Pace e Bene community member and former program coordinator Laura Slattery joined a group organized by School of the Americas Watch attempting to travel to Honduras to offer nonviolent support for the movement challenging the June 28 coup that ousted the democratically elected president. She has now returned to the United States.  Below is a series of emails that Laura sent during her journey in the order they have been received, including the last one received on July 10.  For more information, visit the School of the Americas Watch website and the Latin American Solidarity coalition website.

 

Email 1:
Sunday, July 5, 2009

Dear friends and family,

I hope this e-mail finds you well.  I’m writing to you en route to Honduras.  A human rights worker who has worked closely with the School of the Americas Watch and helped to organize a delegation there a couple of months ago, has asked for international solidarity and support during this time of crisis in her country where civil rights have been suspended and the military coup (led by a graduate of the SOA) that has taken charge of the government is cracking down on all protest activity.  I am going to support her and the millions of Hondurans who want their democratically-elected President (likeable or not; wise in his decision to push for a referendum or not) to be able to return and to have democratic process return in the country.

I’m writing to youen route to HondurasThe ousted president has the support of the Organization of American States and at this writing is supposed to try to return to the country Sunday (today) accompanied by several other Presidents from Latin America.  Thousands gathered at the airport yesterday to greet him and as I understand it are violating the curfew to camp out and await his arrival.  The OAS intended to suspend Honduras, but the general pre-empted them and withdrew his country from the organization.  Many speculate that the US could stop the coup if they stopped military aid, which we have yet to do.

I would encourage you to call the State Department and have them officially declare the take-over a coup (which everyone except the State Dept, including Obama initially, has acknowledged), so that the US will be forced by law to cut off aid (primarily military aid) to the current military government - see below for info on how to do that.  I would also appreciate your good wishes and prayers for me and the small SOAW delegation, and, most importantly, for the people of Honduras.

I will try to write with updates.  I will return on Friday.
Blessings,
Laura

For more information and to contact the State Department about this situation, click here

 

Email 2:
Sunday, July 5, 2009

Hi all,

I didn’t get to Honduras today because the military government closed the airport to prevent the constitutionally elected president’s arrival in the country.  Pres. Zelaya is now in Managua, Nic.  The other 3 presidents who tried to accompany him, aong with the Secretary General from the OAS, were also denied entrance into the country and have landed in El Salvador.   (for the latest hour-by-hour account of what is happening on the ground, this blog by Eva Golinger: http://www.chavezcode.com/  seems to be a great source of information in English (and also a fairly good articulation, I think, of what many progressive and nonviolent folks think about the coup and what they would like the US Gov’t to do about it)).     

I am scheduled to go tomorrow at 10 am.  I will be flying with Fr. Roy Bourgeois and Kent Spriggs and hopefully meet up with Lisa Sullivan and Fr. Joe Mulligan. 

More to follow. 
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers –
laura
 

Email 3:

Monday, July 6, 2009

Hi all,

Greetings from El Salvador.  I am here with Lisa Sullivan, the delegation coordinator (the flight from Atlanta was cancelled this morning so I flew here instead).  We tried to take a bus this afternoon, but the de facto government in Honduras re-instated a curfew and the bus wasn´t going to arrive before 6 pm so it was cancelled.  We leave tomorrow morning at 5;30 and should be in Tegucigalpa by 12. 

It is amazing for me just returning to this country that was so formative in my life when I was here 17 years ago - less than a year after I left the Service.  We are on our way to a meeting this afternoon. 

I realize that I didn’t give folks an option to opt out of these e-mails,so if you would rather not get them for three more days, just drop me a line. My aploogies - it was all very last minute. Also, I have heard from some folks that they would like to contribute to the cost of the trip.  If you are one of those people, funds would gladly be accepted. At this point you could write a check and send it to me or write it to SOAW and send it there.  The SOAW site also has some good info on the Honduras situation - soaw.org

Thanks again! 
Peace and all good –
laura

 

Email 4:

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hi friends,
 
Lisa and I arrived today in Tegucigalpa after an 8 hour bus ride from San Salvador (the last two of which we travelled about 2 miles - they told us the delay was due to demonstrations at the airport).  The Army boarded the bus twice (a difference from last month when Lisa took the same bus and there was no military presence), but the trip was mostly uneventful.  People report things getting back to normal - the schools have reopened, two of the opposition (those against the coup) radio stations have begun to operate as of yesterday (though still no tv stations critical of the coup have been allowed to broadcast).  Some of the Cabinet members, however, are still in hiding and/or have fled the country.
 
