner: "In 2007, Luther Castillo was part of a team of Cuban-educated
doctors who opened a hospital in Ciriboya, a community of Garifuna � the
descendants of Africans and Arawak and Carib Indians that live on the
Atlantic coast of Honduras. Things went well for the first two years, as the
hospital grew and treated 378,000 patients in the impoverished coastal area.
Then, a day after the June 2009 right wing coup in which the country�s
military ousted democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, soldiers
broke down the doors of Castillo�s hospital, stole medical supplies and
intimidated doctors, most of whom left."
Genocidal pressures 4/13/2010 Amandala: "Two hundred years ago the
black forestry worker was a prized commodity in the forestry�dominated
economy of the settlement of Belize. It was around the same time that the
Garifuna people had experienced genocidal pressures in Balliceaux and Roatan
after waging war against the British and the French on St. Vincent. In
Belize, the black forestry worker was indispensable to the mahogany trade,
and therefore that worker enjoyed a certain status, although many such
workers were technically still slaves. Meanwhile, the Garifuna people had
been humbled by their genocidal experiences in St. Vincent, Balliceaux and
Roatan, and they were no longer interested in a direct confrontation with
white supremacy. They were seeking other ways to survive. Today on the
Southside of Belize City, the descendants of Belize�s forestry workers have
been drastically marginalized and they are experiencing genocidal pressures.
As a result, we are seeing gang battles being fought by young boys and young
men armed with automatic weapons and grenades. In some areas of the old
capital, just to grow up on a certain street will mean that you are
gang-affiliated, or viewed as such, especially if you are a healthy male.
The gang battles in the old capital have been going on for more than two
decades, and they have reached the point where �civilians� in certain areas
have become fair game."
Honduran physician speaks here tonight 4/13/2010 Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel: "Luther Castillo, a Honduran physician now leading a large
international health mission in Haiti, will speak tonight (April 13) at 7
p.m. at Central United Methodist Church, 639 N. 25th St."
Disappearing the Truth in Honduras - "National Reconciliation" & the "Truth
Commission" Provide Cover for Repression Aimed at Destroying the Demand for
a New Constitution 4/9/2010 NarcoNews: "While the US and Canadian
governments, corporate lobbyists in Washington and even WOLA (Washington
Office on Latin America), a Washington based human rights NGO, assist the
Honduran government in creating the illusion of �reconciliation,� death
squads assassinate journalists, teachers and unionists."
Honduras: el peligro de informar la verdad 4/9/2010 PL: "Con cinco
reporteros asesinados en el último mes, Honduras encabeza hoy la lista de
países más peligrosos para el ejercicio del periodismo, sector fuertemente
golpeado desde la ruptura del orden institucional en junio pasado. Las
víctimas pertenecen a diferentes medios de prensa y a disímiles regiones del
país y el único punto en común hasta ahora es que todos los crímenes
permanecen impunes."
Report condemns Honduras violence 3/9/2010 CNN: "An Organization of
American States commission condemned Monday the slayings last month of three
Honduran political activists opposed to a military-led coup that removed the
elected president in June. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
also said it deplores the kidnappings, arbitrary detentions, torture, sexual
violations and illegal raids that the panel maintains other members of the
political resistance have suffered since the June 29 coup."
III Congreso Mesoamericano de Areas Protegidas 3/8/2010 ODECO
Clinton Seeks Better Honduras Ties in Central America 3/5/2010 Bloomberg: "Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, on her first trip to Central America since the
June coup in Honduras, announced the U.S. is restoring aid to the country
and urged its neighbors to normalize ties following the election of a new
president. The U.S. backs moves by President Porfirio Lobo �to promote
national unity and strengthen democracy,� Clinton told reporters today in
Guatemala City ahead of a meeting with five Central American and Caribbean
leaders."
Honduras After the Coup: Fear and Defiance 3/4/2010 Inside Costa
Rica: "I learned that a group of international volunteers were helping to
rebuild a community radio station, so I took a bus north to spend a few days
helping. There I met Alfredo Lopez, a leader of the Garifuna community along
the north coast of Honduras. Alfredo was imprisoned for seven years on a
false drug charge, because of his work in opposing developments of luxury
vacation resorts that threaten to destroy communities and disperse the
Garifuna people. Now, Lopez is back in his community, organizing a string of
community radio stations that have a key role in informing and mobilizing
the struggle against the well funded developers who covet their beautiful
beaches."
