Families fear no justice for victims as 31 die in Honduras post-election violence

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian


US silent on alleged military police responsibility for deaths despite $114m aid to security forces, amid claims of ‘vote fraud’ by President Juan Orlando Hernández

Sarah Kinosian in San Pedro Sula

@skinosian
Tue 2 Jan ‘18 09.01 EST

Tinsel and colored lights still adorn many houses in Choloma, a gritty manufacturing town near the Caribbean coast of Honduras, but at the home of David Ramos there are no signs of the festive season.

. . .

The contested results triggered the country’s worst political crisis in a decade and have led to the deaths of at least 30 people, according to the Committee for the Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (Cofadeh), a human rights group.

. . .

Amnesty International has accused the government of deploying “dangerous and illegal tactics to silence any dissenting voices”, while the United Nations and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have denounced torture of detainees in military installations and said they were “alarmed by the illegal and excessive use of force to disperse protests”.

But the US-backed government has rejected a request by the Organization of American States (OAS) to send a special delegate to investigate abuses.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/02/us-silent-as-honduras-protesters-killed-in-post-election-violence

[Judi Lynn]

1. In Little Honduras a Loyal U.S. Client, and Tyrant, Backed by Trump and the Bananan Republicans

DÉJA COUP

Rigged elections. Dead protesters. Why is Trump supporting such a bad guy in Honduras? (And why are the cartels so happy about the situation?)
Jeremy Kryt
JEREMY KRYT
12.31.17 9:28 PM ET

CALI, Colombia—Would you risk your life to defend democracy?

The topic might spark a revealing back-and-forth between the guests at your next dinner party, but—at least for now, at least in North America—the threat of getting killed over incompatible ideals remains abstract.

In the brave new world of post-election Honduras, on the other hand, the possibility of getting shot or bludgeoned to death while showing support for the rule of law is an everyday reality for much of the populace. Dozens have been killed, hundreds more wounded, and at least 1,500 have been imprisoned for resisting a corrupt regime’s bid to retain power by any means necessary.

And the Trump administration is now aiding and abetting that regime’s electoral coup, openly endorsing a “tyrant” and would-be “dictator” by the name of Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been widely criticized for hijacking the presidency of the “U.S.S. Honduras”—so called for its long-standing use as a base for Uncle Sam’s military operations, whether overt or covert.

More:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/in-little-honduras-a-loyal-us-client-and-tyrant-backed-by-trump-and-the-bananan-republicans

[US-Ex-Pat]

2. I live in Honduras, it's not how you think....

First of all, no murders of any kind are ever investigated
so why would protesters be any different?

Second of all, you're making their military out to be monsters,
they're just young kids, about 18 years old. They are very
calm and don't draw their weapons, even sometimes when they
should.

When the "protesters" were burning tires, there were really only
7 of them where I was, and everybody else was a spectator, including about a
dozen police.

It's also a mistake to call this government "US backed" while they
do take US aid, most all of it is spent trying to block the BILLIONS and
BILLIONS of dollars worth of cocaine that gets smuggled through here
on the way to the US. The entire GNP of this country is but a mere spec
compared to the amount of drugs that pass through.

Asking Honduras to stop the drug cartels on their own is absolutely
a ridiculous idea. The cartels have more money, weapons, airplanes,
and recruits than any single country in Central America. In fact, when
they land a small airplane in the jungle, they just light it on fire as soon
as it's off-loaded........

These are probably the nicest people on the entire planet, and they LOVE
the US and Americans.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Maybe Honduran politicians intend to bring back the Honduran Death Squads,

which kept the people paralyzed with fear during the 1980's, as they terrorized and tortured people they suspected of being "leftists" or "commies" or sympathizers.

During the last coup, the former death squad leader, who ran Battalion 316, Billy Joya, was brought out of mothballs to take charge of the police during the coup government under Micheletti, or "Goriletti."


Wikipedia:

Battalion 3-16 (Honduras)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Intelligence Battalion 3–16 or Battallón 316 (various names: Group of 14 (1979–1981),[1] Special Investigations Branch (DIES) (1982–1983),[1] Intelligence Battalion 3–16 (from 1982 or 1984 to 1986),[1][2] Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence Branch (since 1987)[1]) was the name of a Honduran army unit responsible for carrying out political assassinations and torture of suspected political opponents of the government during the 1980s.

Battalion members received training and support from the United States Central Intelligence Agency both in Honduras and at US military bases,[3] Battalion 601 (including Ciga Correa), who had collaborated with the Chilean DINA in assassinating General Carlos Prats and had trained, along with Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance.[4] At least 19 Battalion 3–16 members were graduates of the School of the Americas.[5][6] The Battalion 3–16 was also trained by Pinochet's Chile.[4]

The name indicated the unit's service to three military units and sixteen battalions of the Honduran army.[1] The reorganisation of the unit under the name "Intelligence Battalion 3–16" is attributed to General Gustavo Álvarez Martínez.[2]

. . .

Links with the United States[edit]
Beginning in 1984, Battalion 3-16 agents, working closely with CIA operatives, detained hundreds of leftist activists, including students, teachers, unionists, and suspected guerrillas who then disappeared. The members of the unit dressed in plain clothes and often disguised themselves with masks, wigs, false beards, and mustaches. Armed with Uzi sub-machine guns or pistols, they surveilled their victims, abducted them, and then sped off in double-cab Toyota pickup trucks with tinted windows and stolen license plates. Many of the abductions occurred during the daytime and in full view of witnesses. The captured suspects were taken to the Battalion's secret prisons, where they were stripped naked, bound at the hands and feet, and blindfolded. Although, during training sessions, the agency emphasized psychological torture, the CIA adviser referred to as Mr. Mike told 3-16 agent Florencio Caballero that electric shocks were "the most efficient way to get someone to talk when they resisted". Moreover, the unit's commander, General Alvarez, told interrogators that psychological torture was not effective and ordered them to use physical torture instead. The CIA's Argentine surrogates provided such expertise. The torture Battalion 3-16 used included electric shocks, submerging in water, and suffocation.[8]

. . .

Following the 2009 coup d'état, in which Zelaya was detained and exiled by Honduran military units, Zelaya claimed that Battalion 3–16 was again operating, with a different name, and being led by Joya, who became a direct advisor to de facto President Roberto Micheletti. Zelaya stated (translation), "With a different name, [Battalion 3–16 is] already operating. The crimes being committed is torture to create fear among the population, and that's being directed by Mr. Joya."

. . .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battalion_3-16_(Honduras)




La cara de un asesino, Billy Joya