We saw graffitti all over the City in a 10:1 ratio calling for the return of Zelaya and an end to the de facto gov’t.  We (the SOAW delegation that now numbers 7) met with the head of COFADEH (an human rights org that works with the families of the disappeared).  She is a woman who is a confident of President Zelaya.  She had many stories and much insight into the events leading up to the coup.  The more that I hear about Zelaya, the more it seems that he had quite a transformation (an Oscar Romero-esque conversion?) in the last year or so toward an option for the poor.  He comes from the political and economic elite but since his change of heart, has moved rather rapidly (obviously too rapidly for those in power) toward a participatory (not just a representative) democracy.  When Lisa was here 6 weeks ago she participated in one 5-hour mtg (that was one of a series of mtgs) with President Zelaya, 5 members of his Cabinet, social movement leaders, union leaders, indigenous gps, and women’s groups where the President asked for input on, and discussed with the groups, all of the major issues that lay before the government…
 
We asked the head of COFADEH what she thought about the 30% popularity rate of the President that all the major networks were broadcasting.  She said that the reports don’t reflect the “humilde”, the poor, and that he was very popular with them as he was beginning to include them in the decision making process.  She believes 100% that that is why the elite did not want the non-binding referendum to take place - because he actually is fairly popular and the referendum would have shown that.
 
Her concern is that the more time passes and the more normalized things become, the less empowered the people will be to feel like they can actually make a difference in restoring democracy to their country.  This coup has challenged the budding solidarity of Latin American countries (they are in support of Zelaya as evidenced by kicking Honduras out of the OAS and by having 3 Presidents accompany him back) and now it seems that the “war for hearts and minds” has come to the US with both a delegation from the Honduran Congress delivering speeches in Washington as well as Zelaya meeting with Sect. of State, Clinton.
 
Thanks for reading this e-mail and staying informed on what’s up in Honduras. 

More tomorrow —

Laura

 

Email #5:

Thursday, July 9, 2009
 

Howdee friends,

Whew!  Today was a full day.  In the morning we put a request for a visit into the US Embassy, researched SOAW graduates among the new Cabinet members (there are 2 confirmed, and a third who has the SOAW on his CV but does not appear on the SOAW rosters that we have rec’d), attended a march/road block/rally (Frs. Roy and Joe, and Lisa spoke), and participated in several interviews.  In the afternoon we attended a planning meeting of those resisting the coup (headed up by a fellow who is a candidate for President in November), participated in several more interviews, and planned our meeting with the US Embassy, which is scheduled for tomorrow.   

I was most struck by those who are fighting for the chance to really change their country into something new (not the same old military, economic and political elite).  There is a lot of hope and a fair bit of determination.  It was truly amazing to be in a meeting with many leaders of social movements who may one day become the political leaders of the country.    

In other news: Yesterday, on their way to Teg. from the only airport that was open in the country, Fr. Roy, Kent, and Dan visited the military base that currently houses 600 US soliers.  The were led onto the base by Honduran soldiers who took them to the NCO in charge.  The NCO told them that the coup had not changed their relationship with the Honduran military.  He did say that the joint exercise had been cancelled and that the soldiers have been confined to the base.

One of the radio interviews yesterday was with Radio Progreso (Progreso is the name of a town), which is run by Jesuits.  The day of the coup, 25 soldiers came into the station and ordered the station closed.  It just started up again 2 days ago. 

