Preliminary Report Regarding the Coup d'Etat

Tue, 09/01/2009 - 12:42 — AP

Rather than trying to format the whole darn thing, footnotes and all, I am including a link to the pdf version of the document titled Preliminary Report Regarding the Coup d'Etat from the Government of President José Manuel Zelaya. This rushed translation (please forgive any errors) is the result of many of hours of last-minute labor by Charles Utwater, Doug Zylstra and myself. Below are the conclusions of this epic document:

1. The coup d’Etat in Honduras is a reaction of the forces of the establishment to impede the progress of the social reform process and to perpetuate its traditional commercial and economic interests with strong external ties.
2. The coup d’Etat has brought the return to fascist practices that have installed in Honduras a criminal dictatorship that is carrying out assassinations, rapes, torture and political persecution, as has been confirmed by the international community.
3. With the coup d’Etat, it became clear once again that the existence of the Armed Forces in Honduras has only served to perpetrate coups d’Etat and to promote a system of repression against human rights and democratic order.
4. The coup d’Etat is an affront to the democratic hopes of the nations of Latin America, to its governments and its presidents, and has shown that despite the public condemnation offered by President Barack Obama, conservative groups in the United States who support the coup d’Etat still hold a monopoly on power in that nation.
5. The resolutions of multilateral organisms like the United Nations and the OAS, condemning the coup and refusing to recognize the de facto regime, like the proposal of Secretary Hillary Clinton of mediation, have been mocked and ineffective in the face of the intransigence of the coup regime and the lack of international mechanisms forcing it to comply with said resolutions and efforts.
6. We affirm that the government of President Zelaya, with the objective of reestablishing democracy by peaceful means, has reiterated its acceptance of the Accord proposed by President Oscar Arias and has expressed its decision to sign it in the city of Tegucigalpa before the first of September of 2009.
7. We reiterate that the people have a constitutional right to insurrection when a usurping government is imposed on them. The Honduran people who resist today will never accept a dictatorship, nor will they participate in an election that aims to confer impunity of the coup leaders and consolidate their power, nor will they concede their constitutional right to insurrection.
8. Our principles in defense of our nation, of social reform and of the rights of the people are non-negotiable; as such, WE WILL FIGHT WITHOUT CAPITULATING UNTIL WE ARE SUCCESSFUL.

Fuente: quotha.net

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