Central America Report Winter 2009

Honduras coup
meets stiff resistance
Women on the frontline

Also in this issue: Food crisis in

Guatemala, La Vida Loca – Salvadoran
gangs on screen, growing coffee
in a changing climate
Editorial

Change we can’t believe in? Contents

Tackling hunger in Guatemala 3
N THIS ISSUE we focus on the coup in Honduras, the role of the US,
I and the extraordinary courage and resilience of illegally ousted Present
Manuel Zelaya and the movement that sprang up against the coup. We
A combination of drought and the global
financial crisis means less food on the
table for many poor rural families

Christian Poveda obituary 4

also explore the reverberations of the political crisis across the region. Ruth Collins pays tribute to the film-
At April’s Summit of the Americas, US President Barack Obama maker killed after making a hard-hitting
documentary on Salvadoran gangs
promised a new vision for the continent – a democratic Western
hemisphere of equal partners, mutual interests and shared values. But three Coffee in a changing climate 5
Megan Rowling reports on a project to
months later, in an event eerily reminiscent of the dark period of brutal help Nicaraguan coffee farmers adapt
military coups and repression of the 1970s and 80s, Zelaya was seized from to global warming

his bed at gunpoint and bundled onto a military plane to Costa Rica. Regional update 6–7
Nicaragua’s rights ombudsman calls
Those who have traditionally held political, economic and military power for an end to the ban on therapeutic
took it upon themselves to “protect” Honduras from the leftward shift seen abortion

across Latin America in the past 10 years. In their eyes, Zelaya’s “crimes” HONDURAS COUP

included legislation to preserve the country’s plundered forests, efforts to Political and economic
implications for the region 8
block the privatisation of the national telecommunications company, the
Chronology of the crisis, plus solidarity
cancellation of environmentally damaging mining concessions, raising the with the resistance movement 9
minimum wage, setting up a women’s ministry, and – worst of all – gaining US right uses crisis to attack Obama 10
support from states in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). Women at the forefront of resistance:
So how, less than a year after Obama’s “change we can believe in” interview with Katherine Ronderos,
Central America Women’s Network 11
rhetoric, did US policy lurch backwards to a spirit of Cold War disregard for
War on Want partner exposes abuse
Central America? We highlight some of the reasons: the growing influence of maquila workers’ rights 12
of an aggressive right wing in the US and Latin America; powerful business
Street kids world cup & film review 13
interests that regard Latin America as their “backyard”; and the monumental Young Nicaraguan footballers seek
problems facing the Obama administration, whose priorities lie elsewhere. success in South Africa
American/Sandinista: the story of the
The coup represents a power struggle across the continent – in the US to engineers who lit up the Revolution
undermine the president’s authority, and in Latin America to challenge Take action 14 – 16
left-leaning governments committed to redressing gross inequalities. Twin town news, UK trade unionists
visit Nicaragua, and witnessing
As CAR goes to press, the power-sharing agreement brokered by the legal history in Guatemala
US and the Organization of American States to establish a government
of national unity and reconciliation has unravelled. In a flagrant breach of
Published by Central America Report,
the deal, de facto president Roberto Micheletti has formed a cabinet that 86 Durham Road, London N7 7DT
excludes Zelaya and his representatives. “It’s absurd what they are doing – Email: info@central-america-report.org.uk
trying to mock all of us, the people who elected me and the international Editorial committee: Ruth Collins, Patrick
Daniels, Abbie Kempson, Megan Rowling
community that supports me,” said Zelaya. “We’ve decided not to continue and Helen Yuill
this theatre with Mr Micheletti.” With the opponents of “change we Cover photos: Left: Demonstration against
the coup. Bottom right: “Golpe al golpe” (Beat
can believe in” pushing their agenda hard across the Americas, the the Coup) artistic festival. Both photos by
international solidarity movement has a vital role to play in maintaining Oscar Mendoza, student at the Central
America Virtual Campus, San Pedro de Sula,
global pressure to restore the rightful Honduran president to power. Honduras. Top right: “Feminists in Resistance”
protest against the coup, Tegucigalpa,
Honduras. Photo by Katherine Ronderos
Central America Report is online at: www.central-america-report.org.uk Design: Jane Warring
For information, magazine subscriptions and article submissions, Our thanks to all the contributors for helping
to produce this issue of CAR. The articles in
please contact us at: info@central-america-report.org.uk this magazine should be taken as having
We are looking for volunteers to help us out with producing our been written in a personal capacity, unless
otherwise stated. Any views stated in the
print magazine and keeping our website up to date. For further articles should not be taken to represent the
information, please check the website, email us or call policy of any of the organisations that support
020 7561 4836 (NSC office). the production of Central America Report.

