Yesterday, the coup regime in Honduras led by Roberto Micheletti decreed a 45-day state of emergency, suspending all constitutional guarantees, including freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of press and privacy. The Brazilian Embassy in Teguicigalpa, where President Zelaya remains in a state of refuge, has been surrounded by repressive regime forces for days now and is under siege. Tear gas bombs and high frequency sounds are being directed towards the embassy in an effort to torture Zelaya out of the building. These violent actions violate the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and Consular Affairs, which accords embassies and consulates immunity and prohibits host countries from invading their territory or engaging in attacks against their personnel. On Saturday, September 26th, coup dictator Roberto Micheletti issued an "ultimatum" to Brazilian President Luis Ignacio "Lula" Da Silva, claiming that the coup regime would raid the Brazilian Embassy and strip it of its diplomatic immunity if the Brazilian government does not hand over President Zelaya to the regime. President Lula rejected the illegal demand.
Sunday's decree is a severe turn for the worse in Honduras, as a 45-day state of emergency will allow the coup regime forces to massacre and persecute Hondurans on a widespread scale without restraint by law. So far, since yesterday's decree, the death toll has risen above 100. Television and radio stations opposing the coup regime, such as Radio Globo, have been shut down and journalists have been detained and/or disappeared. The police and military under the coup regime's control are raiding poor communities seeking out supporters of President Zelaya and disappearing them. On Sunday, an Organization of American States (OAS) delegation that was heading into Honduras to attempt negotiations with the coup regime was prohibited from entry and turned back at the airport. Borders have been sealed.
This is an urgent call to activate all political and social emergency networks to organize support for the Honduran people and to further pressure the Obama Administration to withdraw immediately all its economic and military support to Honduras. Just last week, the Pentagon invited the Honduran military - under the control of the coup regime - to continue participating in training exercises with the United States. This is outrageous considering the Honduran military is principally responsible for the widespread human rights abuses taking place in the country since the coup was executed on June 28th. Furthermore, the State Department continues to provide USAID and other funding to NGOs and political parties backing the coup. All aid should be suspended and diplomatic relations and commercial ties should be immediately cut in order to suffocate the regime out of power. The Obama Administration's ambiguity and hesitation on Honduras has allowed for a viciously violent and repressive coup regime to dig its power deeper and has resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Hondurans. Those abuses and crimes are in large part a result of Washington's failure to cease its support for the brutal coup dictatorship.
Posted by Eva GolingerSunday's decree is a severe turn for the worse in Honduras, as a 45-day state of emergency will allow the coup regime forces to massacre and persecute Hondurans on a widespread scale without restraint by law. So far, since yesterday's decree, the death toll has risen above 100. Television and radio stations opposing the coup regime, such as Radio Globo, have been shut down and journalists have been detained and/or disappeared. The police and military under the coup regime's control are raiding poor communities seeking out supporters of President Zelaya and disappearing them. On Sunday, an Organization of American States (OAS) delegation that was heading into Honduras to attempt negotiations with the coup regime was prohibited from entry and turned back at the airport. Borders have been sealed.
This is an urgent call to activate all political and social emergency networks to organize support for the Honduran people and to further pressure the Obama Administration to withdraw immediately all its economic and military support to Honduras. Just last week, the Pentagon invited the Honduran military - under the control of the coup regime - to continue participating in training exercises with the United States. This is outrageous considering the Honduran military is principally responsible for the widespread human rights abuses taking place in the country since the coup was executed on June 28th. Furthermore, the State Department continues to provide USAID and other funding to NGOs and political parties backing the coup. All aid should be suspended and diplomatic relations and commercial ties should be immediately cut in order to suffocate the regime out of power. The Obama Administration's ambiguity and hesitation on Honduras has allowed for a viciously violent and repressive coup regime to dig its power deeper and has resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Hondurans. Those abuses and crimes are in large part a result of Washington's failure to cease its support for the brutal coup dictatorship.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Fraternal Organization of Black Hondurans: Chemical weapons violate Geneva Convention
Chemical and sonic weapons used by the Honduran Military Violate the Geneva Convention The use of chemical, electromagnetic and sonic weapons by the security forces of the de facto regime, specifically those used in the Brazilian Embassy, are prohibited by the Geneva Convention of 1997.
