by Adrienne Pine
By Arturo J. Viscarra
Yesterday, the Association of Judges for Democracy initiated a hunger strike in response to the Honduran Supreme Court’s removal from office of 4 judges and a public defender. The judges had the gall to challenge the legality of a coup d’etat and extend such rights to coup protesters as habeas corpus, bail, and the opportunity to present an adequate legal defense. The clearly politically motivated dismissals have exposed the rotten core of the Honduran legal and political establishment and motivated these honest public servants to demand through a hunger strike outside of the National Congress, (1) an end to impunity and prosecution for the human rights violators, (2) the restitution of the fired judges, and (3) the resignation of the corrupt Supreme Court magistrates.
Never finding an end to their cynicism or childish attempts to distract from the serious and deep problems in Honduras’s institutions, the golpistas, through a new organization created by the National Party (Asociacion de Padres de Familia) initiated their own type of hunger strike – on the other side of the plaza as the judge’s. The supposed motive of this political act is to support the changing of the law governing public education. Without getting into this other hot button issue that motivated tens of thousands of teachers and their supporters (mostly Resistance) to pour into the streets of Tegucigalpa today in protest, I will just report on what I saw while accompanying attorneys supporting the judges during the first night of their hunger strike. Or more like what I didn’t see: hunger strikers at the hunger strike:
[translation for below image: education is not politics/political]
That’s right, the concerned parents that are so motivated to change the education law went home on the first night of their hunger strike. When we saw them return at around 5 a.m. they then shamelessly lied and said that they had in fact spent the night there. This bold-faced cynicism has not stopped the golpista Honduran press from trying to promote the hunger strike or at least put it on par with the hunger strike of the judges and public university workers (who are now in their 22nd day).
http://www.laprensa.hn/Sintesis/Lo-ultimo/Ediciones/2010/05/18/Noticias/Tres-huelgas-de-hambre-simultaneas-en-la-capital
http://www.latribuna.hn/web2.0/?p=133169
http://www.elheraldo.hn/Pa%C3%ADs/Ediciones/2010/05/18/Noticias/Huelga-de-hambre-para-exigir-calidad-educativa
Here’s some pictures taken after the dusk till dawn “hunger” strikers were set up. Notice the military, who had dutifully guarded their props and nonsensical signs all night. Only in Honduras.
Yesterday, the Association of Judges for Democracy initiated a hunger strike in response to the Honduran Supreme Court’s removal from office of 4 judges and a public defender. The judges had the gall to challenge the legality of a coup d’etat and extend such rights to coup protesters as habeas corpus, bail, and the opportunity to present an adequate legal defense. The clearly politically motivated dismissals have exposed the rotten core of the Honduran legal and political establishment and motivated these honest public servants to demand through a hunger strike outside of the National Congress, (1) an end to impunity and prosecution for the human rights violators, (2) the restitution of the fired judges, and (3) the resignation of the corrupt Supreme Court magistrates.
Never finding an end to their cynicism or childish attempts to distract from the serious and deep problems in Honduras’s institutions, the golpistas, through a new organization created by the National Party (Asociacion de Padres de Familia) initiated their own type of hunger strike – on the other side of the plaza as the judge’s. The supposed motive of this political act is to support the changing of the law governing public education. Without getting into this other hot button issue that motivated tens of thousands of teachers and their supporters (mostly Resistance) to pour into the streets of Tegucigalpa today in protest, I will just report on what I saw while accompanying attorneys supporting the judges during the first night of their hunger strike. Or more like what I didn’t see: hunger strikers at the hunger strike:
[translation for below image: education is not politics/political]
That’s right, the concerned parents that are so motivated to change the education law went home on the first night of their hunger strike. When we saw them return at around 5 a.m. they then shamelessly lied and said that they had in fact spent the night there. This bold-faced cynicism has not stopped the golpista Honduran press from trying to promote the hunger strike or at least put it on par with the hunger strike of the judges and public university workers (who are now in their 22nd day).
http://www.laprensa.hn/Sintesis/Lo-ultimo/Ediciones/2010/05/18/Noticias/Tres-huelgas-de-hambre-simultaneas-en-la-capital
http://www.latribuna.hn/web2.0/?p=133169
http://www.elheraldo.hn/Pa%C3%ADs/Ediciones/2010/05/18/Noticias/Huelga-de-hambre-para-exigir-calidad-educativa
Here’s some pictures taken after the dusk till dawn “hunger” strikers were set up. Notice the military, who had dutifully guarded their props and nonsensical signs all night. Only in Honduras.
