Honduras: Human Rights and the Coup D’État
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INTER‐AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 55 30 December 2009 Original: Spanish HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT 2009 Internet: http://www.cidh.org E‐mail: [email protected] OAS Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights. Honduras : derechos humanos y golpe de estado = Honduras : human rights and coup d'état / Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights. p. ; cm. (OEA documentos oficiales ; OEA/Ser.L)(OAS official records ; OEA/Ser.L) ISBN 978‐0‐8270‐5406‐6 1. Zelaya Rosales, José Manuel, 1952‐ . 2. Honduras‐‐History‐‐Coup d'état, 2009. 3. Honduras‐‐Politics and government‐‐21st century. 4. Democracy‐‐Honduras‐ ‐21st century. 5. Human rights‐‐Honduras. 6. Civil rights‐‐Honduras. 7. Justice, Administration of‐‐Honduras. I. Title. II Series. III. Series. OAS official records ; OEA/Ser.L. OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc.55 Approved by the Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights on December 30, 2009 INTER‐AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS MEMBERS Luz Patricia Mejía Guerrero Víctor E. Abramovich Felipe González Sir Clare Kamau Roberts Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro Florentín Meléndez Paolo G. Carozza ****** Executive Secretary: Santiago A. Canton Assistant Executive Secretary: Elizabeth Abi‐Mershed HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................1 II. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................3 A. Measures adopted by the IACHR since the coup d’état.....................................6 1. Precautionary measure MC 196‐09....................................................8 B. Activities conducted during the on‐site visit......................................................9 III. INTERRUPTION OF DEMOCRATIC ORDER AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S REACTION...............................................................................................13 A. The ousting of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales .....................................13 B. The “fourth ballot box” ....................................................................................17 C. Measures taken by the de facto government ..................................................19 D. President Zelaya enters the Brazilian Embassy ................................................22 E. The international community’s reaction..........................................................29 1. The Organization of American States (OAS).....................................29 a. The San José Agreement...................................................32 2. The United Nations...........................................................................34 3. The European Union.........................................................................36 4. Other intergovernmental organizations...........................................36 5. International civil society .................................................................37 IV. EVALUATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION.........................................................38 A. The role of human rights defenders.................................................................39 B. The situation of political authorities and other authorities and community leaders....................................................................................43 C. The specific impact on certain groups..............................................................50 V. HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS .........................................................................................52 A. The state of emergency and judicial guarantees..............................................53 B. The right to life.................................................................................................59 C. The right to humane treatment and right of assembly....................................67 1. Military and police roadblocks .........................................................69 2. Suppression of demonstrations........................................................71 3. Compulsory military service .............................................................87 4. Complaints from the INTUR group ...................................................87 D. The right to personal liberty.............................................................................90 E. The right to vote and participate in government...........................................104 1. The right to hold public office ........................................................106 Page 2. The right to vote and to participate in government.......................107 F. The right to freedom of expression................................................................108 1. Broadcasting shutdowns or interruptions......................................110 a. Television channels.........................................................111 b. Signal blocking ................................................................113 c. Radio...............................................................................114 d. Impact on the print media..............................................118 2. Blackouts ........................................................................................118 3. Detention of journalists..................................................................120 4. Assaults on journalists....................................................................123 5. Violent attacks on the media..........................................................126 6. Threats and other forms of intimidation........................................128 7. Other abuses ..................................................................................131 8. Journalistic ethics ...........................................................................134 G. Women’s rights ..............................................................................................135 H. The right to an education and the right to strike ...........................................138 VI. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................146 HONDURAS: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE COUP D’ÉTAT I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. As its paramount mission is to “promote the observance and defense of human rights” in the Hemisphere, the Commission has been particularly attentive in following the situation of human rights in Honduras, and through its reports has reviewed a series of structural issues in the areas of justice, security, marginalization and discrimination that have for decades taken a toll on the human rights of its inhabitants. 2. On June 28, 2009, the democratically elected President of Honduras was deposed and the democratic and constitutional order was interrupted.1 At 5:00 a.m. that morning, Honduran Army troops, acting on orders of the Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Minister of Defense, stormed the presidential residence, took President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales into custody and flew him by military aircraft to Costa Rica. 3. That same day, the Inter‐American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “Inter‐American Commission”, “IACHR” or the “Commission”) issued its first press release on the situation in Honduras, in which it strongly condemned the coup d’état, made an urgent call to restore democratic order in Honduras and to respect human rights, and demanded that the situation of the Foreign Minister and other cabinet members be clarified immediately, as their whereabouts at the time were unknown. On June 30, the Commission asked to conduct an urgent visit to Honduras. Also, in furtherance of its duties to promote and protect human rights and given the hundreds of complaints it had received on June 28 and thereafter alleging grave human rights violations, the IACHR granted precautionary measures, requested information on the danger that certain persons faced as a consequence of the coup d’état, and requested information pursuant to Article 41 of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter, the “American Convention”) and Article XIV of the Inter‐American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons (hereinafter, the “Convention on Forced Disappearance”). It also issued a number of press releases. 4. The international community’s condemnation of the coup d’état in Honduras has been unanimous. The de facto authorities have not been recognized. International forums have condemned the interruption of the democratic order in Honduras and have called for President Zelaya to be restored to office. For their part, the member states of the Organization of American States (hereinafter the “OAS”) responded to the political crisis in Honduras by invoking mechanisms recognized in the Inter‐American Democratic Charter, which stipulates that “[t]he peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it.” Thus, at a special session held on July 4, 2009, the OAS General Assembly resolved to suspend the Honduran state from the exercise of its right to participate in the Organization. It further resolved to “reaffirm that the Republic of Honduras must continue to fulfill its obligations as a member of the Organization, in particular with regard to human rights; and to urge the Inter‐ American Commission on Human Rights to continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend human rights