The parabolic dish the coup “security” forces directed against the resistance is apparently known as HSS (Hyper Sonic Sound). This has been used by the U.S. Army in Iraq since 2004, and the Israeli Zionist army in 2005 in the Gaza Strip.
The parabolic dish the coup “security” forces directed against the resistance is apparently known as HSS (Hyper Sonic Sound). This has been used by the U.S. Army in Iraq since 2004, and the Israeli Zionist army in 2005 in the Gaza Strip.
The HSS and VMAD (Vehicle-Mounted Active Denial System) form part of the new arsenal of the United States Army and are considered "nonlethal” weapons, however, these weapons can be lethal depending on the effect intended by its operator. The HSS can make targeted people feel they are hearing voices, in addition to induce vomiting and fainting. The VMADS produce a burning sensation on the skin, while under the electromagnetic wave emanating from such a weapon.
Of course, the Geneva Convention has been violated systematically by the United States during the last decades. The HSS was put into use with prisoners at Guantanamo, before its use in Irak.
The HSS is produced by the American Technology Corp, of San Diego California (http://www.atcsd.com/site/). It is necessary to ask when it was acquired by the Honduran “security” forces, and if the acquisition was recent, we must also ask on what grounds the United States exported these instruments of torture. .
The fourth generation war (asymmetrical war) being launched against the Honduran people will bring to light the loss of vision in the enjoyment of human rights and the ambiguous position of the Clinton-Obama administration, which to date, after promoting the coup have avoided taking the necessary steps to return democratic rule to the country.
Of course Obama will avoid the topic, now that the U.S. Justice Department is in the hands of the lawyer Erick Holder (the only afro-descendant person on his cabinet), recent defender of Chiquita (Tela Rail Road) in the case of the multi-million dollar payment the company made to Colombian paramilitaries and the use of the company pier to unload the weapons used in the massacres perpetrated by the AUC. As Secretary of Justice, Holder has avoided the closing of Guantanamo and eluded the prosecution of CIA agents that institutionalized waterboarding as a method of prisoner interrogation.
Rumors are circulating in the City of Tegucigalpa of the presence of Zionist Israel B. Ziv, who was contracted as the adviser for Plan Colombia, Georgia and recently who has worked on counterinsurgency in Peru. Ziv is an owner of the company Global CST, with headquarters in Petaj Tikva, Israel, and offers services on national security strategies, reconstruction of public forces, and the development of intelligence systems and training of elite commandos.
It is important to document the effects of the so-called “non-lethal” arms utilized against the Constitutional President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and the people who are accompanying him within the Brazilian Embassy, including members of the resistance. After Irak and Gaza, Honduras has become a laboratory of war and social annihilation by the U.S. and its puppet Israel
Fraternal Organization of Black Hondurans, OFRANEH
Teléfono (504) 4420618, (504) 4500058
Av 14 julio, calle 19, Contiguo Vivero Flor Tropical, Barrio Alvarado, La Ceiba, Honduras
email:garifuna@ofraneh.org, ofraneh@yahoo.com
HONDURAS COUP RESISTANCE – FROM VERY BAD TO WORSE:
Sister Of Community Leader, Berta Caceres, Is Illegally Detained And Tortured
(September 27, 2009, Day 92 of coup resistance, Alert#74)
The illegal oligarchic-military regime, headed by Roberto Micheletti and General Ramon Vasquez, announced they will suspend ALL constitutional civil liberties, for 45 days.
Since June 28, they have already been violating rights and repressing the population with impunity, including dozens of killings, beatings, firing rubber and live bullets at protesters, illegal detentions, torture (including rape) while detained, forced entry into private homes, etc.
BELOW:
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* * *
REPORT FROM DOCTOR WHO VISITED WITH HONDURAN WOMAN ILLEGALLY DETAINED AND TORTURED
FREEDOM FOR AGUSTINA FLORES: A TORTURED TEACHER
(Freedom for the political prisoners - Doctor’s Testimony)
[This english summary of parts of it,prepared by Rights Action]
I am Juan Ángel Almendarez Bonilla, a Honduran doctor and member of the Medical College of Honduras, # 430. I am director of the CPTRT (Center for the Preventión, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and their Families).
