Fw: Report from Honduras - Take Action Now to Support the Delegation

["nello margiotta" <nellomargiotta55 at virgilio.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: International Action Center
To: action.news at organizerweb.com
Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 3:28 PM
Subject: Report from Honduras - Take Action Now to Support the Delegation




U.S. Delegation Arrives in Honduras
to gather evidence on civil rights crisis and impact of the coup



The delegation urgently needs your support!  Here's how you can help:


Send a message to the White House, Congress, Honduran officials and the 
media demanding they insure the safety and security of this U.S. delegation. 
Sign the petition online at 
http://www.iacenter.info/honduras/safeguardhondurasdelegation

Make an emergency donation to help with the expenses of this delegation - 
donate online at http://iacenter.org/donate/

Forward this message you your friends, co-workers, and fellow activists.

You can follow the delegation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/iacenter and 
on the Honduras delegation blog at - 
http://hondurasdelegation.wordpress.com/ .  Updates will be posted as they 
come in.
On Wedensday, a 12-person delegation from the United States arrived in 
Honduras.  The purpose of the trip is to conduct a fact-finding 
investigation of the critical situation in the country.

We've just received word that the delegation has safely arrived at the 
airport and is heading to the hotel.  The delegation is asking supporters 
here to call on their elected officials, members of Congress and 
representatives of the media to take action to ensure the unrestricted entry 
and the success and safety of the U.S. delegation.  You can send a message 
online at http://www.iacenter.info/honduras/safeguardhondurasdelegation

An OAS delegation comprising several foreign ministers and 
Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza met with President Zelaya on Wednesday 
at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa, where he took refuge on  returning 
from exile on September 21. The representatives reiterated their backing to 
Zelaya.

This visit by the OAS, a clear signal of international support for Zelaya, 
has emboldened the peoples' movement.  Despite a massive police presence and 
threats of a government crackdown, there was a spirited demonstration on 
Wednesday.  The U.S. delegation took part in the demonstration - read the 
report at 
http://hondurasdelegation.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/report-from-honduras-day-1/.

The situation in Honduras is at a critical stage.   A vicious fascist coup 
may be in the making as the de facto illegal government of Roberto 
Micheletti carries out a reign of terror against the people and Manuel 
Zelaya, the democratically elected president. The coup plotters-golpistas in 
Spanish-have denied rights guaranteed in the Constitution and banned 
gatherings.  But the people continue to resist.

That's why this delegation is so important - and why we're asking for your 
support.  This group of students, labor, clergy as well as peace activists 
are in Honduras to learn about the critical situation in the country 
including a ban of constitutional rights. They aim to return and explain to 
the U.S. population all the facts about the current situation in Honduras , 
including the situation of those who have opposed the coup government.

The delegation will be in Honduras from October 7 through October 11.

Please take action now in solidarity with the delegation.  Take a minute now 
and sign the petition below to demand the safety and security of the human 
rights delegation!  Then, please consider making an urgently needed donation 
to help with the expenses of the fact finding delegation.



PETITION


To: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice 
President Joe Biden, Congressional leaders, U.N. General Assembly President 
d'Escoto-Brockmann, U.N. Secretary General Ban, the Organization of American 
States, FIFA and World Cup leaders and sponsors and major media 
representatives including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los 
Angeles Times, the Associated Press, Reuters and Telesur:

I want to call your attention to a delegation from the United States that 
will be traveling to Honduras on Oct. 7. Ensuring the safety and security of 
this delegation requires your attention.

Students, labor, clergy as well as peace activists plan to visit Honduras 
from October 7 through October 11 to learn about the critical situation in 
the country including a ban of constitutional rights. The fact-finding 
investigation of the critical situation in the country can only be carried 
out if its freedom of movement and safety is guaranteed. The delegation must 
be permitted to enter Honduras and to speak with Hondurans.

With the long-term Soto Cano U.S. air base in Honduras (also called 
Palmerola base) and a history of training Honduran military officers, the 
attitude of the U.S. government is vital to any actions taken by the 
de-facto government in Honduras.

They aim to return and explain to the U.S. population all the facts about 
the current situation in Honduras, including the situation of those who have 
opposed the coup government.

On Saturday, Honduras will be the site of a major World Cup qualifying 
soccer match, expected to attract 50,000 people in San Pedro Sula. If the 
existing coup government of Honduras cannot guarantee the safety of this 
small human rights delegation how can they claim to be able to guarantee the 
safety of such a large crowd, including many international visitors?

The American Association of Jurists, the National Lawyers Guild, the 
International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the International 
Association Against Torture have just released a report that confirm that 
the June 28 events in Honduras constitute a genuine military coup. The 
report further states that the military overthrow "was a clear violation of 
Honduras' 1982 Political constitution."

Under these conditions, the people of the world will hold you accountable 
for insuring the security and safety of this fact-finding delegation and its 
ability to gather the truth and bring it back to the people of the U.S.

Sincerely,
(Your signature will be appended here based on the contact information you 
enter in the form above)


Sign the petition online at 
http://www.iacenter.info/honduras/safeguardhondurasdelegation

FOLLOW THE DELEGATION FROM WED OCT 7 to 11 ON TWITTER- 
http://twitter.com/iacenter
And on the U.S. Delegation to Honduras BLOG - 
http://hondurasdelegation.wordpress.com/