Venezuela Solidarity Campaign (Britain) Statement on military coup in Honduras
Today (Sunday June 29, 2009) there was to be non-binding national consultation as to whether the people of Honduras agreed to hold referenda at the end of the year for a new Constitional Assembly and for a new constitution. Just on Saturday June 28, President Zelaya was meeting international observers regarding details of today’s (29 June) referendum.
Early this morning -June 29- (about 5:45 am Honduran time) heavily armed units of the military (according to eye witnesses, about 200 soldiers) occupied the presidential palace, arrested democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya in his personal residence, kidnapped him, taking him to an unknow destination. Eye witnesses inform that President Zelaya’s personal residence is surrounded by soldiers. Telesur report that President Zelaya confirmed by phone that he is in Costa Rica.
The military then proceeded to close down Channel 8, the state TV channel to prevent it from informing the population.
President Manuel Zelaya’s supporters are congregating in the streets of the capital and are moving to surround the presidential palace to demand the return of their president.
We totally and absolutely condemn the coup against democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya and demand his immediate and unconditional release as well as the immediater release of anybody else that might have been arrested by the plotters.
We demand:
1.- The immediate restitution of the constitutional order interrupted by the military coup underway in Honduras.
2.- No violence of any kind to be unleashed against the civilian population, or any of the those arrested by those carrying out the coup d’etat. There are worrying reports emerging from Tegucigalpa -Honduras cpital city- of military violence against civilians.
3.- We also urge the UK government to unequivocally condemn the coup and demand the release of President Zelaya, and the immediate return to the constitutional order.
4.- We also call upon President Barack Obama to demonstrate with acts his expressed desire to inaugurate a new period of respectful relations with the republics in Latin America, by also unreservedly condemning the coup d’etat, stating that the US will not recognise any other government in Honduras except that of the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya.
Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, and President of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, has condemned the military coup in Honduras and demanded the release of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.
Ken Livingstone said:
’I totally condemn the military coup and kidnapping of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.
’President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades hunger and poverty. This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people at the polls.
’The world should unite to stop this attempt to return Latin America to the bloody past of military coups to block the will of the people.
’I call particularly upon the British government to unreservedly condemn this military coup and to demand the immediate release of President Zelaya and to urge President Obama, who has promised a new era of relations between the US and South America, to do everything in his power to support the release of President Zelaya and restoration of democracy in Honduras.’
Francisco Dominguez
Secretary Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
British left condemn the coup
Respect, Green and Labour left’s joint statement
We totally condemn the military coup and kidnapping of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.
On Sunday 28 June, President Manuel Zelaya Rosales was kidnapped, removed from his home by force, rendered incommunicado for several hours and expelled from his country.
Soldiers also seized Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas and the Ambassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The military and coup conspirators are trying to suppress popular demonstrations and news by blanket military presence, curfews and intimidation of reporters.
President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades hunger and poverty. This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people at the polls. We call upon every government in the world to demand the restoration of the democratically elected President of Honduras and to pledge not to recognise the illegal government put in power by a military coup.
Signed
• Colin Burgon MP • Ken Livingstone • Diane Abbott MP • Dave Anderson MP • Roger Berry MP • Colin Challen MP • Michael Clapham MP • Michael Connarty MP • Frank Cook MP • Jeremy Corbyn MP • Jon Cruddas MP • Ian Davidson MP • Janet Dean MP • Paul Flynn MP • Hywel Francis MP • George Galloway MP • Dai Havard MP • Kelvin Hopkins MP • Eric Illsley MP • Lynne Jones MP • Rob Marris MP • John McDonnell MP • Eddie O’Hara MP • Stephen Pound MP • Adam Price MP • Terry Rooney MP • Baroness Gibson, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Latin America • Jean Lambert MEP • Jamie Hepburn MSP • Bianca Jagger, World Future Council Chair • John Pilger • John McClure, Reverend and the Makers • Ken Loach, Film maker • Tony Benn • Hugh O’Shaughnessy, Writer • Paul Laverty, Writer • Francisco Dominguez, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign Secretary • Tony Woodley, Unite the Union Joint General Secretary • Derek Simpson, Unite the Union Joint General Secretary • Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary • Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary • Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary • Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary • Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary • Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary • Brian Caton, POA General Secretary • Gerry Doherty, TSSA General Secretary • Gerry Morrissey, BECTU General Secretary • Keith Norman, ASLEF General Secretary • Jonathan Ledger NAPO General Secretary • Megan Dobney, SERTUC, Regional secretary • Bill Greenshields NUT Past President • Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, NUS Black Students’ Officer • Cllr Salma Yaqoob • Ellie Reeves, Labour Party National Executive Committee and Co-convenor Britain in the World Policy Forum • Stephanie Peacock, Youth representative, Labour Party National Executive Committee • Peter Willsman, Labour Party National Executive Committee • Neal Lawson, Compass Director • Steve Ludlam, University of Sheffield Senior Lectuer, Department of Politics • Hazel Marsh, University of East Anglia • Kaveh Moussavi, University of Oxford’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Head of the Public Interest Law Programme • Stephen Wilkinson, London Metropolitan University Assistant Director, International Institute for the Study of Cuba
Bolivarian Circle of the Netherlands statement
www.circulobolivariano
The Bolivarian Circle of the Netherlands joins the solidarity with the people of Honduras and the democratic and legitimate government formed by President Manuel Zelaya.
