As Honduras Activists Continue to Burn, US Backs Govt

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN, 24 Oct 2016

teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service

A total of US$55 million in foreign assistance will be funneled to Honduras in what the U.S. claims is meant to improve the country.

A vehicle set ablaze in Zambrano, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Oct. 3, 2016.
Photo: Reuters

21 Oct 2016 – The U.S. will continue giving millions of dollars in military funding to the Honduran government, despite the high-profile targeted assassinations and other human rights abuses documented this year in the Central American nation.

RELATED: Drug Cartel Planning to Kill Me, Honduras President Claims

The decision taken by the U.S. Department of State on Sept. 30 was justified to Congress on the grounds that Honduras “has taken effective steps to meet the criteria specified in the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriation legislation.”

A total of US$55 million in foreign assistance will be funneled to Honduras in what the U.S. claims will improve security, governance and the economic difficulties that drive undocumented migration from the country.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp3kvwykdWE

The amount is supposedly subject to a series of conditions that range from combating corruption to protecting the rights of political opposition parties and journalists.

RELATED: Honduras Government Denies Alleged Coup Threat

The justification that Honduras has taken “effective steps” to increase security and safety stands in stark contrast to the high levels of violence that has led to the Central American country having the world’s highest homicide rate at 90.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.

An Indigenous woman holds a poster with a photograph of Berta Caceres during a march to demand justice in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
photo: Reuters

Violence and impunity have also seen civil rights activists lose their lives such as Berta Caceres, who was shot at her home in the western town of La Esperanza in March, and Jose Angel Flores and Silmer Dionisio George, two activists fighting for land rights who were both shot as they left a meeting in Tocoa in the north-east on Tuesday.

The political instability plaguing the country largely followed from the U.S.-backed 2009 coup against President Manuel Zelaya, which exacerbated Honduras’ security crisis.

Go to Original – telesurtv.net

Share this article: email mastodon facebook 🔗 copy link

DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Comments are closed.