Central America Report: Winter 2009 2


Guatemala grapples with
food shortages
Chronic child malnutrition and persistent food insecurity require
a more sustainable solution
NTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIES
I are providing nutritional, health
and farming support to hungry
families in Guatemala after President
Álvaro Colom declared a national
“state of calamity” in September in
response to severe food shortages.
The rural poor are being hit hard
by falling remittances and rising
unemployment caused by the global
economic crisis, persistent high food
and fertiliser prices, and a lack of
rain stemming from the El Niño
weather phenomenon. Drought
conditions have damaged corn and
bean crops, which are staple foods,
and this has compounded the impact
of a poor harvest in late 2008 in the
wake of flooding.
According to the Red Cross, some
communities only have enough food to
last until the next harvest in December,
which is likely to be sparse. Those worst
affected live in the seven provinces of
Photo: WFP/Martin Penner, December 2008
Gregoria Sanchez, 20, is proud of the size
of her eight-month-old baby who receives a
nutritious food supplement called VitaCereal
from the UN World Food Programme.
Monthly rations give children from poor
communities the chance to develop
properly, but WFP has struggled to find
funds to pay for the scheme, which reaches
100,000 children and 50,000 pregnant and
lactating women in Guatemala.
www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala
3 Central America Report: Winter 2009
the eastern “dry corridor”, where
54,000 families cannot access the food
they need. The government estimates
that a total of 410,000 families in 21
provinces (around 2.5 million people)
are affected by the food crisis, and
25 children are reported to have died
from severe malnutrition this year.
Even in better times, almost half of
Guatemalan children below the age of
five suffer from chronic malnutrition –
the highest rate in Latin America and
the fourth highest in the world.
Humanitarian news website
AlertNet reported in October on UN
research that put the cost of economic
losses from child malnutrition in
Guatemala at $3.1 billion a year in
2004, or 11 percent of the country’s
gross domestic product (GDP). That
compares with an average of up
to three percent of GDP across 10
Latin American countries studied.
“There’s a clear relationship between
child malnutrition, economic loss,
productivity and competitiveness,”
Alejandro Chicheri, WFP's regional
information officer, told AlertNet.
Describing the Guatemalan figure as
“amazingly high,” he added that “only
a fraction of that $3.1 billion” would
be necessary to resolve the problem.
The national and international
response to this year’s food crisis
includes food aid, distribution of
seeds and fertilisers, technical help
for farmers to rehabilitate their crops
and livelihoods, measures to prevent
the spread of dengue fever, and
community education in health and
nutrition. Meanwhile, the government
plans to implement a longer-term
strategy to reduce vulnerability
to hunger and introduce a more
sustainable system of production.
Aid agency Save the Children is
already training families in
agricultural techniques and setting
Guatemala
up micro-irrigation systems for
kitchen gardens, as well as providing
chickens and goats. The programme
aims to help parents give their
children a more varied and plentiful
diet. Farmer Miguel says the health of
his son Alex has improved drastically
thanks to his family’s participation in
the project. Miguel is also teaching
others in Quiché about the low-cost
and environmentally-friendly
agricultural practices he has learned.
“My land makes more corn now, so I
don't have to buy corn at the market
anymore,” he says.
Megan Rowling and Anastasia Moloney
(AlertNet)
www.alertnet.org
www.redhum.org (Spanish)
www.savethechildren.org.gt
Survey shows
financial crisis is
hurting children
This year’s survey on remittances
in Guatemala conducted by the
International Organisation for
Migration and UNICEF highlights
the negative impact of the financial
crisis on children and adolescents.
• An estimated 1.6 million
Guatemalans live abroad – 70.5
percent are men who send an
average of $272 home each month.
Remittances in 2009 are expected
to total $3.84 billion, 11 percent
lower than in 2008.
• Among 3,000 households
interviewed, 8.7 percent of children
between 7 and 17 can no longer
attend school and 7.4 percent