Lastly, I am intrigued/befuddled/angry about the US’ response.  It seems Obama is calling for the return of Zelaya (the elected President), but Hillary Clinton is calling for “democratic constitutional order” and to my knowledge has not called for Zelaya’s return.  I’ve read that McCain was behind bringing some of the members of the Honduras Congress who favored the coup to come to the US to tell their story.  Three very different messages being sent there.   In the articles and news I’ve read and seen coming out of the US, it seemed that at first the justification for the coup was because of his friendship with the Venezuelan President Chavez (that he was somehow secretly running or going to run the government - the level of Chavez demonization is incredible); and now it seems like the news is saying that no one really liked Zelaya anyway and all of the branches of government were against him so who can really blame them for ousting him.  The gov’t seems to be walking a fine line (“we don’t like where Zelaya is headed (towards socialism/communism (he and many people here would call it ‘participatory democracy’), but we can’t really be seen to support a military bursting into a presidential palace in the early morning and kidnapping the President”).  If it is a coup, as the US has said it is, we are not following our law if we have not cut off aid to the country.  It will be good to talk to the Ambassador tomorrow (btw, though, many countries have pulled their ambassadors).

Til tomorrow - laura

 

Email # 6:

Friday, July 10, 2009

Hi all,

I am back in the States.  Thank you all for your support (financial, emotional, and spiritual) during my trip to Honduras.  To catch you up to date: yesterday morning I planned with the delegation their meeting with the US Embassy and the demonstration that that followed it.  I then had to rush off to the airport as it was after nine and those opposing the coup were going to be closing the road to the airport at 10. 

In the taxi, the driver and I start up a conversation about the political situation.  He is in support of the coup and fears Chavez is taking over his country.  As if to prove his point he asks, “Why else do you think that Chavez supplied ballots for the referendum?”  I respond that I don’t know and ask a question of my own, “Why do you think the US supplies millions of dollars in military aid to your country each year?”  “To gain greater influence in our country, I suppose,” he said. 

And, I think he is right.  And so, by the same token, perhaps Chavez is supplying ballots to Honduras in order to gain greater influence there.  Or perhaps he is really interested in helping the Honduran people move to greater civil society inclusion (or perhaps both).  Either way, I am left wondering how much more influence the US would have if we supplied more ballots, and less bullets. 

Below is the report that Lisa Sullivan sent out regarding how the day at the Embassy went.  If you’d like to be kept up-to-date on what is happening on the civil society front in Honduras, you can check out soaw.org.  If you’d like to donate to the human rights organization in Honduras, COFADEH, www.cofadeh.org that we are in solidarity with you can send a money order or check to:

Barrio La Plazuela,
Avenida Cervantes, casa 1301,
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, C. A.

Thanks again, much love,
Laura

From: Lisa Sullivan <lisavenezuela@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009
Subject: Standing vigil for Honduras as U.S.citizens

I was last here in Honduras only about 6 weeks ago. I was totally take off guard by the energy of the country, the hope that something new and different was emerging, the  belief that luck had come their way, that unity that I found among the social movements around a goal that seemed to actually be within reach (the constitutional assembly) . How quickly things can change in a country. This is perhaps one of the things that has most impacted me as I prepare to leave Honduras tomorrow.

But I also am struck by how much things don’t change. Can we really be living through a situation in 2009 when SOA grads are organizing coups and filling the ranks of new cabinets. Really?

This sense of incredibility about current events was what marked our attitude as we headed to the U.S. embassy in the morning.  There, we met with  Ambassador Hugo Llorens, and two of his political staff. In spite of the delicate moment, with mediations just underway in Costa Rica, they gave us an hour of their time.

We asked Ambassador Llorens to clarify U.S. policy and relationships with Honduras at this time.  According to Llorens, it was a “black and white situation”. A coup had taken place, and therefore the U.S. neither recognizes nor has contact with the de facto government. He also told us that all military aid had been suspended between the U.S. and Honduras. While this was breaking news to us - and welcome news at that, he indicated that this situation had been the case since the moment Micheletti swore himself in as president.

Since three of our delegation members had stopped by the Palmerola military base, where over 500 U.S.  soldiers are based, and witnessed an apparently normal buzz of activities, including helicopter flights and interchange of Honduran and U.S. soldiers.  Ambassador Llorens insisted that everything had come to a standstill, and that perhaps the soldiers were interchanging on such normal day-to-day affairs such as the administration of water and electricity and routine training exercises. 

