"In Solidarity with the Organizations of Via Campesina and the People of Honduras"

"The social organizations of Honduras have gone out into the streets to repudiate this deed and demand the return of President Zelaya"

By Via Campesina International
Translated to English by Laura Carlsen

June 28, 2009

Urgent Call: In Solidarity with the Organizations of Via Campesina and the People of Honduras

With the objective of deepening democracy and achieving broader democratic participation, for several months the social organizations of Honduras along with President Manuel Zelaya Rosales have promoted holding a non-binding referendum this June 28, 2009.

To our great surprise, today at 5:00 A.M. the armed forces carried out a coup d’etat against President Zelaya, blocking in this way, the democratic aspirations of the population that was preparing to carry out the popular survey.

On hearing this news, the social organizations of of Honduras, including those of Via Campesina, have gone out into the streets to repudiate this deed and demand the return of President Zelaya to that functions that they law mandates.

The government of President Zelaya has been characterized by its defense of workers and campesinos, it is a defender of the Bolivarian Alternative of the Americas (ALBA), and during his administration it has promoted actions that benefit Honduran campesinos.

We believe that these deeds are the desperate acts of the national oligarchy and the hardcore right to preserve the interests of capital, and in particular, of the large transnational corporations. To that end, that have made use of the military forces and the institutions of the country such as the parliament, ministers, neoliberal press and others.

Faced with this unacceptable situation, Via Campesina International demands:

1. Re-establishment of the constitutional order, without bloodshed

2. We call on the army not to repress the population of Honduras that demands a return to democracy

3. That the physical integrity of social leaders, including Rafael Alegria-international leader of Via Campesina-is respected

4. We demand the return of President Zelaya to his functions in Honduras

5. That the authorities guarantee the full democratic exercise of the popular consultation (non-binding referendum), which is clearly a form of free expression.

From Via Campesina International, we are concerned for the safety of our leaders and organizations of Via Campesina, as well as what could happen to the people of Honduras, in these difficult times.

We also call on campesina organizations and other social movements to protest in front of the Honduran embassies and send letters rejecting the coup d’etat to the embassies in each of their countries.

We express our solidarity with our campesina organizations in Honduras.

International Coordinating Committee (CCI) of Vía Campesina Globalize the Struggle!! Globalize Hope!! Mali, África, June 28, 2009

For more Narco News, click here.