have been forced to find jobs to
supplement the family income.
•described
72 percent of households
their economic situation
as between bad and fair. Many
have been forced to cut down the
number of meals per day and the
amount of calories they consume.
www.oim.org.gt/index2.html
El Salvador
Film on ‘crazy life’ of
gangs has tragic ending
Ruth Collins reports on the work of Christian Poveda (1957 – 2009)
who was killed in El Salvador after making a documentary about
the country’s violent street gangs.
ESCRIBED AS “one of nature’s
D anarchists” by friend and
colleague Nick Fraser, Christian
Poveda was well known for his inability
to accept authority. A talented
French-Spanish photojournalist and
documentary film-maker, Poveda
told Salvadoran webzine El Faro in
July this year that he wished “to
understand why a 12- or 13-year-old
child joins a gang and gives his or her
life to it”. However, his desire to
unravel the inside story behind gang
violence in El Salvador ultimately cost
him his life on September 2 2009.
Poveda first went to El Salvador in
January 1980 as a photographer for
TIME magazine covering the civil
war. He returned in the 1990s, this
time to make a documentary about
Salvadoran gangs. He carried out 190
interviews with Salvador’s two main
gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha and
Mara 18. Killing day after day to
prove their supremacy, their rivalry
continues to terrorise the country.
Living with Mara 18 members for 18
months, Poveda gathered footage for
his celebrated documentary La Vida
Loca (Crazy Life) due for widespread
release in September. On the day
of his death, it is thought he was
travelling back from La Campanera,
a town not far from the capital San
Salvador, when his car was ambushed
and he was shot in the head. La
Campanera is home to the Mara
Salvatrucha which had declined
Poveda’s offer to collaborate in
the documentary.
La Vida Loca begins how it means
to go on: with a funeral and close-ups
of a corpse and bystanders around
a coffin – some in tears of anguish,
some in disbelief and some simply in
stony silence. Perhaps one of the most
startling aspects is how close Poveda
Central America Report: Winter 2009
is able to get to the action, thrusting
the viewer into an intimate and
sombre occasion. Yet, as is soon made
clear, this is by no means the last
funeral, nor the last body on display.
Amid vain endeavours by NGO
Homies Unidos to rehabilitate young
gang members (mareros) and clashes
with the police, Poveda paints a
realistically bleak picture of their lives
and shows how each individual is
trapped in a vicious spiral from which
there is no perceivable way out.
Poveda’s film not only reveals the
mareros’ day-to-day way of life, but
also draws attention to a heavy police
crackdown that has failed to address
the real issues pushing these young
people to keep on reoffending. La
Chucky, a female Mara 18 member,
appears to embody some of the
typical characteristics of Salvadoran
gang members – illiteracy, feeling
abandoned by parents and
marginalised from society. Signifying
her allegiance to the gang, the number
‘18’ is tattooed across La Chucky’s
Christian Poveda, director of La Vida Loca, during the filming of his documentary, with
“El Bambam”, Little One and Cesarito
forehead for all to see. In El Salvador,
anyone with such a tattoo is
unemployable, leading Homies
Unidos to set up a bakery to try and
help mareros make a fresh start. Yet,
as Poveda illustrates, for most,
converting to a better life through
work or even religion is not a viable
or lasting solution.
La Vida Loca is a brave and
revealing documentary that exposes
the endemic and senseless violence
still being waged in El Salvador today.
You barely blink before “bang, bang”
and another gang member’s story –
and life – is over. The film does much
to show how in this society, life is
truly transitory and as soon as one
gang member dies, another will be
initiated and duly take their place.
It is all the more poignant that
Poveda’s desire to be so close to the
action led to his untimely death. But
then, as Salvadoran Edu Ponces wrote
candidly in El Faro,“ if you look long
enough down the throat of the lion,
he will eat you.”
Official La Vida Loca site with trailer:
www.lafemme-endormie.com/vidaloca
Homage to Poveda and slideshow
of Poveda’s images put together
by Mexican photographers:
http://zonezero.com/exposiciones/
fotografos/poveda/index.html
Photo: © Christian Poveda
4