We openly reject the kidnapping of the president of Honduras, as well as the agression against the embassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
We condemn the kidnapping of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Rodas, and we empathize with the pain the coup has caused for the family of the victims.
We call out for the International Organizations to demand freedom of speech and mobility for the people of Honduras.
We request the democratic countries not to acknowledge the temporary government that has been installed by the ones who inflicted the coup and to demand the return of democracy.
We strongly support the unity of the ALBA countries; this Bolivarian unity, which is a regional proposal for integration with a new economic moral, with the aim of banishing poverty
These fraternally united countries today take their responsibility and support the democratically chosen president Zelaya and his people who mobilize at this moment to save their president and the Democracy.
The noble ideals of President Zelaya we see today being limited with brutal effort by a powerful, social sector from the Army, a sector of the Legal Power and a group within the Government, that wants to give a false impression of the Constitutional State.
We call up the soldiers of Honduras not to shoot at its own people.
We summon the international community not to be deceived, the military coup is illegal and antidemocratic.
We show our deep concern for the prisoners and the persecuted. We condemn the killings which have been caused by the fascistic oppression of the unarmed people.
The people of Honduras and their president Manuel Zelaya are not alone. Our rejection of this coup d’etat corresponds to the demand for justice expressed all over the world.
The peace of Latin America is in danger. It is legitimate and justified to break with the economic dependance.
The capitalistic crisis manifests itself in new ways, let us not accept the fact that the unprotected people have to pay the bill of the capitalistic system.
Yes to Participative Democracy, to the right of the Hondurese People to be consulted.
For the Sake of Democracy and Peace. Let us condemn the injustice going on in Honduras.
Join Demand for Return of President Zelaya!
Stand in Solidarity with the People of Honduras!
[This action alert comes to you from the Alliance for Global Justice and its member projects, the Nicaragua Network, the Campaign for Labor Rights, the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign, and the Respect for Democracy Campaign.]
OAS, Obama Administration, ALBA, United Nations, international popular movements all call for restoration of Manuel Zelaya to the presidency of Honduras!
The Alliance for Global Justice joins the Latin America Solidarity Coalition (LASC)—of which we are an active member—in condemning the military coup against the democratically elected Honduran President Zelaya. The Honduran social movements, who are courageously resisting the military take-over through protests, occupations and strikes, are calling on the international community to speak up in defense of real and direct democracy, for life, justice, liberty, dignity and peace.
As this action alert is being written, more and more Hondurans are protesting in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Progreso and other cities where they are being attacked by police with tear gas, water cannon and clubs. A number have been seriously injured. But two infantry battalions are reported to have risen against the coup government and said that they would not obey orders from the illegal president!
Call the State Department and the White House and ask for actions, not merely words, including:
1. A cut off of all US aid (as required by US law) until Zelaya is safely returned to office. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today the US is delaying a decision on aid cut-off, exactly the wrong message to send to the Honduran coup leaders.
2. Financial sanctions against the coup plotters;
3. An investigation into what signals U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens gave to coup plotters before the coup.