I present this testimony to national and international human rights organizations, which addresses the violent acts and torture that Agustina Flores Lopez suffered. She is a 54 year old teacher.
On September 24, at 6:30pm, I was called by Berta Cáceres, a community leader with COPINH and sister of Agustina, and by Berta Oliva, president of COFADEH (Committee of Family Members of the Disappeared).
They asked me to urgently visit and do a medical examination of Agustina, jailed by the DGIC (Department of Criminal Investigation in Comayagüela [a separate city, part of Tegucigalpa].
At 7pm, September 24, I went with COFADEH and Berta Cáceres to the DGIC – a curfew was in effect. The authorities permitted our visit. According to Agustina Flores López, she was captured by 8 female police officers on September 22, between 6 and 6:30am, when she was walking near the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
Agustina said: “While one of them twisted my arms behind me and put handcuffs on me, another was hitting me in the face and choking me around the neck. I saw a name “Garcia”. While hitting me, they were shouting: “You are the bitches of the resistance. It is good that you get fucked over.””
“First, they took me to the Manchen. The Patrol had 6 members of the resistance, all beaten. Then, they took me to the Chochi Sosa stadium. At first there were 11 of us detained. Later, I saw some 30 members of the resistance, beaten and wounded. Then I was taken to the Centro de Detención policial CORE VII. They took my cel-phone andd have not given it back.”
I found Agustina in a state of deep sadness; her face was distorted. She had bruised skin in various parts of her body - face, neck, shoulders – caused by the beatings from the police. At times, she was dizzy and lost her balance. She does not remember if she lost consciousness at times. She was confused.
Agustina has pre-existing conditions, including a problems with her immune system, leaving her susceptible to infections and diseases.
[…]
According to the Association for the Liberty of the Political Prisoners, here are some of the people illegally detained in the National Penitenciary “Marco Aurelio Soto”, accused of crimes such as damages and sedition:
SANTOS REYNARDO GARCIA MONCADA
JOE ORLANDO GARCIA MONCADA
MARIA ANTOLINA GARCIA HERNANDES
OSCAR JOAQUIN GARCIA MONCADA
GLADYS ASUZENA LAGOS
VICTOR ADOLFO IZAGUIRRE RAMOS (18 años)
MARIO ENRIQUE MOLINA
ANTONIO PORTA ALVAREZ
MILTON MATEO CENTENO MARTINEZ
WALTER JOEL RODRIGUEZ ANDINO
Two children were set free, with pending charges, under the false accusations of armed robbery:
VICTOR IBRAHAM COREA MARTINEZ
FRANKLIN ARIEL OLIVA BAQUEDN
Dr. Juan Almendares, 011 [504] 237-5700, c: 9985-4150, juan.almendares@gmail.com
= = =
SUSPENSION OF ALL CONSTITUTIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS
From Tom Louden [mailto:toml@quixote.org]
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 8:11 PM
Today at noon it was announced that yesterday the Official Daily La Gaceta published an executive decree, signed by Micheletti and his pseudo-ministers, which suspends all Constitutional guarantees for 45 days.
This decree prohibits all meetings and demonstrations without permission of the military, speak against officials or emit information different than official pronouncements.
At the same time, it is considered that any media which doesn’t transmit information considered ‘official’ the National Commission of Telecommunications (CONATEL) is authorized to use the police and military to close these media outlets. This is a clear threat against Cholusat Sur (Channel 36), Radio Globo, Radio Progreso, Radio Uno and the newspaper El Liberador. The newspaper Diario Tiempo is also at risk, because it has maintained an editorial position against the coup.
As a response to this decree channel 36 has maintained rotating strikes against transmissions for 30 minutes, putting a pattern of colors on the screen with a message “This is what Micheletti wants”.
The situation continues to be extremely tense, difficult to identify solutions via dialogue. The coup actors are not willing to abandon power nor have they realized any dialogue.