Growing coffee in a warmer world
Megan Rowling reports on a project helping farmers protect their livelihoods.
S PROSPECTS FADE for a new
A deal on climate change at UN
talks in Copenhagen in December 2009,
communities in countries already
feeling the effects of global warming are
working out how to adapt. While they
have yet to secure the billions of dollars
in international support needed to
protect their lives, homes and crops,
many farmers, coast-dwellers and other
vulnerable groups are doing what
they can to cope with the impacts.
Cafédirect, the UK ethical hot drinks
Photo: Stanton Media
company, and German technical
cooperation agency GTZ are helping
tea and coffee producers in four regions
to manage climate change through
a three-year project called AdapCC.
AdapCC research shows that
increasingly unpredictable rainfall and
temperature patterns are likely to
reduce the quality and quantity of
yields. Smallholder growers – who
produce most of the world’s coffee –
will be worst affected, with calculations
suggesting that in some regions annual
incomes could be slashed by up to 90
percent over the next 15 years. “While
there’s no universal panacea to the
problems farmers face, AdapCC has
demonstrated that by working directly
with the grower communities, we can
collectively combat the effects of climate
change,” said Cafédirect’s Wolfgang
Weinmann. “AdapCC provides
replicable, region-specific, and perhaps
most importantly, scalable solutions that
help counter the impacts of climate
change. The challenge for Cafédirect
and those interested in sustainable
livelihoods in the developing world is
to… develop long-term partnerships
that safeguard not only the supply
chain but the interests of the grower.”
In Latin America, pilot schemes have
been launched in Mexico, Peru and
Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan initiative is
being carried out with two producer
groups that work with Cafédirect,
PRODECOOP and CECOCAFEN.
According to research in 10 coffee-
growing areas in the country, rainfall
5 Central America Report: Winter 2009
Coffee picker at the Ramon Sevilla
cooperative, El Volcan, Nicaragua
is expected to decrease, and minimum
and maximum temperatures to increase
in the coming four decades – meaning
that some land at lower altitudes could
become unsuitable for coffee and
farmers will need to identify alternative
crops. In other places producers will
have to adapt their growing techniques.
However, climate change may mean it
is worth investing in new plantations
at higher altitudes. “Climate change
brings not only bad news but also a lot
of potential. The winners will be those
who are prepared for change and know
how to adapt,” concludes the study.
At one workshop, coffee growers
expressed concern about droughts,
landslides, deforestation, and pests and
diseases linked to rising temperatures.
Interviews with 40 producers from
25 Nicaraguan co-operatives revealed
obstacles to tackling climate change:
a lack of long-term financial support,
technical know-how and environmental
expertise; poor incentives for growers
to apply sustainable practices; and
inadequate information about climate
change impacts and alternative
methods and technology. In the face
of these problems, PRODECOOP has
developed a plan to reduce climate risks
and adapt the coffee production system
Central America
Extreme weather hits
El Salvador, Nicaragua
Flooding and landslides in early
November killed more than 150
people in El Salvador and displaced
14,000. Torrential rains – brought by
a low-pressure system in the Pacific
– caused rivers to burst their banks
and hillsides to collapse. President
Mauricio Funes declared a national
emergency, and blamed El
Salvador’s lack of preparation for
extreme weather. “The drama we are
facing and the precarious situation
communities face in large areas of
the country is because of the lack
of mitigation and risk prevention
programmes, which for years had
been demanded but were never
carried out,” he said. The
government and international aid
agencies provided shelter, food,
medical and other relief in the worst-
hit areas. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua,
the UN World Food Programme said
it would assist more than 13,000
people affected by Hurricane Ida,
which caused extensive damage on
the Atlantic coast in early November.
Other parts of Nicaragua have been
suffering from a severe drought,
with the National Federation
of Cooperatives (FENACOOP)
predicting a fall of up to 30 percent
in corn, bean and rice production.
The Federation has urged the
government to promote the use of
drought-resistant seeds and support
the development of irrigation.
Sources: AlertNet
(www.alertnet.org) and ReliefWeb
(www.reliefweb.int)
through training programmes, setting
up a weather monitoring station,
providing technical support for organic
methods and better water management,
and encouraging cooperatives to
expand their role in environmental
services, including carbon capture.
www.adapcc.org/en/nicaragua.htm
Central America
Regional update
EL SALVADOR
Funes most popular
president in Americas
A collection of survey results
from 15 countries in the
Americas, assembled by
the Mitofsky polling firm in
September, gave Salvadoran
President Mauricio Funes –
the FMLN candidate elected
in March – the highest ranking.
Funes scored an approval
rating of 84 percent among his
