November, 30 2009, 09:46am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Repression in Honduras
WASHINGTON
SERGIO MONCADA
A co-founder of Hondurans for Democracy, Moncada is a D.C.-based environmental policy analyst. He said today: "We're gravely disappointed that the State Department has said it will recognize the results of Sunday's fraudulent election. We're getting reports of widespread fear and intimidation by the military, especially in rural areas. The U.S. has taken the lead in legitimizing the coup government while practically all other countries in the hemisphere, as well as the UN and OAS, have said that they will not recognize the results."
TOM LOUDON
Loudon is co-director of the Maryland-based Quixote Center, which organized a delegation of 19 people from the U.S. and Canada now in various cities in Honduras. Loudon said today: "We're seeing brutal police and military repression ... [and] a dismal turnout." The group's website offers reports, photos and videos from various parts of Honduras.
JESSE FREESTON
A reporter for The Real News, Freeston said today: "I was in San Pedro Sula on Sunday. It's the commercial capital and it's a bellwether. There was a march of about 500 people and the Cobras -- militarized police squads -- attacked it. Peaceful protesters who were sitting and singing the national anthem were attacked with tear gas and beaten.
"The pro-coup media is reporting that the turnout is 60 percent. I interviewed several poll workers and I'd estimate that turnout was actually about 30 percent of registered voters -- that doesn't take into account that a lot of poor people are not registered."
See Freeston's reports from Honduras here.
ADRIENNE PINE
Author of the book Working Hard, Drinking Hard: On Violence and Survival in Honduras, Pine is assistant professor of anthropology at American University, has done extensive research on Honduras and has been blogging about recent events at quotha.net.
Pine said today: "The U.S. State Department has refused to acknowledge the human rights abuses by the coup government even though human rights groups are reporting thousands of arbitrary detentions, hundreds of people tortured and dozens assassinations since the June 28 coup."
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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