[News] Honduras - Lenca people demand Juan Orlando Hernandez step down immediately!

Wed Dec 6 16:34:33 EST 2017

*SOA Watch fully reproduces the statement made by the Civic Council of 
Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH in Spanish)

For over a week, the people have defended in the streets the will that 
they expressed at the polls. The flagrant theft that they want to carry 
out through fraud is undeniable. *The people know it and the 
international community should understand that the narrow interests of 
Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH) and the elite powers that he represents 
alone are maintaining the crisis by refusing to accept defeat.*

It has been clearly demonstrated how the leadership of the National 
Party, which includes the President of the Supreme Electoral Council 
David Matamoros, have committed fraud in the presidential elections in 
order to illegally keep themselves power. Therefore, results from this 
institution are not and will not be reliable nor in any way credible, 
and the people have shown as much in the streets.

COPINH is clear that the hundreds of mobilizations, highway blockades, 
peaceful protests and expressions of resistance go beyond this electoral 
process. T*hey represent a cry of the people as a whole to move beyond 
the hatred, violence and submissiveness that have characterized the 
years of JOH’s government **and his other coup-supporting predecessors*, 
years inundated with corruption, impunity, assassinations, approval of 
spurious laws, handing over of territories, illegal concessions, and 
poverty and hunger for the majority.

The struggle in the territories and in the streets is the key action in 
these moments and must continue. The dignity and strength of the 
people’s struggle in the streets is what has led the National Police and 
the COBRA forces to set down the arms they were using against the 
people. We salute this dignified action and call on the armed forces and 
other repressive state bodies to understand their role as part of the 
people and respect the actions of that people.

It is clear that the call in the streets is not just about recognizing 
the obvious electoral victory of Salvador Nasralla, but is above all the 
cry of the Honduran people to say JOH MUST GO! It is no longer about him 
recognizing the victory, it is about him stepping down from the 
presidency and thereby ending the crisis to which our Honduras has been 
subjected.

*COPINH calls on the international community to take all pertinent 
measures to ensure that JOH’s desperation to maintain power does not 
lead to more spilling of blood* by the Honduran people.

As such, the Lenca people, organized in COPINH demand that:
- *JOH’s government immediately hand over the presidency *to a temporary 
government of national consensus until January 27th, 2018, the day in 
which Salvador Nasralla will be seated as President.
- *T**he resistance in favor of recognition of the people’s will *as 
expressed at the polls strengthen and consolidate through territorial 
organization.
- That the *international community take a side and activate the 
pertinent mechanisms so that JOH’s desperation to maintain power does 
not lead to further spilling of blood *by the Honduran people.

For the blood shed by Berta Cáceres and all of our ancestors, we demand 
justice! We demand that end of this killer regime!

With the ancestral strength of Berta, Iselaca, Etempica and Mota we 
raise our voices full of Life, Justice and Peace.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Take action in solidarity with the people of Honduras TODAY.  The 
United States has financed and propped up the Juan Orlando Hernandez 
regime for far too long and bears responsibility for the murders of 
those who are simply demanding that the official election results 
reflect how people actually voted. *Here are several ways to take action:

1. *Call the State Department Honduras Desk at **202-736-7660 
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2BKOM1voKlfiqS99KDn8gufXQ70ozSPzt>****TODAY* 
and demand the State Department publicly denounce fraud and repression 
in Honduras and request that the US *not recognize the outcome of the 
elections *until there is a transparent process that meets the demands 
of the Opposition Alliance (*Note: the Honduras Desk phone number is 
different from the one published in previous calls to action). Sample 
message: /‘My name is ______, and I am calling to urge the State 
Department to speak out against election fraud and violent repression in 
Honduras. I am extremely upset that people protesting against fraud have 
been murdered by the US financed security forces and urge the State 
Department to suspend US aid to Honduras as well as condemn the violence 
by state security forces and the massive irregularities in the election 
results.  The US should not recognize the outcome of the elections 
unless there is a transparent process that satisfies the demands of the 
Opposition Alliance with regards to transparency and review of votes, 
especially in areas where there appears to be inflated vote turnout.' /

2. *Tweet at the State Department or post on their facebook page*: Call 
on the US to denounce fraud and violent repression following the 
elections in Honduras, demand the immediate suspension of aid to 
Honduras, and demand accountability for the US financing of repression 
and murder in Honduras.  Twitter: @StateDept, @WHAAsstSecty 
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8xV9OAM0wirzNRV855QIcCGMoPIUKqM6>, 
@WHASpeaks 
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HkZTCuuOovHiFwcTehTwqCGMoPIUKqM6>, 
@USAmbHonduras.  Facebook: @usdos

3. *Organize or attend a protest, action, or vigil in solidarity with 
the people of Honduras. *Contact us for more ideas or to connect with 
others in your area.

4. *Finally, keep on **e-mailing and calling your Representative and 
Senators* 
<http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=OF4O5PUt4uMN4zDqWZ40ZiGMoPIUKqM6>* urging 
them to support the suspension of US security aid to Honduras *and to 
speak out against election fraud and repression by the US-financed 
security forces in Honduras. *If your Representative hasn’t already done 
so, ask him/her to co-sponsor HR 1299, the Berta Caceres Human Rights in 
Honduras Act. *

In solidarity,
SOA Watch******
******
/

    ***.
    SOA Watch, PO box 43523, Washington, DC 20010***

    ******

    ***/*http://SOAW.org*
    /
    <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Q%2BxUBOn6xgmH8YIzQYXirSGMoPIUKqM6>***

/

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