country’s citizens, followed by
Lula of Brazil with 81 percent.
Free school uniforms
President Funes has promised
two school uniforms, a pair
of shoes and a set of school
supplies to every state-school
student in the country. The
bidding process for school
uniform fabrics was launched
in August, and production is to
be carried out locally with the
aim of creating jobs. The free
school meal programme has
also been expanded from rural
schools to include students in
impoverished urban areas.
FMLN blocks same-sex
marriage and adoption ban
On September 24, a
constitutional reform that
would have banned same-sex
marriage and adoption was
defeated after the FMLN
refused to back it, preventing
the proposal from gaining the
necessary two-thirds majority.
Indigenous participation
in Independence Day
El Salvador’s indigenous
community took part for
the first time in official
Independence Day celebrations
on September 15. Representatives
from indigenous communities
Central America Report: Winter 2009
in Nahuizalco, Sonsonate
and Santa Ana performed a
ceremony in which they called
for true independence for
El Salvador and inclusion
of indigenous people. They
criticised the country’s
indebtedness and involvement
in the Central America Free
Trade Agreement, as well as
its high rates of murder and
violence. Historical oppression
of indigenous peoples, most
notably the 1932 massacre, has
led to their assimilation, but
there have been growing
attempts in recent years to
preserve indigenous culture
and the Nahuat language.
GUATEMALA
Conflicts over mining projects
Protests by local people are
blocking a $1 billion nickel
mining project, one of Central
America’s biggest mineral
investments. Canada’s HudBay
Minerals wants to develop a
long-dormant pit near the town
of El Estor, on the banks of
Guatemala’s biggest lake, which
has world-class nickel reserves.
But hundreds of local people
claim that large expanses of
company land near Lake Izabal
belonged to their ancestors and
have occupied the property for
the past four years, farming corn
and building thatch houses.
A teacher was killed in
September when security
guards from HudBay’s
Guatemala unit clashed with
local residents after the
breakdown of talks to arrange
their eviction and relocation.
As multinational companies
continue to seek licences for
mineral exploitation, time and
again local communities are
rejecting these initiatives in
popular consultations. They
oppose the government’s moves
to sell off what they deem as
their land, as well as the
potential environmental damage
and lack of local economic
benefit. A spokesperson for
Xinka community members
from Santa María Xalapán in
Jalapa said a referendum, which
enjoyed wide participation, had
demonstrated a resounding ‘no’
to mining activity in the
municipality.
NICARAGUA
Appeal against re-election ban
On October 19, the
constitutional panel of
Nicaragua’s Supreme Court
ruled favourably on a petition
from President Daniel Ortega
and 105 Sandinista mayors
that their rights were being
violated by a provision in the
constitution which does not
permit their consecutive re-
election to office. President
Oscar Arias of Costa Rica won
a similar appeal in 2008.
Opposition parties and civil
society organisations reacted
swiftly, accusing Sandinista
justices of taking the decision
in the absence of their Liberal
colleagues. Daniel Ortega told a
television audience, “I will say
to those people that they should
calm down and not drown in a
glass of water. To solve this we
have the 2011 elections. What
are they afraid of?”
Job losses in free trade zones
Speaking at a Central America
Maquiladora Workers Solidarity
Network forum in Managua
in October, Sandra Ramos,
president of the Maria Elena
Cuadra Women’s Movement
(MEC), called on the
government to respond to the
needs of the more than 30,000
workers who have been laid off
by factories in the nation’s free
trade zones. As a result of the
global financial crisis, Central
American countries are
experiencing major increases in
unemployment in the maquilas,
and the movement of women
workers into the informal
economy. The gathering
addressed violations of workers’
labour, human and social rights,
focusing on women. Specific
issues included reform of the
Salvadoran labour law, concern
over the presence of organised
crime in Guatemala’s free trade
zones, and the accusation that
Honduran workers have been
forced to march in support of
the coup government.
US court lets Dole off banana
workers’ compensation
A Miami court ruled in October
that fruit and vegetable
producer Dole Food Inc. cannot
be forced in the US to pay a $97
million verdict issued by
a Nicaraguan court four
years ago, which awarded
compensation to 150
Nicaraguans who claimed
they had suffered injuries from
pesticides used at Dole’s banana
plantations in the 1970s.
Lawyers for the Nicaraguans
brought the case to Florida in
2007 to enforce the verdict under
a state law that recognises
foreign judgments. However, the
US judge said it could not be
implemented because it was
based on a law that violates
international legal standards.
Since 2002, Nicaraguan courts
have issued judgments in 32
such cases for a total of $2.05
billion against Dole and
pesticide makers.
Dole also convinced a Los
Angeles judge earlier this year
that three class-action lawsuits
by banana workers were based
on a conspiracy hatched by US
and Nicaraguan plaintiff
6

