Letter cites “serious concern that the rule of law is directly threatened by members of the Honduran police and armed forces.”

Washington, DC – Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA), joined by 29 other Members of Congress, sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today calling on the Obama Administration to suspend aid—particularly military and police assistance—to the government of Honduras, while murders of political activists and media workers and other attacks in that country continue with near impunity.

The letter describes recent human rights violations, including the killings of rural activists, a labor union leader, and a journalist critical of the current regime, among others. It notes that neither these nor dozens of other politically motivated attacks that have taken place since the coup d’état of June 28, 2009 have been properly investigated. The letter goes on to say that the victims of these crimes have been left vulnerable with no access to justice, and notes that there exists “serious concern that the rule of law is directly threatened by members of the Honduran police and armed forces.”

Additionally, the letter points out that Honduras’ authorities have on many occasions “summarily dismissed the attacks against political activists, human rights defenders and journalists as a symptom of criminality linked to drug trafficking and organized crime.”  In response to this behavior, the letter calls on the State Department to urge the Honduran regime to recognize the human rights violations, and the political nature of their attacks.

The letter concludes by urging the Obama Administration to “refrain from supporting the immediate re-entry of Honduras in the Organization of American States. The Obama Administration does a great disservice to democracy and human rights across the Western Hemisphere by making an exception for Honduras, while the Lobo Administration continues to include perpetrators of the June 28, 2009, coup d'etat and fails to prosecute politically motivated crimes.”

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Click here for a copy of the letter.