[Peace-discuss] please ask Durbin to sign Mikulski letter on human rights in Honduras

[Robert Naiman]

Senator Mikulski is circulating, today and Monday morning, a letter on
the grave human rights situation in Honduras. The letter is copied
below.

This would be the first time that any Senators have spoken up on the
issue at all. There is a much stronger letter circulating in the
House, calling on the U.S. to suspend aid to the Honduran military and
police, but this is the best that the groups could get going in the
Senate right now.

Senators Leahy, Cardin, and Sherrod Brown all signed already.

The AFL-CIO has written to the House in support of the stronger House
letter, which is an indicator that the dynamics are such that liberal
Democrats who sometimes do good things on human rights issues are in
play.

The relevant staffer in Durbin's office is Chris Homan,  202-224-2152.
He knows about the letter. I would guess you might not get to reach
him live, but you can leave him a voice mail. Be sure to say where you
are calling from - that's the point - we want them to know that people
in Illinois care about this.

Please pass this note along to other Illinois people who might take action.

-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org





March 1, 2012


The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary,

We are writing to express our concern regarding the increasing number
of human rights violations taking place in Honduras and the failure of
state authorities to prosecute violators and protect the rights of
victims and their families.  In particular, we are deeply troubled by
credible reports of killings and violent attacks that allegedly
involve police and military agents.  Though Honduran president
Porfirio Lobo has stated that responding to human rights abuses is
among his “highest priorities," to date almost none of the
perpetrators of these crimes have been brought to justice.

Over the last few years, international and Honduran human rights
organizations have documented a sustained pattern of violence and
threats against journalists, human rights defenders, members of the
clergy, union leaders, opposition figures, students, small farmers,
LGBT activists, and other vulnerable sectors.  It appears that many
abuses are linked to state security forces.  Honduran human rights
groups have reported that over 300 people have been killed by state
security forces since President Lobo took office.   More and more
Hondurans, including former and current government officials, are
coming forward to denounce the widespread corruption of the Honduran
police, their involvement in drug trafficking and assassinations

Along with having the highest murder rate in the world, Honduras also
bears the dubious distinction of being the deadliest country for
journalists.  Thirteen journalists have been murdered since President
Lobo’s inauguration in February of 2010.  The Committee to Protect
Journalists has issued a public letter calling on the President to
correct the failure of Honduran authorities to investigate these
crimes and the Administrations unwillingness to take action.

This unwillingness to address crime in Honduras extends to the land
conflict in the northeastern Bajo Aguan Valley, which has resulted in
over 50 deaths, many of them small farmers.  Human rights groups have
also reported dozens of murders of members of the gay, lesbian, and
transsexual community over the last few years.  There appears to be
little progress in achieving judicial redress for victims and families
of victims of violence in Honduras.  More worrying still is the
growing evidence that the country’s security forces--rather than
effectively countering the surge in violence--appear to be a
significant part of the problem.

We wish to call your attention to this tragic situation with the hope
that the administration will take all necessary diplomatic measures to
make clear to Honduran authorities that human rights abuses,
especially those that allegedly involve state security forces, must be
addressed swiftly and efficiently.  The perpetrators of violent
attacks need to be held to account and vulnerable groups must be
offered genuine protection, including from rogue elements with the
police and military.

As you are aware, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 requires
that, before allocating 20% of funds designated for Honduras, the
State Department investigate and report back to the Committee on
Appropriations whether the Honduran military "is implementing policies
to protect freedom of expression and association, and due process of
law," whether it is prosecuting "military and police personnel who are
credibly alleged to have violated human rights,” and whether the
Honduran police and military "are cooperating with civilian
authorities in such cases."  In accordance with these requirements, we
respectfully request that the State Department keep us updated with
detailed information regarding whether Honduran authorities are
adequately complying with provisions of the FY 2012 Appropriations
Act.

We thank you in advance for taking our concerns into consideration.

Sincerely,





	    ____________________________            ____________________________
    Barbara A. Mikulski			Benjamin L. Cardin
    United States Senator			United States Senator