lawyers with the help of some
Nicaraguan judges. However,
Dole has withdrawn a
defamation lawsuit against
a Swedish filmmaker after
complaints in Sweden that the
company was trying to curb free
speech by suing Fredrik Gertten
for showing the documentary
Bananas!, which is based on
the dismissed cases.
Ombudsman urges
decriminalisation of
therapeutic abortion
Nicaragua’s human rights
ombudsman, Omar Cabezas,
has formally requested that the
Supreme Court overturn the
current law that declares all
abortion illegal, even therapeutic
abortion, which only applies in
cases of extreme hardship and
particularly when the mother’s
life is in danger from her
7 Central America Report: Winter 2009
pregnancy. Reminding
journalists that therapeutic
abortion had been written into
Nicaraguan law for over a
century before it was banned
two years ago, and that
Nicaragua is now among a tiny
minority of nations that regard it
as a crime, Cabezas said: “I am
hopeful once again, and I say it
openly, that when next I travel
to Geneva as Nicaragua’s
Ombudsman, I will have the
happiness of knowing that
Nicaragua will once again
display – on a global, planetary
level, and before a gathering of
all the nations of the world –
the legalisation of therapeutic
abortion.” Several NGOs,
including the Nicaraguan
Centre for Human Rights
(CENIDH), and women’s
groups fighting violence
have made similar appeals.
Meanwhile, a report from
Amnesty International,
published in July, concludes that
the abortion ban is endangering
the lives of girls and women,
denying them life-saving
treatment, and preventing health
professionals from practicing
effective medicine. According
to official figures, 33 girls and
women died in pregnancy in
the first 19 weeks of this year,
compared with 20 in the same
period last year, and 16 percent
of maternal deaths were due to
unsafe abortion, compared with
none in 2008. Amnesty’s report
also notes a rise in pregnant
teenagers committing suicide
by consuming poison in 2008.
“What alternatives is this
government offering a 10-year-
old pregnant as a result of rape?
And to a cancer sufferer who is
denied life saving treatment just
Central America
because she is pregnant, while
she has other children waiting
at home?” said Kate Gilmore,
Amnesty’s executive deputy
secretary, describing what she
had seen on a visit to Nicaragua
as “sheer horror” and noting the
government’s refusal to meet
Amnesty to discuss the law.
www.amnesty.org/en/region/
nicaragua
The Nicaragua Solidarity
Campaign (NSC) believes that
the roots of the abortion ban
lie with a fundamentalist
interpretation of religious doctrine
by the leadership of the Catholic
church in Nicaragua, propagated
in the 2006 election campaign
and adopted by all major parties.
NSC has condemned this repressive
legislation as an extreme violation
of the rights of women and
campaigned for its reversal.
 Honduras
Honduras coup sends
shock waves across region
The crisis in Honduras has had serious political, social and economic
repercussions throughout Central America, a region still experiencing
the the dark consequences of the wars of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Toni Solo examines the impact on Nicaragua.
MMEDIATELY FOLLOWING the
I coup, Nicaragua’s FSLN-led
coalition government gave refuge to
President Manuel Zelaya and played
a key diplomatic role in coordinating
a regional response through the
Central American Integration System
(SICA). Meetings were also held at
the highest level of the countries in
the left-wing Bolivarian Alternative
for the Americas (ALBA). The
measures agreed included a 48-hour
trade embargo against Honduras.
The Nicaraguan government’s
support for Zelaya was unscrupulously
exploited by the right-wing opposition.
The US-backed former presidential
candidate Eduardo Montealegre
and leading Partido Liberal
Constitucionalista (PLC) politicians
visited Honduras. Montealegre
shamelessly expressed solidarity with
the coup regime but others were more
circumspect, as PLC politicians – like
their counterparts in the Honduran
Liberal Party – are bitterly divided
between those loyal to Zelaya and
the coup perpetrators.
Photo: Oscar Mendoza
Demonstration against the coup, San Pedro de Sula
Central America Report: Winter 2009
As Montealegre’s political
credibility withered, his rival for the
leadership of a unified right wing –
convicted criminal and former
President Arnoldo Alemán – kept a
low profile, crisscrossing Nicaragua to
rebuild his grassroots support. One
unintended consequence of the coup
could be widening divisions within
Nicaragua’s political right, allowing
President Daniel Ortega’s government
to strengthen its position domestically
and regionally. Any Honduran
government emerging from the chaos
is likely to be extremely weak. Costa
Rican President Oscar Arias’ sympathy
for the coup regime has not enhanced
his regional status. And in El Salvador
and Guatemala, Mauricio Funes and
Álvaro Colom are struggling to develop
their programmes of government
respectively. Consequently, the
Nicaraguan administration may have
succeeded in enhancing its regional
influence and prestige – an outcome
that would thwart hopes among the
US and European governments for
a weaker ALBA.
Toni Solo writes for tortillaconsal.com
Salvadoran President Mauricio
Funes of the left-wing FMLN
immediately condemned the
coup and called for Zelaya’s
reinstatement. However, the
right-wing Nationalist Republican
Alliance (ARENA), the corporate
sector and others with influence in
the military were quick to exploit
the situation, warning Funes of
the consequences should he
“act like Zelaya”.
Alta Hooker Blandford,
rector of URACCAN (the
Atlantic Coast Autonomous
University), reports on the
regional economic impact.
The Honduran crisis has had serious
economic consequences across the
region, reducing exports and foreign
exchange earnings. It has led to a drop
in commercial activity and regional
tourism, and a reversal of regional
integration. Costa Rica has seen
important trade relations with Guatemala
hampered; and in Panama, the resale
of goods produced in Honduran
export-processing zones has been hit.
Across the region, businesses have
lost tens of millions of dollars, while
government budgets are being
squeezed by a significant fall in tax
and customs revenue.
In the municipality of Nueva Guinea
on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast, for
example, the coup has caused severe
difficulties for the export of milk products,
root vegetables and potatoes to El
Salvador, Puerto Rico and the US
eastern seaboard. Nicaragua has limited
port infrastructure and depends on
Honduras, with exports to the Caribbean
and the rest of the world passing through
Puerto Cortés on the Atlantic coast
of Honduras.
Furthermore, negotiations on the
EU-Central America Association
Agreement have been suspended.
Despite negative aspects, such as
intellectual property rights, the
agreement could bring much-needed
trade opportunities. The current
uncertainty affects economic planning
in general, especially with regard to
regional investment.
8

