Massive and brutal repression of teachers by police (yesterday)

Cortesía de Resistente en Línea

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Source: FIAN-Honduras

Repression at the UPN

by Adrienne Pine

This story is confirmed: striking teachers are being violently ousted by military with teargas (L.1500 per canister) from the UPNFM (National Pedagogical University "Francisco Morazán") as I write this. This picture was posted to Facebook by a witness, who wrote:

sadistic brutes, a man almost died in front of me from that damn gas!!! violent repression!sadicos represores un senor casi se muere frente a mi por ese maldito gas!!! violenta represion!

Union leaders are calling for everyone to come to the UPN, and meanwhile soldiers have entered the neighboring mall Plaza Miraflores and are ousting people from there. TV and Radio Globo are reporting on it.

Source: http://quotha.net/node/1128

More on yesterday's police violence against teachers

Sat, 08/21/2010 - 18:00 — AP

Police shooting teargas canisters into the National Pedagogical University "Francisco Morazán"Policías disparando bombas lacrimogenas dentro de la UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA NACIONAL FRANCISCO MORAZAN

Teachers union leader Professor Luis Sosa was brutally beaten by the Honduran police forceEl dirigente magisterial, Profesor Luis Sosa fue golpeado brutalmente por la fuerza policial de Honduras

A number of professors, after being teargassed and savagely beated, were arrested and charges manufactured against them. Those imprisoned include Andres Martinez, Carlos Anaribas, Luis Sosa and Edgar Soriano. Human rights and healthcare workers were denied access to them for the duration of their approximately 12-hour detention, following which they were left at a private clinic. Tom Loudon, who is on site working with the Comisión de Verdad, writes:

The hard to believe part is that there were videos on several TV stations today that clearly showed the teachers being attacked by the police- of good enough quality that the attackers could easily be identified. In spite of this, charges are being filed against those who were attacked.

We can be confident that the release of these professors is in large part due to the quick and forceful response from the resistance and the national and international human rights community, who called the Lobo government to account. But more broadly, this demonstrates once again that the current regime is the coup regime, a de facto military state that fears non-violent protest, fears the Honduran people, and is terrified of democracy.

Source: http://quotha.net/node/1134

Images of today's repression in UPNFM and Plaza Miraflores

Fri, 08/20/2010 - 16:09 — AP

The driver of a public bus in which a friend was a passenger fainted from the tear gas, while passing by the attacks. These are images of the repression from Facebook and Globo TV:

Source: http://quotha.net/node/1129

Police attack journalist from Canal 36

Sat, 08/21/2010 - 07:58 — AP

This add to the dozens of stories of yesterday's police and military brutality, in response to striking teachers' demands for living wages and adequate conditions in which to teach the nation's poor (since the rich almost without exception go to private schools).

Police beat up Canal 36 journalist
Friday August 20, 2010

The journalist Richard Casulá from Canal 36 and his cameraman were attacked by the police while covering the removal of teachers in the country's capital.

The official statement of the police spokesman Leonel Sauceda justified the attack on the teachers, because a journalist from Radio America allegedly had been attacked by the teachers. Nonetheless, Casulá, rather than being protected, was attacked by the police themselves who were supposedly concerned about the security of the other journalist.

The journalist was beaten and they tried to stop his cameraman from filming images of the police brutality.

Casulá has been subject to police brutality previously, following the coup d'etat against Manuel Zelaya Rosales.

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Policía golpea a periodista de Canal 36
Viernes 20 de Agosto de 2010 23:37 Red Morazánica de Información

Tegucigalpa 20 de agosto de 2010. El periodista Richard Casulá, del canal 36 y su camarógrafo, fueron agredidos por la policía mientras cubrían el desalojo de los maestros en la capital del país.

Las declaraciones del vocero de la policía Leonel Sauceda, justificó el ataque a los docentes, porque supuestamente un periodista de Radio América, habría sufrido una agresión por parte de los docentes. Sin embargo, Casulá, en lugar de ser protegido, recibió agresiones de los mismos policías, supuestamente preocupados por la seguridad de otro periodista.

El periodista fue golpeado y pretendieron impedir que su camarógrafo grabara imágenes de la brutalidad policial.

Anteriormente, Casulá ha recibido agresiones de la policía, después del golpe de Estado, contra Manuel Zelaya Rosales.

Source: http://quotha.net/node/1131

Tegucigalpa smells of blood, smoke and dictatorship

Sat, 08/21/2010 - 12:30 — AP

Tegucigalpa smells of blood, smoke and dictatorship
Friday, August 20
(my translation)

Friends, compañeros brothers and sisters of the world, this afternoon we were subjected to a brutal repression by the agents of State security, despite the fact that we are supposedly in a "government of reconciliation and unity." Teachers who had been on strike for 15 days, the majority of whom accompanied by their children, were resting in the open areas inside the Pedagogical University when they were surprised by a helicopter being used to throw tear gas canisters, police shooting so-called "rubber bullets" and attacking with their batons and clubs, armored cars, and all the repressive force of the State against a people who were peacefully protesting, a people who do not want to see their nation destroyed, ransacked by the oligarchy of this country, while Hugo Llorens (the U.S. ambassador) watches as his orders are carried out by politicians who are nothing more than sheep. This makes clear that the situation created by the coup [el golpismo] is intact and the institutions of justice are watching safely within their towers.

If there is anything you can do to help us, it is time to raise your voice to the world to let them know about the savage regime we are living under.

Wilfredo Cardona Peñalva

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Tegucigalpa Huele a sangre, humo y a dictadura

Amigos compañeros hermanos del mundo, esta tarde hemos sido objeto de una brutal represión por parte de los órganos de seguridad del Estado y esto que estamos en “reconciliación y gobierno de unidad,” maestros en huelga desde hace 15 dias, que la mayoría se hacen acompañar de sus hijos, descansado en los predios de la Universidad Pedagógica, cuando fueron sorprendidos por helicóptero utilizados lanzar bombas lacrimógenas, haciendo disparos "bala de goma", toletes garrotes, la tanqueta, todos las fuerzas represivas contra un pueblo que se manifiesta pacíficamente, pueblo que no desea ver a su patria destruida, saqueada por los grupos oligárquicos de este país, Hugo Loren (embajador USA) observando cómo sus ordenes la cumple sus políticos que casi son unos borregos. Esto es evidente que el golpismo esta intacto y los órganos de justicia observando desde sus jaulas.

Si pueden hacer algo por nosotros es hora de levantar la voz ante el mundo mas civilizado que los nuestros

Wilfredo Cardona Peñalva

Source: http://quotha.net/node/1133