EDITOR’S NOTE: In response to the latest developments regarding Honduras’ national election, Latino Rebels received from the following communication from La Plataforma de Movimientos Sociales y Populares de Honduras, PMSPH. It is a bilingual declaration, and we decided to run the English version before the Spanish one.
English
The Platform of Social and Popular Movements of Honduras, PMSPH, here before the new (but continual) imposition of electoral fraud as a mechanism to sustain the economic and political power on the part of the national oligarchy, and here before the seriousness of the illegal continuance of the military regime of Juan Orlando Hernández, we communicate the following to the Honduran people :
FIRST: We declare our absolute and categorical rejection of the fraudulent electoral process that has legitimized the continuation of a state of repression and death, directed by Juan Orlando Hernández.
SECOND: We state, from every one of our 18 departments of Honduras, that all organizations, villages, communities, and municipalities begin a permanent mobilization against the imposition and illegal re-election of the military dictatorship headed by Juan Orlando Hernández.
THIRD: We call on our communities to plan and organize a defense in and effort of territorial protection, in the face of militarization and repression that is unleashed from the current dictatorial regime, who wishes to maintain in power.
FOURTH: We hold the government of Juan Orlando Hernández and the state military and security forces responsible for any violation of human rights suffered by our people and our people’s legitimate right to rebel against tyranny.
FIFTH: We denounce the complicity of international institutions such as the Organization of American States (OAS). They have served to support and legitimize the illegality of the presidential re-election. This will guarantee international recognition of what is electoral fraud, and whose fundamental accomplice is the United States.
FINALLY, we call on fraternal international organizations to accompany the Honduran people who struggle to free themselves from the chains of authoritarianism and the military dictatorship led by Juan Orlando Hernández. We urge you to denounce and mobilize in your countries in solidarity with our liberation struggle.
Español
La Plataforma de Movimientos Sociales y Populares de Honduras, PMSPH, ante la nueva y reiterada imposición del fraude electoral como mecanismo para sostener el poder económico y político por parte de la oligarquía nacional y ante la gravedad de la ilegal continuidad del régimen militarista de Juan Orlando Hernández, comunicamos al pueblo hondureño lo siguiente:
PRIMERO: Declaramos nuestro rechazo absoluto y categórico al proceso electoral fraudulento que legitima la continuidad del modelo de represión y muerte, dirigido por Juan Orlando Hernández
SEGUNDO: Convocamos desde nuestros territorios, en los 18 departamentos de Honduras, a todas las organizaciones, caseríos, comunidades y municipios a la movilización permanente en contra de la imposición y la ilegal reelección de la dictadura cívico militar encabezada por JOH.
TERCERO: Llamamos a nuestras comunidades a planificar y organizar la defensa y protección territorial ante la militarización y la represión que intenta desatar el actual régimen dictatorial para sostenerse en el poder.
CUARTO: Responsabilizamos al gobierno de Juan Orlando Hernández y las Fuerzas de seguridad del estado por cualquier violación a los derechos humanos que sufra nuestro pueblo producto de su legitimo derecho de rebelarse en contra de la tiranía.
QUINTO: Denunciamos la complicidad de instituciones internacionales como la Organización de Estados Americanos, OEA, que han servido de soporte para legitimar la ilegalidad de la reelección presidencial y garantizar el reconocimiento internacional del fraude electoral y que tienen como cómplice fundamental a los Estados Unidos.
FINALMENTE, hacemos un llamado a las organizaciones internacionales fraternas a acompañar al pueblo hondureño que lucha por liberarse de las cadenas del autoritarismo y la militarización de la dictadura cívico militar dirigida por Juan Orlando Hernández. Les exhortamos a denunciar y movilizarse en sus países en solidaridad con nuestra lucha de liberación.
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This declaration was published hours after anti-fraud protesters were tear gassed by police in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. A media release from the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance stated the following:
(Photo via Grassroots Global Justice Alliance)
Just before midnight on Wednesday, a crowd of several thousand anti-fraud protesters in Honduras —including numerous young children— was tear-gassed repeatedly by a military police tank and riot police outside of the INFOP, the building where all of the ballots and tally sheets from last Sunday’s elections are being stored and counted.
The incident took place three tense days after national elections left both sides claiming victory, but official initial results pointing to a five percentage point victory for the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship’s candidate Salvador Nasralla. After several days delay, numerous irregularities and unexplained transmission outages, Wednesday afternoon official results began to show a slight advantage for the incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez. With the electoral tribunal announcing that a final result would be released at 3am, thousands began to gather outside the site of the ballot-counting to protest against the attempt to steal their victory. When former President Manuel Zelaya arrived at the scene, the crowd surged forward and police began tear-gassing the crowd seemingly indiscriminately. Protestors fled running and clutching cloth to their faces and coughing.
In the chaos, tear gas entered the warehouse and election observers were forced to flee, raising concerns about unattended ballots in an election already marked by charges of fraud, vote buying, intimidation, and repression.