= = =
Sept. 25, 2009
THE SOUND AND FURY OF THE HONDURAN COUP:
ACOUSTIC AND CHEMICAL ATTACKS ON BRAZILIAN EMBASSY
By Laura Carlsen
We have received many reports today of the use of sound devices and chemical warfare in attacks on the Brazilian Embassy by the Honduran coup. The use of Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) has been confirmed by observers and journalists, who report that the devices are being installed throughout the area. Numerous photographers have also documented their use.
The UN Security Council today called upon the de facto government of Honduras to "cease harassing the Brazilian Embassy" and "condemned acts of intimidation."
These devices are described as a "non-lethal weapon" produced by the U.S.-based American Technology Corporation. They emit painful sound at 151 db. with a range of 300 meters on land, and are used in situations of war and to control demonstrations.
While acoustics weapons have been used over the past several days, today the Armed Forces actually began to spray the Embassy with poisonous gases and by some accounts pump them into the building through the drainage system. The Honduran News Network reports that First Lady Xiomara Castro de Zelaya climbed a ladder to ascertain the source of the attacks and was sprayed with chemicals. She and others in the Embassy are reportedly bleeding profusely as a result of the effects of the chemicals.
Father Andres Tamayo described the situation to Radio Progreso, "Over a thousand soldiers in front (of the Embassy) left and returned with a cistern and helicopters spraying gases. There are also neighbors that lent their houses to spray these substances and house the military. They have placed pipes to spread the gases. We feel a tightness in our stomachs and throat, vomiting, dizziness and some people are urinating blood. There are more than a thousand people around here and at this moment all we can do is drink a little milk."
A press conference was called to reveal the results of the analysis of the gas, done by public health specialist Dr. Mauricio Castellanos.
* Concentrations above normal of amonia, which is used as a base of pepper gas
* Concentration between 100 and 200 particles per thousand
* Hydrocyanic acid, which produces a rapid reaction on inhaling when it enters in contact with the iron in the blood, and produces vertigo, nausea, stomach pain, headaches and breathing difficulties
The report concluded, "This mixture is technologically purely military, prohibited under international treaties. Exposure for a prolonged period is lethal to any living organism."
Juan Almendares, a Honduran medical doctor and human rights leader, states: "The occupants of the Brazilian Embassy that accompany President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, his wife and family, communities and protesters are the object of the launching of chemical arms from helicopters and airplanes or troops, and the use of sophisticated sound and electromagnetic equipment that have produced severe diarrhea, vomiting, nasal hemorrhages and gastrointestinal problems in both the Embassy and surrounding areas.
"According to the clinical reports, this could be due to the usage of toxic substances including: pesticides, chemical components of gases, radioactive substances like radioactive cesium and toxic mushrooms.
"It is urgent that an international medical team from the United Nations and the World Health Organization be sent. We are facing an irregular war against the people of Honduras. The Armed Forces do not allow the International Red Cross entry into the Brazilian Embassy, violating all international health treaties and conventions and human rights."
Numerous reports, including Honduran News Network sources, also mentioned the use of radioactive cesium. If the use of radioactive cesium is confirmed, the consequences are very serious. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry finds that the effects of high levels include the symptoms listed above and even coma and death.
This is the notorious "day-after" effect of nuclear bombs. The agency adds that "it is reasonable to expect that individuals exposed to high levels of radiation from a source of radioactive cesium will develop the same types of cancer observed in survivors of the atomic bombs in Japan."
As described in the Sept. 22 blog, embassies are protected under the Vienna Convention and any violation of this is an international issue. With the notable exceptions of Colombia and the United States, all nations of the region expressed concern about the Honduran situation at the 64th UN General Assembly meeting.
[…]
President Zelaya has called on “the resistance to maintain the fight that together, the people and the president, will achieve the constitutional reforms and fall of the usurpers."
With the no-holds-barred repression unleashed by the coup regime and the increasing militancy and organization of the resistance -- still adhering to principles of non-violence, to their credit -- the political ground has once again shifted in Honduras. The terms of the San Jose Accords, hammered out by President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica and consistently rejected by the coup regime, have become clearly obsolete. The demand for a constitutional assembly has grown in breadth and volume throughout the country.
The urgent tasks before the international community are to recognize that the crisis requires structural reforms and not patch-ups, to halt the human rights violations immediately, and to take all diplomatic steps toward the reinstatement of the constitutional government.