Friends of the Earth International statement
Friends of the Earth International condemns the illegal expulsion of the Honduran President and expresses its solidarity with Friends of the Earth Honduras and all the forces struggling for democracy in the country.
honduras-coup-tn.jpgFriends of the Earth International is deeply worried about the current situation in the republic of Honduras and expresses its unreserved condemnation for the illegal detention and expulsion of the constitutional president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya by the armed forces.
Friends of the Earth International demands the restoration of the Honduran president and the unconditional respect for democracy.
Friends of the Earth International expresses its solidarity with Friends of the Earth Honduras / Movimiento Madre Tierra and all the forces struggling for democracy in Honduras.
The entire international community must demand the return of the democratically elected president.
Friends of the Earth International invites citizens worldwide to protest and send letters to the embassies of Honduras worldwide, demanding the restoration of the elected Honduran president and the unconditional respect for democracy. The will of the Honduran people must be respected at all times.
take action
Please write to your nearest Honduran embassy and demand the restoration of the elected President and the unconditional respect for democracy.
Latin American Committee and Wellington Zapatista Support Group
29 June 2009
Contact: Paul Bruce Lac apc.org. nz Ph 04 021 02719370
Julie Webb-Pullman jwebbp@gmail. com Ph: 027 3534 756
The Latin American Committee and the Wellington Zapatista Support Group strongly condemn Sunday’s military coup against the Constitutional President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya Rosales.
We also strongly condemn the assassination of Honduran congressman Cesar Ham, organizer of the Opinion Poll on a New Constitution, and the abduction of Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas on the same day.
We are deeply concerned by reports that there is a virtual state of siege in the capital Tegucigalpa, where electricity and telephones have been cut off, radio and state television stations shut down, Hondurans demonstrating in front of the presidential residence are surrounded by tanks and helicopters, and members of opposition parties are being rounded up and detained.
We note that:
· the United States Ambassador to Honduras has stated that “The only president the United States recognizes is President Manuel Zelaya,”
· The Organization of American States (OAS) has unanimously backed President Manuel Zelaya as the only legitimate president of Honduras,
· US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said “The action taken against Honduran Presdient Manuel Zelaya violates the precepts of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and thus should be condemned by all,”
· The United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto “clearly and strongly condemns the attempted coup d’etat that is currently unfolding against the democratically elected Government of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras,”
· Numerous governments have condemned the coup, including those of Cuba, Argentina, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the European Union,
and request that the New Zealand Government immediately condemn the coup in Honduras, and demand the return of President Zelaya to his country.
Latin America Solidarity Committee
lac apc.org. nz
http://www.converge .org.nz/lac/ index.htm
Hands Off Venezuela — Finland declaration
28.6.2000
A coup d’état has today taken place in Honduras. Our information tells us president Manuel Zelaya has been fetched from his home in the early hours of the morning, by miltary force, and taken, still in pyjamas, to an aircraft, which then carried him to Costa Rica. The Supreme Court of Honduras has announced they have approved of this action, the congress has been read a forged letter of resignation from the president, and they have named another person as acting president. However, president Zelaya has spoken in the international media, confirming he still is Honduran president.
The supreme court does not elect a president, neither does a congress or a parliament; it doesn’t happen thus in Finland, nor in Honduras. President is elected by the people..
We condemn with utmost indignation the illegal actions above, and presume president Zelaya will soonest be invited back to his country and to his post
It was intended that a non-binding referendum be executed today in Honduras of whether a a constitutional assembly should be called to convene, and this process has been strongly resisted by some political parties. According to our information, 400 000 hondurans have undersigned a petition asking for this referendum to be organized. We regard, in such circumstances, democracy demands the vote be allowed to happen. Hindering a vote by military force, instead, is a clearly undemocratic, shameful act.
Some information tells us the cuban and venezuelan ambassadors to Honduras have been beaten, also by the military. Thus, diplomatic immunity granted by Vienna convention, has been breached. Evidently the foreign minister, Patricia Rodas, has been snatched, too.
We hope legality be reinstated in Honduras soonest. Coup d’états have a long and bloody tradition in Latin America, it is high time to absolutely forsake such methods ! And condemn those who commit them, as well as those who will accept them.
Who continuously pay lipsevice to freedom and democracy, may they now raise their voices and demand the immediate return of president Manuel Zelaya, elected by his people, to his presidential post, and a condition of legality and democracy to again reign in Honduras.
Solidarity, sisters and brothers- let us stand together with the people of Honduras ! Venceremos !
