Imagine if the United States military staged a coup d’etat, removing the president from the White House and turning over power to another administration.
One year ago today, this is the situation that the citizens of Honduras were dealt when soldiers forced President Manuel Zelaya from the country. By recognizing the “elections” that the de facto government held last fall, the U.S. has condoned insurgent activity against constitutional order. Even more baffling are the millions of dollars of military aid that the State Department has pledged to the current regime.
The double standard couldn’t be any clearer: how is it that the United States claims to promote democratic values around the world, but makes an exception for Honduras as if nothing happened on June 28th, 2009? Witness for Peace has been speaking out about this paradox for a year and continues to document and publicize the Honduran government’s numerous human rights abuses. In fact, we are holding a delegation to Honduras this August for U.S. citizens to hear first-hand testimony and learn how they can support the resistance movement. Find out how you can get involved here.