(Laura Carlsen, Director, Americas Program, www.americaspolicy.org)
* * *
Of course, the Geneva Convention has been violated systematically by the United States during the last decades. The HSS was put into use with prisoners at Guantanamo, before its use in Irak.
The HSS is produced by the American Technology Corp, of San Diego California (http://www.atcsd.com/site/). It is necessary to ask when it was acquired by the Honduran “security” forces, and if the acquisition was recent, we must also ask on what grounds the United States exported these instruments of torture. .
The fourth generation war (asymmetrical war) being launched against the Honduran people will bring to light the loss of vision in the enjoyment of human rights and the ambiguous position of the Clinton-Obama administration, which to date, after promoting the coup have avoided taking the necessary steps to return democratic rule to the country.
Of course Obama will avoid the topic, now that the U.S. Justice Department is in the hands of the lawyer Erick Holder (the only afro-descendant person on his cabinet), recent defender of Chiquita (Tela Rail Road) in the case of the multi-million dollar payment the company made to Colombian paramilitaries and the use of the company pier to unload the weapons used in the massacres perpetrated by the AUC. As Secretary of Justice, Holder has avoided the closing of Guantanamo and eluded the prosecution of CIA agents that institutionalized waterboarding as a method of prisoner interrogation.
Rumors are circulating in the City of Tegucigalpa of the presence of Zionist Israel B. Ziv, who was contracted as the adviser for Plan Colombia, Georgia and recently who has worked on counterinsurgency in Peru. Ziv is an owner of the company Global CST, with headquarters in Petaj Tikva, Israel, and offers services on national security strategies, reconstruction of public forces, and the development of intelligence systems and training of elite commandos.
It is important to document the effects of the so-called “non-lethal” arms utilized against the Constitutional President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and the people who are accompanying him within the Brazilian Embassy, including members of the resistance. After Irak and Gaza, Honduras has become a laboratory of war and social annihilation by the U.S. and its puppet Israel
Fraternal Organization of Black Hondurans, OFRANEH
Teléfono (504) 4420618, (504) 4500058
Av 14 julio, calle 19, Contiguo Vivero Flor Tropical, Barrio Alvarado, La Ceiba, Honduras
email:garifuna@ofraneh.org, ofraneh@yahoo.com
HONDURAS COUP RESISTANCE – FROM VERY BAD TO WORSE:
Sister Of Community Leader, Berta Caceres, Is Illegally Detained And Tortured
(September 27, 2009, Day 92 of coup resistance, Alert#74)
Agustina (sister of Berta Caceres) said: “While one of them twisted my arms behind me and put handcuffs on me, another was hitting me in the face and choking me around the neck. […] While hitting me, they were shouting: “You are the bitches of the resistance. It is good that you get fucked over.””
The very bad situation in Honduras will now get worse.The illegal oligarchic-military regime, headed by Roberto Micheletti and General Ramon Vasquez, announced they will suspend ALL constitutional civil liberties, for 45 days.
Since June 28, they have already been violating rights and repressing the population with impunity, including dozens of killings, beatings, firing rubber and live bullets at protesters, illegal detentions, torture (including rape) while detained, forced entry into private homes, etc.
BELOW:
- Report from doctor who visited with Honduran woman illegally detained and tortured
- Report about pending suspension of ALL constitutional civil rights
- An article about the use of chemical (toxic) and electronic weaponry against the Brazilian embassy and people inside
- What to do?
To get on/ off Rights Action's email list:
http://www.rightsaction.org/lists/?p=subscribe&id=3/
* * *
REPORT FROM DOCTOR WHO VISITED WITH HONDURAN WOMAN ILLEGALLY DETAINED AND TORTURED
FREEDOM FOR AGUSTINA FLORES: A TORTURED TEACHER
(Freedom for the political prisoners - Doctor’s Testimony)
[This english summary of parts of it,prepared by Rights Action]
I am Juan Ángel Almendarez Bonilla, a Honduran doctor and member of the Medical College of Honduras, # 430. I am director of the CPTRT (Center for the Preventión, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and their Families).
