The Media Hype May Be Over, But There Is Still A Crisis In Honduras
August 20, 2009
Amnesty International issued a report today about the ongoing crisis in Honduras following the coup d’etat which took place June 28. Many press outlets have covered the report and accompanying press release which comes at a crucial time as the crisis in Honduras must be kept in the attention of the mainstream media and general public.
AI’s main concerns with the crisis as cited in the report are:
Two of the ten students who took part in the peaceful march on 30 July 2009. The imprint of the police batons is clearly visible on both students. Amnesty International
Excessive use of force
Gender-based violence
Use of military in civilian law enforcement
Freedom of expression
Curfew measures
Safety of human rights defenders
I’ll let the words of Hondurans speak for themselves to end this post, as their words are much more powerful than mine:
“We were demonstrating peacefully. Suddenly, the
police came towards us, and I started running. They
grabbed me and shouted “why do you (all) support
Zelaya’s government? Whether it’s by choice or by
force, you have to be with this government”. They
beat me. I have not yet been informed as to why I
am here detained.”
[“Fernando”, 52 year-old teacher, at a police station in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 30 July 2009]