Brasil en contra de pronta normalización de relaciones con Honduras 3/3/2010 Granma
Bicentenario Garifuna +13, Mes de la Herencia Africana en Honduras 2010 3/3/2010 ODECO
Thousands of Zelaya Supporters Renew Protests in Honduras 2/27/2010 Global
Research: "Tegucigalpa -- Thousands of supporters of ousted Honduras
president Manuel Zelaya took to the streets of the capital Thursday for the
first time since President Porfirio Lobo took office last month,
AFPreported. Lobo, who was elected in controversial polls held under the de
facto regime, took power on January 27 and granted Zelaya safe passage to
the Dominican Republic. Zelaya, a centrist who swung to the left while in
office, had spent several months holed up in the Brazilian embassy after
secretly returning to the Central American nation. Thursday's protesters
called for reform of the constitution and denounced corruption and rights
abuses since Zelaya was ousted last June. Some 10,000 people set off from
the capital's main university but were blocked by soldiers from nearing the
presidential palace and diverted to the parliament in the city center
instead, according to organizers."
Sepultada Claudia Larisa Brizuela.. 2/26/2010 ODECO: "El día ayer en
horas de la tarde fueron sepultados los restos mortales de la sra. Claudia
Larisa Brizuela, asesinada por desconocidos el pasado miércoles. La
solidaridad y la indignación fue multitudinaria, la exigencia de justicia y
la demanda de captura de él o los asesinos fue unánime por parte de los
cientos amigos, amigas, dirigentes del movimiento popular y miembros de la
Resistencia Nacional que hicieron acto de presencia acompañando a su Padre
Compañero Pedro Antonio Brizuela. Queda pendiente la honesta, ágil y
oportuna actuación de la Policia Nacional, así como de los órganos de
justicia, para que el asesinato de Claudia, no sea otro caso mas que quede
en la impunidad."
Photos of yesterday's massive march by Mario Ardón Mejía 2/26/2010 Quotha: "The
first massive march to reject the continuation of the coup d'etat in
Honduras. The golpistas are still in power. There is no one in the
government who is not a golpista. Primera marcha multitudinaria para
rechazar la continuidad del Golpe de Estado en Honduras. siguen los
golpistas en el poder. No hay nadie en el gobierno que no sea golpista."
Congreso español rechaza reconocer de forma expresa las elecciones
hondureñas 2/25/2010 El Libertador
In Solidarity with Pedro Brizuela in Honduras 2/25/2010 NarcoNews: "Yesterday
afternoon between two and three o�clock gunmen knocked on the door of the
home of Claudia Larisa Brizuela in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. When she
answered the door, they assassinated her on the spot. Claudia, 36, was a
member of the civil resistance movement in Honduras, and the daughter of
Pedro Brizuela, union organizer, political strategist, radio host, columnist
and good friend and collaborator of Narco News."
ROHRABACHER CODEL 2/24/2010 Cablesearch.org: "Congressman Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA) visited Honduras January 31-February 2 and called on
Hondurans to "turn the page" on the political events of the summer.
Congressman Rohrabacher commended the Honduran people for their commitment
to democracy and said he would urge the U.S. government to re-instate
revoked U.S. visas. Congressman Rohrabacher expressed concern that
establishment of a "truth commission," as called for by the Tegucigalpa-San
Jose Accord, would have the effect of continuing to divide Hondurans.
Congressman Rohrabacher, who was accompanied by several American businessmen
and investors, endorsed US investment and particularly lauded the benefits
of the development of biofuel industry in Honduras. He enthusiastically
promoted a start-up biofuel company, SG Biofuels... In his conversation with
President of Congress Juan Orlando Hernandez on February 1, Congressman
Rohrabacher told Hernandez that he was an emissary of Honduras' friends in
Congress, in particular member of Congress Ileana ROS-LEHTINEN."