I present this testimony to national and international human rights organizations, which addresses the violent acts and torture that Agustina Flores Lopez suffered. She is a 54 year old teacher.
On September 24, at 6:30pm, I was called by Berta Cáceres, a community leader with COPINH and sister of Agustina, and by Berta Oliva, president of COFADEH (Committee of Family Members of the Disappeared).
They asked me to urgently visit and do a medical examination of Agustina, jailed by the DGIC (Department of Criminal Investigation in Comayagüela [a separate city, part of Tegucigalpa].
At 7pm, September 24, I went with COFADEH and Berta Cáceres to the DGIC – a curfew was in effect. The authorities permitted our visit. According to Agustina Flores López, she was captured by 8 female police officers on September 22, between 6 and 6:30am, when she was walking near the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa.
Agustina said: “While one of them twisted my arms behind me and put handcuffs on me, another was hitting me in the face and choking me around the neck. I saw a name “Garcia”. While hitting me, they were shouting: “You are the bitches of the resistance. It is good that you get fucked over.””
“First, they took me to the Manchen. The Patrol had 6 members of the resistance, all beaten. Then, they took me to the Chochi Sosa stadium. At first there were 11 of us detained. Later, I saw some 30 members of the resistance, beaten and wounded. Then I was taken to the Centro de Detención policial CORE VII. They took my cel-phone andd have not given it back.”
I found Agustina in a state of deep sadness; her face was distorted. She had bruised skin in various parts of her body - face, neck, shoulders – caused by the beatings from the police. At times, she was dizzy and lost her balance. She does not remember if she lost consciousness at times. She was confused.
Agustina has pre-existing conditions, including a problems with her immune system, leaving her susceptible to infections and diseases.
[…]
According to the Association for the Liberty of the Political Prisoners, here are some of the people illegally detained in the National Penitenciary “Marco Aurelio Soto”, accused of crimes such as damages and sedition:
SANTOS REYNARDO GARCIA MONCADA
JOE ORLANDO GARCIA MONCADA
MARIA ANTOLINA GARCIA HERNANDES
OSCAR JOAQUIN GARCIA MONCADA
GLADYS ASUZENA LAGOS
VICTOR ADOLFO IZAGUIRRE RAMOS (18 años)
MARIO ENRIQUE MOLINA
ANTONIO PORTA ALVAREZ
MILTON MATEO CENTENO MARTINEZ
WALTER JOEL RODRIGUEZ ANDINO
Two children were set free, with pending charges, under the false accusations of armed robbery:
VICTOR IBRAHAM COREA MARTINEZ
FRANKLIN ARIEL OLIVA BAQUEDN
Dr. Juan Almendares, 011 [504] 237-5700, c: 9985-4150, juan.almendares@gmail.com
= = =
SUSPENSION OF ALL CONSTITUTIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS
From Tom Louden [mailto:toml@quixote.org]
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 8:11 PM
Today at noon it was announced that yesterday the Official Daily La Gaceta published an executive decree, signed by Micheletti and his pseudo-ministers, which suspends all Constitutional guarantees for 45 days.
This decree prohibits all meetings and demonstrations without permission of the military, speak against officials or emit information different than official pronouncements.
At the same time, it is considered that any media which doesn’t transmit information considered ‘official’ the National Commission of Telecommunications (CONATEL) is authorized to use the police and military to close these media outlets. This is a clear threat against Cholusat Sur (Channel 36), Radio Globo, Radio Progreso, Radio Uno and the newspaper El Liberador. The newspaper Diario Tiempo is also at risk, because it has maintained an editorial position against the coup.
As a response to this decree channel 36 has maintained rotating strikes against transmissions for 30 minutes, putting a pattern of colors on the screen with a message “This is what Micheletti wants”.
The situation continues to be extremely tense, difficult to identify solutions via dialogue. The coup actors are not willing to abandon power nor have they realized any dialogue.
= = =
Sept. 25, 2009
THE SOUND AND FURY OF THE HONDURAN COUP:
ACOUSTIC AND CHEMICAL ATTACKS ON BRAZILIAN EMBASSY
By Laura Carlsen
We have received many reports today of the use of sound devices and chemical warfare in attacks on the Brazilian Embassy by the Honduran coup. The use of Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) has been confirmed by observers and journalists, who report that the devices are being installed throughout the area. Numerous photographers have also documented their use.