The ambassador told us that Honduras was an extremely polarized society. According to him, President Zelaya had been doing that many in the country considered illegal. He reiterated Obama’s position that no matter how much the U.S. may be in disagreement with internal issues of another government, nothing justified a forceful removal from office. He also indicated that most of their contacts in the country (acknowledge later by aide to come mostly from the upper crust) were outraged at the U.S. position.However, he noted that “other political leaders and business leaders were beginning to “calm down” in the past four. My guess is because it now looks like they are here to stay, for at least quite a while.

We then shared our series of concerns. We noted that while most countries had pulled their ambassador from the country, that he and his staff remained. He told us this was because the president had asked him to do so, since he could be “useful”.

We also shared our concerns that about the mediation process in Honduras. Had it been Obama who was abducted by force by armed soldiers and taken against his will to Mexico, would we support a process in which Obama and his usurpers sat down at a table together, while the usurpers remained in power?  The ambassador replied that Secretary Clinton felt that the the U.S. no longer should be in the role of solving problems, and that she wanted this to have a Central American solution.  He said that, given the exteme polarization, that there needed to be certain guarantees for Zelaya’s return. Among things that are being talked about are issues  of amnesty, a truth commission and a national unity government.

We also questioned other aid into the country, and the ambassador clarified that this aid is contingent on just how this coup will be classified. Apparently, there are different categories of coups in the U.S.(sounds like the Washington Post editorial staff!) and until this is determined, the exact kinds of aid to be cut are in question.  Among the 50 million of US AID slated for Honduras, that which goes to  “democratic programs” is still in force, as well as health and education programs that don’t deal with the government. He belittled the impact of U.S. aid, indicating that the bulk of aid came from the IDB, and this was suspended when Honduras was cut from the OAS.

We shared our concerns for human rights abuses since the overtake of the government, and the three embassy members agreed that this was the case. We gave them a copy of COFADEH’s human rights report since June 28th. The ambassador told us that they were in regular contact with the Attorney General  Luis Rubi and Ombudsman Ramon Custodia, since neither were from the executive branch. We shared that many human rights groups had grave concerns for Custodia, who has turned a deaf ear to many of the abuses and seemed supportive of the coup government in his declarations.  We also indicated that several human rights leaders are concerned for their safety, and he indicated that they should be in touch with the human rights coordinator, Mike Gorman.

We also shared our concerns for the fact that two of the key leaders were graduates of the School of the Americas, as well as several current cabinet appointees. He asked the aides to note the names.

We had decided the previous day that we felt it was important to publicly show our support for Honduran democracy, and call upon our government to be more consistent with their actions. Immediately after the meeting, we flew into preparation mode for an action in front of the embassy, and with the help of Honduran allies, made signs and banners and a cross with the name of the 19-year old who was gunned down at the airport.  We also sent out press releases widely.

From 2 until 5 we stood vigil in front of the embassy, which is on a busy street, with signs that shared our concerns. They said, in English and Spanish, thank you president Obama, for your words. Now, we need actions. We called upon our government to:

Insist upon the immediate and unconditional return of President Zelaya
Recall the U.S.  ambassador and embassy staff
Withdraw U.S. troops from Palmerola
Expel Honduran troops from SOA/WHINSEC
We were overwhelmed with press from both Honduran, Latin American and international sources and did dozens of interviews. After the first hour, we were joined by leaders of the resistance movement, who stood by us, shook our hands and thank us, and brought us juice and sandwiches.

What was most touching were the hundreds of passengers in cars that passed by who showed a look of great surprise and a huge grin. Many held out their hands in a peace, or victory sign. Many called out to thank us. It was clear that being there in Honduras, at this moment, in solidarity, was the right thing to do.

I am trying to leave for the airport in 10 minutes, and need to find a way to send this from another hotel. Sorry for the abrupt end. The roads will be blocked again this morning, and we need to get there. My original flight was canceled, and now I hope that we can get back. This has been a blessed time to be here, with our Honduran friends, these are not easy times and a solution might not come soon. Honduras needs our solidarity now, and I ask all of you to share this with others.

Lisa Sullivan
Coordinadora para América Latina
Observatorio de la Escuela de las Américas
School of Americas Watch
Apartado Postal 437 Barquisimeto, Lara
Venezuela
58-251-935-0182
www.soaw.org
www.soawlatina.org