[News] Washington Uses Drug Trafficking Narratives to Destabilize Honduras

[Anti-Imperialist News]

telesurenglish.net
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/washington-uses-drug-trafficking-to-destabilize-honduras/>
Washington Uses Drug Trafficking Narratives to Destabilize Honduras
------------------------------

Honduran President Xiomara Castro. Photo: X/ @JorgeGestoso
------------------------------

September 4, 2024 Hour: 1:08 pm
An old video is being deliberately taken out of context to raise doubts
about the integrity of the Castro administration.

In an interview with teleSUR, Gilberto Rios, a leader of the National Front
of Popular Resistance and a member of the Freedom and Refoundation Party
(Free), accused the United States of using the narrative of drug
trafficking to destabilize the government of President Xiomara Castro.

*RELATED:*

*Honduras Reveals List of Right-Wing Politicians Investigated for Drug
Trafficking
<https://www.telesurenglish.net/honduras-reveals-list-of-right-wing-politicians-investigated-for-drug-trafficking/>*

“They are deploying narratives focused on drug trafficking to incriminate
progressive political leaders,” Rios said, noting that transnational
far-right forces are using a 2013 video to spread propaganda against the
Castro administration.

In that video, individuals linked to drug trafficking and Carlos Zelaya,
brother of former President Manuel Zelaya and brother-in-law of President
Castro, are seen.

On Saturday, Carlos Zelaya admitted that he met with drug traffickers who
offered contributions to the Free Party’s campaign but denied receiving any
money. To facilitate investigations, he announced his resignation as
secretary of the Honduran congress.

Rios explained that the video was always in the hands of the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) and that its interpretation is being
deliberately taken out of context to sow doubts about the integrity of the
Castro administration. This tactic is not new. Rios recalled that U.S.
Ambassador Dogu had played a similar role in Nicaragua in 2018, where she
orchestrated the plan against President Daniel Ortega.

“From the beginning of her tenure, Dogu has dedicated herself to
criticizing policies,” the Honduran social leader emphasized, highlighting
the similarity of the methods used in both countries.

*A Short History of U.S. Interventions*

U.S. intervention in Honduras is not a new phenomenon. Since the overthrow
of President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954, Latin American governments
have suffered numerous interventions orchestrated or supported by the
United States.

Disguised as acts in defense of so-called “Western values,” these
interventions have sought to maintain U.S. influence in the region by
promoting regimes aligned with their interests and destabilizing leaders
who deviate from their geopolitical guidelines.

In Honduras, the 2009 coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya is a clear
example of this trend. Since then, the country has been marked by political
instability and U.S. influence in its internal affairs.

The current attempt at destabilization follows the same pattern. However,
this time, the drug trafficking narrative is being used to legitimize a
possible coup against the leftist government, Rios emphasized, recalling
that Castro has already faced seven coup attempts in her first two years in
office.

*The Role of U.S. Ambassador Dogu*

Rios argues that Laura Dogu “orchestrated all opposition forces to confront
the Castro administration and the Free Party, thus seeking to reverse
progressive advances in the country.”

“From the start of her mission, Dogu has focused on criticizing the
measures taken by Castro, particularly those aimed at changing neoliberal
structures inherited from previous administrations,” the Honduran social
leader said.

“The local right-wing has little capacity for action,” he added, explaining
that the Honduran opposition lacks its own national project and depends on
external intervention to sustain itself.

*The Rebuilding of Honduras*

Led by President Castro and the Free Party, the “Refoundation Process”
seeks to transform the country’s political and economic structures, moving
away from the neoliberal policies that have prevailed in Honduras for
decades.

The transformation has faced strong resistance from the United States and
its local allies, who see their interests in the region threatened, Rios
explained.

“Important battles were fought in the National Congress to elect an
independent prosecutor and to achieve transformation at the top of the
Supreme Justice Court,” Rios recalled, warning that these changes have
increased internal and external pressures against President Castro.

“Our activism was constant throughout the resistance period,” he said,
emphasizing that the rebuilding process continues the struggle for a more
just and sovereign country.

*teleSUR/ JF Source: teleSUR*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20240904/bb9fc7d0/attachment.htm>