The UN Security Council today called upon the de facto government of Honduras to "cease harassing the Brazilian Embassy" and "condemned acts of intimidation."
These devices are described as a "non-lethal weapon" produced by the U.S.-based American Technology Corporation. They emit painful sound at 151 db. with a range of 300 meters on land, and are used in situations of war and to control demonstrations.
While acoustics weapons have been used over the past several days, today the Armed Forces actually began to spray the Embassy with poisonous gases and by some accounts pump them into the building through the drainage system. The Honduran News Network reports that First Lady Xiomara Castro de Zelaya climbed a ladder to ascertain the source of the attacks and was sprayed with chemicals. She and others in the Embassy are reportedly bleeding profusely as a result of the effects of the chemicals.
Father Andres Tamayo described the situation to Radio Progreso, "Over a thousand soldiers in front (of the Embassy) left and returned with a cistern and helicopters spraying gases. There are also neighbors that lent their houses to spray these substances and house the military. They have placed pipes to spread the gases. We feel a tightness in our stomachs and throat, vomiting, dizziness and some people are urinating blood. There are more than a thousand people around here and at this moment all we can do is drink a little milk."
A press conference was called to reveal the results of the analysis of the gas, done by public health specialist Dr. Mauricio Castellanos.
* Concentrations above normal of amonia, which is used as a base of pepper gas
* Concentration between 100 and 200 particles per thousand
* Hydrocyanic acid, which produces a rapid reaction on inhaling when it enters in contact with the iron in the blood, and produces vertigo, nausea, stomach pain, headaches and breathing difficulties
The report concluded, "This mixture is technologically purely military, prohibited under international treaties. Exposure for a prolonged period is lethal to any living organism."
Juan Almendares, a Honduran medical doctor and human rights leader, states: "The occupants of the Brazilian Embassy that accompany President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, his wife and family, communities and protesters are the object of the launching of chemical arms from helicopters and airplanes or troops, and the use of sophisticated sound and electromagnetic equipment that have produced severe diarrhea, vomiting, nasal hemorrhages and gastrointestinal problems in both the Embassy and surrounding areas.
"According to the clinical reports, this could be due to the usage of toxic substances including: pesticides, chemical components of gases, radioactive substances like radioactive cesium and toxic mushrooms.
"It is urgent that an international medical team from the United Nations and the World Health Organization be sent. We are facing an irregular war against the people of Honduras. The Armed Forces do not allow the International Red Cross entry into the Brazilian Embassy, violating all international health treaties and conventions and human rights."
Numerous reports, including Honduran News Network sources, also mentioned the use of radioactive cesium. If the use of radioactive cesium is confirmed, the consequences are very serious. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry finds that the effects of high levels include the symptoms listed above and even coma and death.
This is the notorious "day-after" effect of nuclear bombs. The agency adds that "it is reasonable to expect that individuals exposed to high levels of radiation from a source of radioactive cesium will develop the same types of cancer observed in survivors of the atomic bombs in Japan."
As described in the Sept. 22 blog, embassies are protected under the Vienna Convention and any violation of this is an international issue. With the notable exceptions of Colombia and the United States, all nations of the region expressed concern about the Honduran situation at the 64th UN General Assembly meeting.
[…]
President Zelaya has called on “the resistance to maintain the fight that together, the people and the president, will achieve the constitutional reforms and fall of the usurpers."
With the no-holds-barred repression unleashed by the coup regime and the increasing militancy and organization of the resistance -- still adhering to principles of non-violence, to their credit -- the political ground has once again shifted in Honduras. The terms of the San Jose Accords, hammered out by President Oscar Arias of Costa Rica and consistently rejected by the coup regime, have become clearly obsolete. The demand for a constitutional assembly has grown in breadth and volume throughout the country.
The urgent tasks before the international community are to recognize that the crisis requires structural reforms and not patch-ups, to halt the human rights violations immediately, and to take all diplomatic steps toward the reinstatement of the constitutional government.
(Laura Carlsen, Director, Americas Program, www.americaspolicy.org)
* * *
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