November 9, 2009 

Tell the U.S. to Stop Supporting the Honduran Coup Regime!

The State Department announced last week that it intends to recognize the results of the upcoming November 29 elections in Honduras with or without democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya back in power.  (Read the November 6 response statement from Honduran President Manuel Zelaya at the end of this alert.) Up until last week the U.S. had joined the rest of the international community in condemning the June 28 coup that ousted President Zelaya, and calling for his return to power as a prerequisite for recognizing the results of the November 29 Presidential elections in Honduras.

For the people of Honduras -- who have peacefully protested to restore democracy throughout Honduras every single day for four months following the coup -- the Department of State’s reversal constitutes nothing short of a slap in the face and a tremendous blow to Honduran democracy. 

Since the coup, the violent coup regime has leveled more than 4,000 violations of human rights against the Honduran people, including more than 3,000 illegal detentions and 12 political assassinations of members of citizen groups opposed to the coup.  It is in this framework of egregious violations of human rights and the threat of media shutdowns that the coup regime pretends to hold “free and fair” elections. 

The National Front of Resistance Against the Coup in Honduras has put forward three clear demands:

• The return to constitutional order with the reinstatement of the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya Rosales
• Respect for the sovereign right of the Honduran people to establish a National Constituent Assembly for the purpose of refounding their nation
• Punishment for those who have violated human rights.

Take a stand in support of the Honduran resistance to the coup and demand that the State Department and President Obama government end their support for a brutal, repressive and anti-democratic regime!

 TAKE ACTION!

 1. Call the State Department and leave a message for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Assistant Secretary Thomas Shannon: 202-647-4000.

Tell them not to recognize the coup regime’s illegitimate elections that are scheduled for November 29.  President Zelaya must be reinstated as the first step for the restoration of democracy in Honduras!  

2. Then call the White House and leave a second message for President Barack Obama and Dan Restrepo (Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs): 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414.