Cuba Solidarity Campaign (Britain) statement on events in Honduras
30 June 2009
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign condemns the coup carried out by members of the armed forces against the elected government of Honduras led by President Manuel Zelaya and calls for his immediate and unconditional reinstatement.
The Campaign notes the united action by trade unions, farmers and other members of society that has been taken including the general strike by public sector workers and members of the General Labour Union (CGT) in Honduras.
We condemn the actions against members of the Government of Honduras including the Foreign Secretary who, although now released, was initially kidnapped by armed forces along with the Ambassadors of Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba .
We note the call by the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon and numerous other international figures for the reinstatement of President Zelaya and the restoration of his Government to office. We believe that the British Government should support these calls.
The Campaign believes that the objective of the coup is both to destroy the progress that has been achieved in Honduras itself and is an attack on the involvement of the country in ALBA – the Bolivarian alternative of the Latin American continent.
We express our solidarity with the peoples of Honduras in their courageous attempts to thwart this coup and in their attempts to restore President Zelaya to office.
No To Coup in Honduras!
Restore Demoracy! Reinstate the Democratically Elected President!
30 June 2009
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) strongly condemns the coup d’etat organised by military and right-wing political elite in Honduras on 28 June 2009, which ousted the democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya.
The coup took place just hours before the people of Honduras go out to vote on a consultative referendum concerning whether to rewrite the constitution. The current Honduran Constitution which was written in 1982 during the height of the US administration’s dirty war in Central America, was designed to ensure the ruling elite who have closed ties with the imperialist US to consolidate their powers with little interference from the ordinary people.
The consultative referendum proposed by President Manuel Zelaya is merely an opinion poll for the Hondurans to determine whether they are prepared to enter into a democratic process to modify their constitution. The referendum though is a not-binding vote, has been viewed by many unions and peasant groups as a necessary precursor to economic reforms favoring Honduras’s poor majority. Yet, the right-wing political elites are threatened by it and used every mean to stop the people of Honduras to determine their future by themselves.
President Manuel Zelaya, elected in 2005, has increasingly come under attack by the right-wing forces in Honduras for his growing relationship with the ALBA countries. The coup is clearly a cowardice act by the right-wing political elite and US-backed economic interests which in fear of losing their grip on this Central American country when it move closer with countries which are now undergoing revolutionary process like Venezuela.
PSM calls for:
1) Restore democracy in Honduras
2) Immediately reinstate the democratically elected President Zelaya
3) People of Honduras have their right to determine whether to re-write the out-dated imperialist influenced constitution in order to restructure its society for the benefit of ordinary vast majority.
No to coup! Power to the People!
29ú Meitheamh 2009 - 29th June 2009
Military coup in Honduras condemned – Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin international spokesperson Raymond McCartney MLA has condemned the military coup in Honduras and demanded the immediate release of the democratically elected President, Manuel Zelaya.
Speaking from Stormont this afternoon Mr McCartney said,
“I want to condemn the kidnapping and military coup against the democratic President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya.
The military coup against the President is an illegal attempt to overthrow the progressive social agenda chosen by the Honduran people.
These type of military coups have inflicted decades of suffering and pain upon peoples across Latin America and the Irish Government must add its voice to those calling for the immediate release of President Zelaya.
The democratic wishes of the Honduran people must be respected and must be protected from this illegal move.”
Communist Party of Ireland statement on the coup in Honduras
30th June 2009.
The coup d’état in Honduras shows that the old habits of the privileged oligarchies of Latin America have not gone away. Even the moderate proposals of President Zelaya for a consultation of the people towards a consideration of constitutional change were not acceptable to them, so fearful are they of losing their privileges.
The coup follows a familiar pattern:- a massive media campaign, with the participation of NGOs funded from the USA, – “Paz y Democracia”, for example, culminating with the kidnapping of the President, even to claiming that he had resigned.
It is an attempt to set back the democratic progress which the peoples of Latin America have been making in recent years, and to restore Honduras as a base for reaction, as it was during Reagan’s dirty war against Sandinista Nicaragua. It brings back unhappy memories of what many Latin American countries suffered at the hands of the military regimes installed with the help of the USA in the 20th century.
This coup has been repudiated, and the reinstatement of the President demanded, by the countries of Alba (Bolivarian Alternative for America), by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, and by the Secretary General of the Organisation of American States.