Garifuna Collective Returns from Performance at Winter Olympics 2/22/2010 7
News Belize: "The Garifuna Collective and Umalali Singers flew into Belize
today after a two week North American tour. They crisscrossed the west coast
of the United States with stops in Seattle, Washington, San Diego in
California, and the jetted across to the east coast for shows in Boston and
New Hampshire. But the highlight of the tour was a performance at the
Cultural Olympiad as part of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver,
Canada. We met the band at the airport this morning and got their reaction
to the tour � where � strange as it sounds - for the first time they got to
play to audiences who were sitting down. Desiree Diego told us how the
Women�s Collective got them to stand up."
Empresa Hidroeléctrica en Sambo Creek 2/22/2010 ODECO: "El día de ayer
se celebró una importante reunión entre las Juntas Directivas de los
Patronatos, las Juntas de Agua Sambo Creek y Corinto con los miembros de la
Sociedad Hidroelétrica La Ensenada, con el propósito de establecer una
aproximación sobre las eventuales consecuencias positivas y/o negativas
derivadas de la posible implementación de un Proyecto Hidroeléctrico sobre
los rios Cuyamel y Sambo Creek."
Pepe Lobo appoints his daughter as Central American Bank Honduras Director 2/21/2010 Quotha
The Honduran Dam Controversy and Micheletti�s Legacy 2/20/2010 America's
Quarterly: "Just before relinquishing power, Micheletti and the Congress
rushed to approve a $160 million contract to operate and improve the José
Cecilio del Valle Dam (better known as the Nacaome Dam). In January, the
Honduran Congress sped through the process of granting the contract to a
Honduran-Italian consortium. Then-President of the Congress, José Alfredo
Saavedra, argued that Congress had recently fast-tracked laws, including the
general amnesty passed in January, so the contract should not raise
concerns. After the congressional vote, Roberto Micheletti signed the
contract into law in his last cabinet meeting. Almost immediately after
Micheletti left power and Congress changed hands, however, the contract came
into question. Only days after President Porfirio Lobo took office, the new
government placed a hold on the publication of the decree in the country�s
official newspaper, La Gaceta. Two weeks later, however, it became clear
that La Gaceta had published two versions for January 22, 2010, with the
same issue number. One version contained 16 pages, with no mention of the
dam contract; the other included an additional 16 pages covering the dam
contract and the creation of a new government office of criminal
investigation. To make matters worse, the office in charge of publishing La
Gaceta, Empresa Nacional de Artes Gráficas (ENAG), apparently only published
20 copies of the second version, and then denied publishing them at all once
these copies had disappeared."
Organismos de derechos humanos pide a Presidente Lobo revierta la violencia
desatada contra Resistencia 2/18/2010 El Libertador
Colombia's Uribe Signs Security Pact with Honduras' Lobo 2/16/2010 Latin
American Herald Tribune: "He added that both Honduras and Colombia are
harmed by drug trafficking and terrorism, scourges that destroy �morality
and ethics� while creating in society �an attitude of contempt for the
law.�" [Uribe was cited in a DIA memo as a close personal friend of Pablo
Escobar.]
Julio Funes Benítez, another resistance member assassinated 2/16/2010 Quotha: "Just
hours ago on this Monday February 15th, our compañero in resistance JULIO
FUNES BENITEZ, of the Union of Aquaduct and Sewage Workers SITRASANAA, was
murdered. The assassins shot at him in a cowardly fashion from a taxi, near
the Brisas del Norte colonia [neighborhood] of Comayagüela."
Alleged Kidnap Plot Shows Intel Chief's Hostile Intent, 2/9/2010 Cablesearch.org: "On
February 2, Vice President Varela told Ambassador that Alfaro had complained
to Martinelli that the Embassy had not provided any help in the kidnap
investigations. Alfaro believed this demonstrated that the USG is not a
reliable security partner. As a result, Varela said, Alfaro had moved to
bring in Israeli security consulting firm GLOBAL CST to advise on setting up
a new protective detail for Martinelli. Senior GOP leaders had previously
engaged GLOBAL CST in late 2009 to conduct a security study, but disengaged
from the company after being advised of the USG's experience with GLOBAL CST
in Colombia and Ecuador (ref B). "
Pepe Lobo, Imperialism and the Resistance - Consolidating the Coup in
Honduras 2/5/2010 Counterpunch
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