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<font size=4><b>Behind Bars in Honduras: An Interview with a Women's
Rights Leader Before the 'Free' Election<br><br>
<br>
</b></font><font size=3>Written by Tamar Sharabi <br>
Thursday, 03 December 2009 <br>
<a href="http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2239/1/" eudora="autourl">
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2239/1/<br><br>
</a>Merlin Eguigure helped organize an event on Nov. 25 for the UN
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The next
day while leaving a restaurant in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, members of
COBRA, the special police force, ambushed her. They searched her car and
detained her and two companions for having spray paint in the car. They
were jailed for almost 24 hours. Merlin had used the paint to create
artistic banners for the previous day's activities. The District
Attorney's office charged her with 'property damage', but her case is
still under investigation, and other charges can still be added.<br><br>
Her real crime is being a part of the “Movement of Women for Peace
Visitacion Padilla” and a 'Feminist in Resistance,' and for speaking out
against the coup regime that took power on June 28. The organization,
founded in 1984, is named after a Honduran heroine who fought for women
civil liberties and political rights, and was especially vocal in 1924
against the US Marine Military presence in Honduras.<br><br>
The following is an interview conducted while she was behind bars in a
police station in downtown Tegucigalpa, known as 'Core 7.'<br><br>
Tell me, how are you?<br><br>
I am OK, so, so. For me this is just a test, and here, you have to resist
against the appearance of the rule of law. Of all the impunity, we have
nothing left but to resist.<br><br>
Do you have a message you would like to share? <br><br>
I want to say that this is a struggle of dignity against the barbarism,
it is the struggle of the power of ideas against the power of arms, and
considering this, we have nothing more that we can do, like we say in our
organization, but to continue resisting, to continue fighting. Until the
rule of law is restored we expect anything to happen, and this [my
imprisonment] is an example of that. We didn't do anything, but
regardless we are here.<br><br>
Will you continue in the struggle?<br><br>
Of course, of course, with much more force and more commitment, because
one cannot leave the country behind in these conditions. These bars and
this prison does not intimidate me to keep me from fighting, my
commitment is even stronger, especially when I see that the companions of
my organization are here and have been here all day waiting for my
release. This makes me even more committed to continue fighting for
women's rights, because women can be recognized as real citizens and
because reason imposes over the truth. This is a commitment that I
reaffirm, and I see this as a test of tranquility, as further proof of
how the coup plotters are mistaken.<br><br>
Why do you think you were arrested? <br><br>
We were in the context of a day of demanding nonviolence against women
and since the coup detat occurred, we have been having a huge presence.
We have denounced the police brutality, we have condemned their
negligence, we have said that they have been complicit in the abuse of
women and in human rights violations. Just yesterday we were in the
Central Park making a symbolization of what 'Femicide' [homicides against
women] means, for our homes and for the Honduran society. We were
condemning it and we were holding the national police, the armed forces,
the direction of criminal investigation and all the groups that form that
chain, so that women can identify them. It's precisely because we were
exposing that more than the 350 murders of women so far this year remain
unpunished. I think not even 1% of the men have been sentenced. So
therefore I believe that now more than ever, I am empowered even more to
continue in the efforts for justice in this country, so that human rights
of women are not really a theory and discourse, but become a real
practice that my daughter, or grandchildren if I ever have some, so that
they may enjoy a society where we are not really inferior. That is the
purpose.<br><br>
Do you think the situation would be different if you didn't have so many
people protesting outside, demanding your freedom?<br><br>
I believe so, from the information I have regarding legal issues, the
situation would be very different. We have received many visits here from
international agencies like Amnesty, COFADEH [Committee of Relatives of
Disappeared and Detained persons in Honduras], JEGIL [Center for Justice
and International Law], many institutions that promote human rights have
come that have been vital. I think at this time, like in the 80's,
international support for the rule of law, was the same as in the 80's,
in the Cold War, it was vital to save lives of many people with the
support of the international community. So I have infinite gratitude to
those who have come, not to see me, Merlin is only one piece of the whole
wave of repression and barbarism that has been implemented. The truth,
I'm just a piece, this is really a chain. There are a lot more people who
really suffered worse taunts, that have lost their lives. So we have to
continue preparing and looking for tools and mechanisms to protect us,
because we are women of peace and our struggle is with ideas. We do not
have weapons, we do not have bombs, our only weapons are our
ideas.<br><br>
Do you think there can be free elections?<br><br>
I, Merlin, freely, will not participate in the electoral process. I will
not vote, I will not use my vote to endorse this fraud that has been in
the works for some time now. I do not want to be irresponsible with my
homeland, I do not think that the solution comes in this way. I think the
solution is actually to listen to the people, to listen to its citizens.
The elections only try, as the popular saying here is, 'to cover the eye
of a bull', trying to resolve a crisis with the same hands of those who
carried out the coup d´etat. Really the electoral process in the
conditions that they are in, give no guarantee other than entrenching the
power of those who already have it, and with no doubt increase some
levels of repression.<br><br>
Two days before the election, do you think there is still time to solve
this crisis?<br><br>
I think there's always time to solve this problem. The problem of this
coup has many roots. The military, the hawks in the USA, the powerful
groups in America. So we need those who carried out this coup detat, also
to have the strength and values to respect this homeland, because this
country may be small but is full of decent and noble people that we love,
and we struggle, and we will continue to fight for all the time
necessary. But we will not permit them to continue damaging us,
especially us. As women we have the name of the first national heroine,
teacher Visitacion Padilla, who gave an example of civic citizenship. We
are her followers. That is why we proudly carry her name, because we
continue to demonstrate that the Hondurans want to do things right,
things that we need. Therefore, those who run this country should direct
it from the heart, thinking of the people and not thinking about money,
not from air-conditioned desks not knowing the reality of this
country.<br><br>
Did you ever imagine in your life that you could be put in
prison?<br><br>
I believe that those who have taken the path in fighting for justice, at
some point we expect something like this might happen to us. The truth,
its nothing pleasant (being in prison), but they are the challenges that
need to be faced, and which contribute to set precedents for dignity and
justice.<br><br>
Do you have any fear for what might happen in the coming days?<br><br>
Well, I have a lot of fear, not personally, but I believe that many worse
things may happen in this country. As I have said, fascism is in
control of the state at this time, and fascism is quite simply
thatfascism; it does not think, there is no reason, it imposes,
dominates, and conforms. So I think these two days will be definitive and
people have to be very careful. We must be prepared for the worst because
all indications suggest that we are under the wave of terror.<br><br>
Tamar Sharabi is a an environmental engineer and freelance journalist
living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She is originally from Queens, NY.
<br><br>
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