Alive in Honduras

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Pancho for the translation]

Colleagues:

Today, early in the morning, Ms Maria Marta Diaz was appointed to the INAM [Women National Institute] by the Military Coup regime as the minister of this institution. She entered the facilities with a group of riot police. Around 10AM, another riot police group (this time was bigger) came to the facilities when we, the women, were just by ourselves and our voices.

There were many tense moments, the first one was when one of the members of the riot police encouraged several employees to enter the facilities. We told them that we were occupying the building [as protest against the military coup] that it was not possible to enter. No one listen to the riot police call but but one woman: Antonieta Bustamente, the representative of Interamerican Comission of Women, did. We told her that we were not accepting nobody, not even visits, but she didn’t listen and she try to enter. The riot police beat two of our women colleagues and made a “cordon police” so that this woman could enter.

Later, around 11AM, the technical director of the Institute, a feminist colleague, answered a call from an unidentified number. They [the people who called her] told her that they knew that she had children, that they knew who were her children and that if she continued with that posture [against the Military Coup] her children will be in danger. Kenia started crying, she didn’t say anything, she was only crying. We asked her to explain to us what was going on. Crying, she confessed. Then we call the media that was around and she told them what happened. She did it to both, national and international media.

Around 12, our colleagues in resistance arrived: indigenous people, the OFRANEH (afro-descendents) who supported us in the pacific occupation. Because of it, more police riot groups arrived too.

Then around 1PM all the movement in resistance arrived, I don’t know how many thousands, and it caused even more repression. Two military trucks and then another bigger one (the kind of bunker-like), those that through water and that orange liquid, started to approach us and the people of the movement. Those were very intense moments, the military got on “attack position” and the soldiers that were behind [the building] shoot bullets, I guess they were rubber bullets because they sounded different, while on the front of the building, the contingent was marching towards us. Some of them started to through rocks but we tried to calm them.

We evacuated the building and everyone marched towards the Congress.

I came to write this, to charge the battery of my cellular phone and to download the pictures of my camera. We are with our colleague, the technical director of the INAM, to help her to denounce the threat to the tribunal, so that, at least, it is documented. She called her family to take care of her children, they were to a more secure place. I’ll tell you more about it later.

There is footage from TeleSur, from Le Monde Diplomatique, the Discovery Chanel, History (I can’t remember), there were a lot of more media around. Perhaps on Youtube there will be more information, many of us took some videos.

The people who is covering most of the repression are from Channel 36 of Honduras.

Greetings

[original Spanish]

Compañeras:

Hoy en la mañana muy temprano entrò al INAM la señora Maria Marta Dìaznombrada por el règimen defacto como ministra del INAM acuerpada por un grupo de policìas antimotines. Como a las 10 de las mañana llegò otro escuadròn mayor cuando solo nos encontràbamos nosotras, las mujeres con nuestras voces.

Hubieron varios momentos de tensiòn, el primero cuando la policìa antimotines saliò de las instalaciones y uno de ellos dijo a las empleadas que entraran. Nosotras les decìamos que era una toma y que no podìan entrar. Ninguna de ellas/os las/os que estaban ahì, contestò al llamado. Solo lo hizo una: la señora Antonieta Bustamante, representante de la Comisiòn Interamericana de Mujeres. Ella se acercò a nosotras e insistiò en entrar, le dijimos que no aceptàbamos ni siquiera visitas. Los antimotines hicieron un cordòn para que la señora entrara y golpearon a dos compañeras nuestras.

Posteriormente, como a las 11 del dìa la directora tècnica del INAM, compañera feminista, llamò una llamada de un telèfono desconocido (no aparecìa nùmero) y le dijeron que ella tenìa hijos, que sabìan quienes eran sus hijos y que si ella continuaba en esa postura (de oposiciòn) que sus hijos corrìan peligro. Ke`nia comenzò a llorar, no decìa nada, solo lloraba. Le insistimos que nos dijera que pasaba y llorando nos lo dijo. LLamamos a los medios que estaban ahì y ella relatò lo sucedido. Lo hico a medios nacionales e internacionales

Posteriormente como a las 12 del dìa llegaron compañeras en resistencia,los/as indìgenas y los/as de OFRANEH (afrodescendientes) quienes nos apoyaron en nuestra toma pacìfica. Eso hizo que vinieran màs antimotines.