Source: http://quotha.net/node/945
Hunger Strike Against Impunity
Posted on May 19, 2010 by murielsoy
The Association of Judges for Democracy (AJD) come before the citizens of Honduras and the international community to manifest the following:
The Judges of the Supreme Court decided May 5, 2010 to arbitrarily dismiss Judges Chévez Luis Alonzo de la Rocha, Ramon Enrique Barrios, Guillermo López Adam Lone, and the Judge’s Tirza Carmen Flores Lanza, and initiated disciplinary proceedings for their condemnation of the coup and to taking on decisions consistent with constitutional guarantees and protection of human rights of dozens of people arrested during the demonstrations after the break in constitutional order.
All judges and the magistrate dismissed are members of the Association of Judges for Democracy, constituting this in an clear attempt by the judicial authorities to break up this associations and expresses their intolerance of freedom of expression, conscience and assembly. These facts clearly origininate in the political structure, are at odds with any legal justification, They demonstrate the deep crisis that Honduran judicial system is in, where constitutional rights have become illusions are human rights non-existent, as the violations of right to life, liberty and dignity continue.
Before a judicial system that does not react or act in protection of the rights of victims, the situation of citizens is one of defenselessness, marking the institutional breakdown leaving impunity and injustice to the victims.
Within this framework of contempt for the law, the Public Ministry has divorced itself from the responsibility to investigate criminal acts and expresses its lack of responsibility to carry out actions to the pursuit and prosecution of those responsible for human rights violations, in particular the cases of thousands of citizens whose rights were violated in the days and months following the coup of June 28, 2009.
There is no discussion with regard to the Judiciary Branch’s lack of independence and impartiality, in particular, in defining publicly – the coup as a “constitutional succession,” and intending thereby to provide legality of the de facto government that was established since 28 June. Under these conditions, their performances are criticized for their docile attitude and submission to the political powers leading them to terminate or declare without merit the allegations that have arisen in cases of human rights violations.
This collapse of the institutions in general and in particular the judicial system, gives rise to the scenario where the illegality is strengthened, the constant restriction of rights of citizens prevails, and on which the climate of impunity, prevents victims their rights to seek justice.
From inside the Judiciary Branch, We, Judges and Magistrates grouped in our collective associations, noted yesterday and once again today, that this crisis is why we have been harassed and pursued since our foundation, and because of our complaints, and support of a position of opposition to the coup we have been dismissed. Despite this, we will not bow down or diminish our dignity and responsibility to defend the Constitution and protection of fundamental rights.
Given these circumstances and arbitrary and made the firings, and in the absence of effective institutions and constitutional guarantees, our last resort to resist these authoritarian acts is to declare ourselves on a hunger strike for an indefinite time until decency returns to the judicial system.
Given these circumstances and arbitrary and made the firings, and in the absence of effective institutions and constitutional guarantees, our last resort to resist these authoritarian acts is to declare ourselves on a hunger strike for an indefinite time until decency returns to the judicial system.
With the strength of our democratic principles and values, with our sacrifice of food deprivation and risk to our own lives, we demand in this hunger strike:
That the Honduran State to assume its responsibility for all human rights violations that occurred during and after the coup, which implies the punishment for all perpetrators of these crimes and reparation for victims and their families. Being an indispensable condition for the existence of justice, truth and reparations, we demand that the state authorities publicly commit to banish the climate of impunity that now engulfs our society.
The situation of impunity can only reverse if there is a reorganization of the entire judicial system, and to conduct an immediate and thorough reform of the judiciary and the Public Ministry, which necessarily involves the revision of legal framework of these institutions, their internal organization and the actions of their authorities.
According to law, and in the absence of legal cause or justification, the Judges and the Magistrate dismissed, should be immediately reinstated to their duties, without prejudice to their position and functions.
United with the citizens, Human Rights Defenders, we cry out with our sacrifice and our life, that justice and dignity may prevail on impunity
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., May 17, 2010.
Tegucigalpa, M.D.C., May 17, 2010.
HUNGER STRIKE AGAINST IMPUNITY
National Board
JUDGES ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY
National Board
JUDGES ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY
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