Chronology
2005
Manuel Zelaya, a wealthy businessman and
Liberal Party candidate, is elected president
of Honduras. His commitment to social
change, support for trade unions and the
impoverished, and alliance with the Bolivarian
Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) causes
deep divisions within his own party and alarm
among the right wing in the US.
2009
June 28: Soldiers arrest Zelaya in a pre-
dawn raid and force him onto a flight to
Costa Rica via the US-controlled Palmerola
air base, the day before a non-binding public
consultation over whether a referendum on
convening a constituent assembly to rewrite
the constitution should be held at the same
time as November elections. Coup
supporters claim the referendum plan was a
move by Zelaya to remove the one-term limit
on serving as president and pave the way for
his re-election. Zelaya has repeatedly denied
this, and the timeframe would have made it
impossible. The Supreme Court announces
it ordered the army to remove Zelaya.
A de facto president, Roberto Micheletti,
is appointed by the Congress and his
government imposes a country-wide curfew.
June 29: Zelaya travels to Managua for a
meeting of leaders of the Central America
Integration System (SICA) and ALBA. Both
bodies denounce the coup, call for Zelaya’s
reinstatement, and impose a trade embargo.
June 30: The coup is condemned globally,
including in the UN General Assembly which
passes a resolution calling on member states
to recognise Zelaya’s administration as the
International solidarity with the resistance movement
The breadth, courage and persistence of
organisations making up the Honduran
National Front of Resistance Against the
Coup has been complemented globally by
a broad-based solidarity movement. In the
UK, a range of groups have been involved
in supporting the opposition movement
and calling for the reinstatement of
President Zelaya through support for
Honduran partner organisations, as well
as building a political solidarity movement
against the coup. They include Oxfam,
War on Want, One World Action, the
9 Central America Report: Winter 2009
only legitimate government. Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says
Zelaya’s overthrow sets a worrying
precedent and will not be tolerated by
other Latin American countries.
July: The National Front of Resistance
Against the Coup is formed. The broad-
based movement – including trade unions,
women’s and indigenous organisations,
environmental groups, farmers’ associations,
lawyers and journalists – stages protests for
over 100 days, despite disappearances,
killings and detentions.
Clashes at Tegucigalpa airport as
Honduran troops block an attempt by Zelaya
to return. One protestor is killed, and Zelaya
is forced to land in Managua.
The Organization of American States
(OAS) suspends Honduras. Washington
calls for Zelaya’s reinstatement, condemns
violence against protesters, and suspends
$30 million in non-humanitarian aid
programmes. Micheletti and Zelaya agree
to negotiations mediated by Costa Rican
President Oscar Arias, but talks break down.
September: The Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights reports
widespread abuses in Honduras, including
excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and
sexual violence, as well as several confirmed
deaths and possible “disappearances”.
The Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa
confirms Zelaya has made a surprise return
to Honduras. Micheletti is reportedly willing
to hold talks with Zelaya but only on the
unacceptable pre-condition that elections
scheduled for November should go ahead.
A curfew is reinstated, and the authorities
close airports and cut power to some
parts of Tegucigalpa.
Central America Women’s Network
(CAWN) and Friends of the Earth.
Katherine Ronderos from CAWN visited
Honduras and spoke as an eyewitness at
public meetings on her return. Amnesty
International has documented and
condemned human rights abuses. Trade
unions have provided political and financial
support for their Honduran counterparts.
The Committee Against the Coup in
Honduras – made up of Latin American
solidarity organisations (including NSC)
and trade unions – has organised public
Honduras
The de facto regime imposes an
executive decree establishing a national
state of emergency and suspending the
constitutional guarantees of freedom of
expression, free movement and freedom
of assembly for 45 days.
Soldiers and police raid and shut down
the offices of Radio Globo, Canal 36 and
Radio La Catracha – outlets considered
sympathetic to Zelaya. Normal operations
resume after 22 days.
October 29: Under pressure from the US
and the OAS, Micheletti agrees to the
Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord, which includes
the formation of a unity government and a vote
by Congress on the reinstatement of Zelaya
until the end of his term in January 2010.
November: Zelaya pronounces the pact
dead after Congress fails to hold a vote by
a November 5 deadline on restoring him
to power. Micheletti announces a new
cabinet that excludes Zelaya and his
representatives. The collapse of the deal is
a major setback for Zelaya, the resistance
movement and international efforts to
resolve the standoff before November 29
presidential elections. Several Latin
American countries have vowed not to
recognise the outcome of any ballot held
under the coup-installed government.
Alan Fajardo, special advisor to Zelaya,
visits London on a European tour, and calls
on the UK and its EU partners to issue a
“clear and forceful statement that elections
under the coup government will not be
recognised”. Fajardo warns of tensions that
could spill over into violence if the world
does not stand up to the regime, sparking
a potential rash of military coups across
Latin America.
meetings and demonstrations outside the
Honduran and US embassies, and set up an
information and action website. MPs Jeremy
Corbyn and Tony Lloyd tabled Early Day
Motions in parliament, the BOND Latin
America group of NGOs lobbied the Foreign
Office, and NSC encouraged members to
complain to the BBC over its reference to
the coup regime as an “interim government”.
Sustaining this solidarity in the coming
months and years will be vital.
www.committeeagainsthondurascoup.blog
spot.com
Honduras

