Report Details How US-Backed Coup Unleashed Wave of Abuses in Honduras
Survey by 54 civil society organizations and social movements presented to UN as alternative to official state report
The U.S.-backed Honduran coup ushered in a wave of neoliberal policies that have systematically violated the economic, cultural, and social rights of the nation's Indigenous people, women, and farmers, while leaving activists and rights defenders--such as the late Berta Caceres--vulnerable to criminalization and violence.
Such were the findings of a new report, prepared by a coalition of 54 Honduran social movements and rights organizations and presented as an alternative to the official government report submitted to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which began its 58th session in Geneva on Monday.
"The coup d'etat in 2009 meant an imminent reversal of human rights and a serious blow to the country's institutions," states the report (pdf), which is available in Spanish.
While the study does not single out international governments that supported the ouster of the country's democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, it comes as former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to assume the role of Democratic nominee for president. Clinton's role in the coup has come under increased scrutiny since the assassination of Caceres, a Honduran Indigenous rights and environmental activist, in March.
The survey of civil society and regional organizations found that the right-wing government's economic agenda has helped advance extractive development projects while ignoring the rights of those who hold claim to the land.
"According to the report numerous concessions have been granted to hydroelectric and mining projects in areas which indigenous peoples consider sacred or vital to ensure the subsistence of local communities," said global anti-hunger group FIAN International, which published the study.
As a result, peasant communities are "increasingly facing forced evictions" while the individuals and organizations that voice opposition are met with "violence, intimidation, and criminalization," the study found--such as in the case of Caceres, who was murdered by Honduran military officials and employees of the hydroelectric dam project that she opposed.
"This demonstrates that the mechanisms available in Honduras for their protection do not suffice. The overwhelming majority of the cases go unpunished," the report reads.
What's more, this violence has particularly targeted women--including through structural violence such as restriction of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. "The climate of fear in both the public and private sphere, and the lack of accountability for human rights violations against women is the rule, not the exception," the report states.
"All this happens within a context of extreme poverty and imbalanced wealth distribution that leads many to go malnourished," the report continues. According to FIAN, 12.1 percent of the Honduran population is undernourished while a full 95 percent of Indigenous children under 14 suffer from malnutrition.
Coming full circle, the report notes that this cycle of violence and extreme poverty is driving migrants to seek asylum in the United States, where they are often met with imprisonment and deportation.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The U.S.-backed Honduran coup ushered in a wave of neoliberal policies that have systematically violated the economic, cultural, and social rights of the nation's Indigenous people, women, and farmers, while leaving activists and rights defenders--such as the late Berta Caceres--vulnerable to criminalization and violence.
Such were the findings of a new report, prepared by a coalition of 54 Honduran social movements and rights organizations and presented as an alternative to the official government report submitted to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which began its 58th session in Geneva on Monday.
"The coup d'etat in 2009 meant an imminent reversal of human rights and a serious blow to the country's institutions," states the report (pdf), which is available in Spanish.
While the study does not single out international governments that supported the ouster of the country's democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, it comes as former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to assume the role of Democratic nominee for president. Clinton's role in the coup has come under increased scrutiny since the assassination of Caceres, a Honduran Indigenous rights and environmental activist, in March.
The survey of civil society and regional organizations found that the right-wing government's economic agenda has helped advance extractive development projects while ignoring the rights of those who hold claim to the land.
"According to the report numerous concessions have been granted to hydroelectric and mining projects in areas which indigenous peoples consider sacred or vital to ensure the subsistence of local communities," said global anti-hunger group FIAN International, which published the study.
As a result, peasant communities are "increasingly facing forced evictions" while the individuals and organizations that voice opposition are met with "violence, intimidation, and criminalization," the study found--such as in the case of Caceres, who was murdered by Honduran military officials and employees of the hydroelectric dam project that she opposed.
"This demonstrates that the mechanisms available in Honduras for their protection do not suffice. The overwhelming majority of the cases go unpunished," the report reads.
What's more, this violence has particularly targeted women--including through structural violence such as restriction of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. "The climate of fear in both the public and private sphere, and the lack of accountability for human rights violations against women is the rule, not the exception," the report states.
"All this happens within a context of extreme poverty and imbalanced wealth distribution that leads many to go malnourished," the report continues. According to FIAN, 12.1 percent of the Honduran population is undernourished while a full 95 percent of Indigenous children under 14 suffer from malnutrition.
Coming full circle, the report notes that this cycle of violence and extreme poverty is driving migrants to seek asylum in the United States, where they are often met with imprisonment and deportation.
The U.S.-backed Honduran coup ushered in a wave of neoliberal policies that have systematically violated the economic, cultural, and social rights of the nation's Indigenous people, women, and farmers, while leaving activists and rights defenders--such as the late Berta Caceres--vulnerable to criminalization and violence.
Such were the findings of a new report, prepared by a coalition of 54 Honduran social movements and rights organizations and presented as an alternative to the official government report submitted to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which began its 58th session in Geneva on Monday.
"The coup d'etat in 2009 meant an imminent reversal of human rights and a serious blow to the country's institutions," states the report (pdf), which is available in Spanish.
While the study does not single out international governments that supported the ouster of the country's democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, it comes as former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to assume the role of Democratic nominee for president. Clinton's role in the coup has come under increased scrutiny since the assassination of Caceres, a Honduran Indigenous rights and environmental activist, in March.
The survey of civil society and regional organizations found that the right-wing government's economic agenda has helped advance extractive development projects while ignoring the rights of those who hold claim to the land.
"According to the report numerous concessions have been granted to hydroelectric and mining projects in areas which indigenous peoples consider sacred or vital to ensure the subsistence of local communities," said global anti-hunger group FIAN International, which published the study.
As a result, peasant communities are "increasingly facing forced evictions" while the individuals and organizations that voice opposition are met with "violence, intimidation, and criminalization," the study found--such as in the case of Caceres, who was murdered by Honduran military officials and employees of the hydroelectric dam project that she opposed.
"This demonstrates that the mechanisms available in Honduras for their protection do not suffice. The overwhelming majority of the cases go unpunished," the report reads.
What's more, this violence has particularly targeted women--including through structural violence such as restriction of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. "The climate of fear in both the public and private sphere, and the lack of accountability for human rights violations against women is the rule, not the exception," the report states.
"All this happens within a context of extreme poverty and imbalanced wealth distribution that leads many to go malnourished," the report continues. According to FIAN, 12.1 percent of the Honduran population is undernourished while a full 95 percent of Indigenous children under 14 suffer from malnutrition.
Coming full circle, the report notes that this cycle of violence and extreme poverty is driving migrants to seek asylum in the United States, where they are often met with imprisonment and deportation.