The Rio Group, which represents the countries of Latin America and the Carribean, and the European Union have expressed support for that position.
As President Lula of Brazil put it – “We cannot, in the 21st century, allow a military coup in Latin America. It is unacceptable. We cannot recognise the new government. We must ensure the return of the democratically elected government.”
The United States government, while stating its opposition to the coup, could not bring itself to demand the immediate reinstatement of President Zelaya, instead, in its statement on Sunday 28th June, calling for dialogue. Dialogue with whom? The putschists? A more forthright statement is called for.
The Communist Party of Ireland calls on all democrats to show their solidarity with the popular forces in Honduras, who defied the curfew to demonstrate at the Presidential palace, not only in their demand for the return of the President, but in their continuing struggle for a broader and deeper democracy in which the mass of the people can participate.
Communist Party of the USA statement on Honduras Crisis
The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) joins with the world in denouncing the coup d’etat this morning against the legally elected president of the Republic of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, by the Honduran military, in which, according to a statement by the president’s wife, Mr. Zelaya was threatened and beaten before being sent into exile in Costa Rica.
• The CPUSA denounces alarming reports of physical attacks by troops against the ambassadors of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua in Tegucigalpa, and calls for protection of all diplomatic personal; and, if the reports of the attacks are confirmed, punishment of all the responsible parties for this gross violation of Honduran and international law.
The CPUSA further:
• Demands that president Zelaya and other members of his government be returned to power immediately, and that the troops return to their barracks.
• Demands the immediate release of all labor, community and student leaders who have reportedly been rounded up by the army, and the restoration of freedom of the press.
• Recognizes that the Obama administration has repudiated the coup, and insists that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton hold firm to this position, refusing diplomatic recognition and any military aid to Honduras until President Zelaya is restored to power.
• Calls upon unions and other people’s organizations in the United States to actively support our brothers and sisters in Honduras in resisting this brutal military coup d’etat.
Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in solidarity with the people of Honduras
KKE condemns the military coup in Honduras that led to the overthrow and the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya from the country and aimed at canceling the people’s referendum which would pave the way for the constitutional change.
The involvement of the USA in the coup, which maintains the Soto Cano air base in the country as well as the rapid response force “Bravo”, is obvious and acknowledged.
It’s not a coincidence that the coup took place a few days after the ALBA Summit (Honduras is also a member of ALBA) which decided its expansion and further development.
KKE expresses its solidarity and support with the people of Honduras and the popular forces in the region that demand the end of the coup in Honduras, the restoration of President Manuel Zelaya and the respect of the people’s sovereignty. It supports all the peoples, the movements and countries that struggle against imperialism and its interventions.
No To Coup in Honduras! Restore Demoracy! Reinstate the Democratically Elected President!
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) strongly condemns the coup d’etat organised by military and ringht-wing political elite in Honduras on 28 June 2009, which ousted the democratically eletected President Manuel Zelaya.
The coup took place just hours before the people of Honduras go out to vote on a consultative referendum concerning whether to rewrite the constitution. The current Honduran Constitutionm which was written in 1982 during the height of the US administration’s dirty war in Central America, was designed to ensure the ruling elite who have closed ties with the imperialist US to consolidate their powers with little interference from the ordinary people.
The consultative referendum proposed by President Manuel Zelaya is merely an opinion poll for the Hondurans to determine whether they are prepared to enter into a democratic process to modify their constitution. The referendum though is a not-binding vote, has been viewed by many unions and peasant groups as a necessary precursor to economic reforms favoring Honduras’s poor majority. Yet, the right-wing political elites are threatened by it and used every mean to stop the people of Honduras to determine their future by themselves.
President Manuel Zelaya, elected in 2005, has increasingly come under attack by the right-wing forces in Honduras for his growing relationship with the ALBA countries. The coup is clearly a corwadice act by the right-wing political elite and US-backed economic interests which in fear of losing their grip on this Central American country when it move closer with countries which are now undergoing revolutionary process like Venezuela.
PSM calls for:
1) Restore democracy in Honduras
2) Immediately reinstate the democratically elected President Zelaya
3) People of Honduras have their right to determine whether to re-write the out-dated imperialist influenced consitution in order to restructure its society for the benefit of ordinary vast majority.
No to coup! Power to the People!