Luego como a la 1 de la tarde llego el todo el movimiento de resistencia, no se cuantos miles, y eso desatò màs represiòn. Un contingente de antomotines en dos camiones militares y luego un camiòn, tipo bunker, de esos que lanzan agua y un lìquido anaranjado y fueron caminando hacia nosotras y los del movimiento. fueron momentos de tensiòn, los antimotines se pusieron en posiciòn de ataque, los que estaban por la parte detràs tiraron balas, supongo que de goma, porque sonaban diferente, y por la parte de frente caminaba el contingente hacia nosotras. algunos comenzaron a tirar ppiedras y tratabamos de calmar a la gente. Desalojamos el lugar y todos se fueron en la marcha hacia el congreso. Vine a escribir esto y a cargar mi celular y descargar mi càmara. Trajimos  ala directora tècnica del inam para llevar a poner la denuncia a la fiscalia, al menos para que quede documentada. Tambièn ella llamò a su  familia para saccar a sus hijos de su casa y llevarlos a un lugar seguro. les seguire contanto.

Hay tomas de telesur, andaban de le monde diplomatique, de discovery chanel,o de history, no recuerdo, andaban muchos mas. quiza màs tarde hayan cosas en you tube, de aca cubrieron varios, pero el que esta pasando màs la
represion son los del canal 36 de honduras

saludos

[Translation by Pancho]

The radio program from the Center of Women Studies (”La Bullaranga”), which is broadcast from the same place as ours (”Time to Speak”), in this moment has been taken off the air, right after it started 5 minutes ago just when they were denouncing the censoring from the previous program. The same colleagues who were in “Time to Speak”, and its host Lídice Ortega, were interviewed when the interruption occured. Curiously, the radio station was in the air only when the 3 previous programs addressed the conflict from the point of view of religious groups (calling to “pray for Honduras”) and the supporters of the military coup.

[Original]

El programa radial del Centro de Estudios de la Mujer (la bullaranga), que se transmite en la misma emisora donde se transmite el nuestro (tiempo de hablar) fue sacado del aire en este momento, apenas 5 minutos después de comenzar, y cuando estaban denunciando la mordaza al programa anterior. En él se encontraban las mismas compañeras que estaban en Tiempo de Hablar, mas su conductora, Lídice Ortega, feminista del CEM-H. Casualmente, solo estuvo en el aire mientras estuvieron 3 programas que abordaron el mismo problema, una desde el punto de vista de los religiosos, llamando a orar por Honduras y dos desde el punto de vista de los golpistas

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Pancho Ramos-Stierle for this translation]

Friends of the World: We are receiving phone calls about the more than 200,000 protesters who are walking along the boulevard in front of the Tegucigalpa airport. The rally started this morning July 5th in a way to show support to the Constitutional President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales. Colleagues from the human rights offices in the area, have reported that about 4:35PM a burst of machine gun shootings were heard.The shooting was done against the people who were in the south part of the Toncontín airport. Two men died due to the machine gun of a soldier, one of the victims a 17 year old young man, who was born in Catacamas, the city were President Zelaya was born too. The other person died while he was transported, by the same organizations, to the School Hospital. There are several injured people, including children. Some soldiers in front of the march were collaborating with snipers (positioned on the buildings), who were shooting and throwing tear gas at the people in an indiscriminate way.

Soldiers took their attack positions in the airport´s runway to prevent the landing of the airplane that was transporting President Zelaya and a group of friends, including the Secretary General of the Organization of Americas State [Jose Miguel Insulza].

The broadcasting of the signal from the only local provider was interrupted by the national TV, to repeat the press conference of the illegal president, Roberto Micheletti. In fact, this was the morning broadcasting, transmitted with the solely purpose to try to hide, from Hondurans and the World, the repression against the people of the rally [Zelaya supporters]. We make a denunciation of this massacre to the World, action that needs to be repudiated. The governments committed with the strengthening  of democracy and human rights, must increase their mechanisms of pressure, so that the illegitimate government can be ceased. In this way, we will be walking on the path towards a democratic and peaceful process for our country, always remembering about the International Penal Court for all the crimes that had already happened. CIPRODEH.

[Editor's note: this is the original report en Espanol]

Amigos/as del mundo: Estamos recibiendo llamadas de los más de 200,000 mil manifestantes movilizados en todo el boulevard frente al aeropuerto de Tegucigalpa, que realizan desde esta mañana 5 de junio una manifestación pacífica para recibir al Presidente Constitucional José Manuel Zelaya Rosales. Colegas de oficinas de derechos humanos en la zona, nos reportan que a eso de las 4:35 de la tarde se comenzaron a escuchar ráfagas de ametralladoras contra las personas que estaban en la parte sur del aeropuerto Toncontín, dos hombres fallecieron por impactos de fusil militar, uno de ellos un joven de 17 años proveniente de la ciudad de Catacamas, ciudad natal del Presidente Zelaya, la otra persona falleció cuando era trasladado por las mismas organizaciones sociales al Hospital Escuela. Hay varios heridos, incluyendo niños y los militares apostados frente a la marcha en combinación con francotiradores en edificios adjuntos continúan arrojando gases lacrimógenos y disparando indiscriminadamente.

A la vez que se colocan en posición de ataque en la pista aeroportuaria para evitar que aterrice el avión que transporta al presidente Zelaya y su comitiva, que incluye al menos al Presidente de la Asamblea de la Organización de Naciones Unidas.

La transmisión del único medio local que registraba las imágenes fue interrumpida por una cadena nacional para epetir una conferencia de Prensa del Presidente de Facto Roberto Micheletti, que de hecho es una repetición de esta mañana y que se retransmite con el único propósito de ocultar a Honduras y al mundo la represión contra los manifestantes.  enunciamos al mundo esta masacre, que al ser cometida por un gobierno de facto debe ser repudiada, a la vez que los gobiernos comprometidos con el fortalecimiento de la democracia y los derechos humanos deben aumentar las edidas de presión para que cese el gobierno ilegalmente constituido y se allane el camino para volver al proceso de democratización y pacificación de nuestro país, sin descartar la posibilidad de denunciar ante la Corte Penal Internacional los crímenes cometidos. CIPRODEH

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Pancho Ramos-Stierle for this translation]

It was 8:00AM and we started to gather in front of the Morazán Pedagogic University (UPM), where citizens from different regions of Tegucigalpa and other parts of the country joined the peaceful well-organized march. At 10:00AM we started walking through the FFAA boulevard that goes towards the Toncontin Airport. Along the way, people joined the rally among songs and slogans that were asking for the restitution of President Manuel Zelaya Rosales, but more than that, people were showing support to rescue the weak democracy that was so hard to achieve, and that now, has been stolen through a violent and brutal act by the most conservative and recalcitrant group on the country.

When we arrived we were close to 350,000 people. We were near centro america Perisur when we were stopped by a check point of the national police. They stopped us for a few minutes while the leaders of the peaceful march bargain with the police of commissioners. One of the [police] commissioners said that he was not to shoot against his people (nobody told me! I saw it and heard it, I was there!), so he ordered the police to retreat little by little while the march progressed until the entrance of the airport where the runways starts. He said that everything was ok as long as the protesters remain outside of the airport and didn’t try to get to the runway. In order, the peaceful march reached the planned spot to wait for the welcome President Manuel Zelaya Rosales whose arrival was announced to be around 4:00PM.

After we walked from the National University Francisco Morazán to the airport’s neighborhood, many of us sat facing the runway, while we were hearing from the speakers the latest news of what was happening. Then, we hear the announcement that in 20 minutes President Manuel Zelaya Rosales was about to be flying above the city and, most likely, landing on the airport. The people, full of joy and happiness, started clapping and yelling as a soccer team had scored a goal.

It was at that moment when we started to hear the shootings and we started to feel the effects of the tear gas bombs fired by the soldiers from the other side of the runway. Many of us, astonished by the reality, thought that they were just fireworks or fake bullets to disperse the rally. But then, just 4 meters from where we were (we naive protesters who thought that military had overcome the stage to shoot an unarmed people), one of our colleagues, just a 19 year old [Isis Obed Murillo], who was only protesting peacefully, fell to the ground with his skull wide open, leaving part of his brains on the asphalt. He died possibly due to a sniper who deliberately chose his victim being aware of the criminal act he was committing (who gave the order???). Then, close from where we were, another colleague was victim of the shooting coming from the military while he desperately tried to bring back to life an 18 year old who was intoxicated by the tear gas bombs or some other unknown chemicals used by the soldiers.

It was in this moment that the protesters react to this brutal aggression by throwing back the tear gas bombs, risking their lives and throwing everything that was on their way; rocks and sticks that are the only weapons the people can use to defend themselves.

A father carrying in his arms his 7 year old son, was running looking for an ambulance to safe his life.

These were the facts. Nobody told me. It doesn’t matter that the media, allies with this military coup. We, the citizens, will never agree to silence and to hide that thousands and thousands of people reject this savage and brutal act, like this one, perpetrated by the oligarchy against this country because: “THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS SET US FREE.”

–ALEX PALENCIA