30 June 2009
Released by
Choo Chon Kai
International Bureau
Socialist Party of Malaysia / Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
No to Martial Law! Reinstate President Zelaya! – The anti-coup mass movement must be supported
The Partido Lakas ng Masa, Philippines, adds its voice in strong condemnation of the coup-attempt by the Honduran military hierarchy, the elite and other vested interests, to oust the legitimately elected President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras. We also condemn the attack on democratic and human rights by the coup-leaders, including the killing, arrests and intimidation of our Honduran comrades, leading the mass movements and social movements against elite interests, now protesting in the streets against the coup-leaders.
We are extremely concerned about reports that the coup government in Honduras has passed a decree indefinitely suspending all constitutional rights in the country. We understand that this means the coup forces can enter homes without warrants, detain anyone with no notice or justification, prohibit all public gatherings, such as marches, rallies, protests or meetings, and maintain censorship of independent media.
This is the declaration and imposition of martial law in Honduras.
The imposition of martial law further confirms that the coup is anti-people and was engineered by elite interests in Honduras. The coup took place as the Honduran people were preparing to exercise their right to vote for the first time in a consultative referendum on the future convening of a constitutional assembly to reform Honduras’ constitution, a process similar to that which took place in Venezuela, paving the way for the Bolivarian revolution in that country. It was also in response to several progressive measures taken by the Zelaya government, such as a significant raise in the minimum wage, measures to re-nationalise energy generation plants and telecommunications, signing a bill to greatly improve labour conditions for teachers and joining the regional formation ALBA spearheaded by Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia.
The coup also represents a desperate attempt to stop the rise of the revolutionary and progressive movements in Latin America, a trend that US imperialism has been desperately trying to reverse. A coup against the Zelaya government can only serve elite and US imperialist interests in the region.
We applaud the solidarity demonstrated by the governments of Latin America, such as Venezuela, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and others, who have mobilised against the coup, demanding the reinstatement of President Zelaya.
The Venezuelan revolution has shown the way of how to defeat elite-managed, pro-imperialist coups, when the masses mobilised and re-instated Hugo Chavez in a matter of 48 hours. The Honduran masses know this lesson well and have taken to the streets in defence of their rights.
We stand as one with this mass movement in the streets, demanding the reinstatement of President Zelaya. We demand the immediate lifting of martial law imposed by the coup regime, an end to the violation of human rights and the release of all political prisoners. The coup-leaders and plotters must also be brought to trial for crimes against the people.
Only the masses, mobilized and united, can defeat the coup plotters.
PLM
Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemns military coup against Honduras President
New Delhi, Jun 30 : The Polit buro of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today strongly condemned the coup against the elected President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya and his forcible removal from the country.
The party in a statement issued here expressed its solidarity with the peole of Honduras.
It is reported that military forces are acting in collusion with vested interests who opposed the reforms of the country’s constitution to bring it in line with people’s aspirations, needs and fundamental rights.
The coup took place on the eve of the proposed national referendum on these issues. The military has surrounded the houses of important ministers including Foreign Minister Patricia Radoes and other officials.
Given the international condemnation of the naked attacks on democratic rights of the people of Honduras, steps would be taken to ensure that President Zelaya is allowed to return to his country and reinstated in his position as President, the statement said.
The party has urged United Nation to intervene in this matter.
Greens Party of England and Wales leader Caroline Lucas MEP condemns Honduras coup: “UK, EU must take action following coup d’état”
International community must send a strong, unequivocal message, says Caroline Lucas: removing an elected leader at gunpoint is completely unacceptable
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MEP today added her voice to those calling for sanctions against “the new illegal regime” in Honduras.
Dr Lucas said: “It’s simply unacceptable to remove a president at gunpoint, and I want to see the UK and the EU make this absolutely clear.”Gordon Brown needs to take appropriate action. He might consider withdrawing the British ambassador.
“It would also be appropriate for the EU to cancel next week’s planned trade negotiations with the Honduran authorities.”
EU “association agreements” with other countries contain democracy clauses that represent a condition for the EU’s trade dealings with the country in question. Where a country is suddenly being ruled by an unelected president following a coup d’état, there are clear grounds for refusing an association agreement, said the Green Party leader.
Dr Lucas continued: "For Gordon Brown to do nothing would send entirely the wrong message. For the EU to attend trade talks