US right uses coup to undermine Obama

The Honduran crisis highlights the weakness of Washington’s policies on Latin America, writes Helen Yuill.
ARACK OBAMA’S ELECTION in coup attempt against Chávez. Some
B November 2008 was cause for
cautious optimism in Latin America
“For both the Honduran and US
right, the fight isn’t against Mel
of those implicated have a long history
of involvement in Central America’s
for more respectful relations with Zelaya, but fundamentally against dirty wars and attempts to destroy the
the US. Speaking at a Summit of the what they perceive as the Cuban revolution. John Negroponte,
Americas in April, Obama talked of geopolitical danger represented by Latin America advisor to Hillary
a new alliance of the Americas based Hugo Chávez who they see as the Clinton, played a key role in the contra
on equal partnerships and mutual Fidel Castro of the 21st century.” war against Nicaragua, and the current
respect. However, faced with other Ismael Moreno SJ, journalist US ambassador to Honduras, Hugo
priorities and an increasingly Llorens, is a counter-terrorism
ferocious attack from the domestic Latin America appointments. Right- specialist associated with the infamous
right, little has changed and wing politicians are on a mission Cold War warriors Otto Reich and
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s to reverse the pink tide they see Eliot Abrams.
warning that “he [Obama] is sweeping across their “backyard”. Obama’s weakness on Latin America
president of an empire and that It is hardly surprising that the was starkly illustrated after he had
empire has rules that he can’t change” response of the Obama administration condemned the coup, cut off $30
has proved soberingly accurate. to the Honduras coup has been million in aid and suspended visas for
Obama faces a monumental legacy confused and ambiguous, providing coup leaders. In defiance of US policy,
of problems – financial meltdown, sustenance for the perpetrators. There nine Republican members of Congress
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is no doubt the US government had visited Honduras to bolster its de facto
climate change to name but a few. But prior knowledge of Zelaya’s ousting administration. Senator Jim DeMint, a
it is over relations with Latin America and did nothing to prevent it. The coup member of the Committee on Foreign
that he has faced a particularly vicious would never have succeeded without Relations, said: “We saw a government
backlash from the right, for whom the tacit support of powerful business working hard to follow the rule of law,
Latin America is a priority and where interests and political backers in the uphold its constitution, and to protect
they see the president as vulnerable. US and Latin America, among them democracy for the people of
This is evident in media campaigns Senator John McCain, his Latin Honduras.” These meetings contravene
depicting Obama as a domestic America policy advisor Otto Reich, and US interests under the Logan Act,
version of a demonised Hugo Chávez Venezuelan lawyer Robert Carmona- for which the politicians could be
and Congressional blocking of key Borgas, a key figure in a failed 2002 prosecuted. Meanwhile, President
Zelaya warned: “There are US
politicians who pretend to be
EU and UK government reaction champions of democracy but in reality
European Union have an antidemocratic vocation.
The European Commission urged both sides to return to dialogue after the power- The American voters should watch
sharing accord broke down in early November. Prior to that it suspended their politicians, because some are
negotiations on the EU-Central America Association Agreement, and froze payment hypocrites – they express themselves
of budgetary support worth 65.5 million euros ($93 million) for the period 2007-
in one manner to their voters, but
2010. It also said it was exploring travel restrictions on individuals associated with
send a different message to the rest
the regime, in line with the Spanish government.
of the world by supporting a coup.”
UK
The British government was left with egg on its face after Gabriela Nuñez, finance
minister in Micheletti’s de facto government, flew to London to attend a meeting
described by the Department for International Development (DfID) as part of a
wider consultation with low-income country shareholders of the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund. A DfID spokesperson said this was organised on the
Photo: Oscar Mendoza

ministry’s behalf by the Overseas Development Institute and Development Finance

International. He added that Nuñez had no contact with DfID officials or government
ministers while in London. He said the British government had “repeatedly
condemned in the strongest terms the events in Honduras that led to the expulsion
of President Zelaya” and would continue working closely with EU partners and the
countries of the region “to facilitate a peaceful and negotiated solution to the crisis”. Teacher beaten by the military at a
demonstration, San Pedro de Sula, Honduras

Central America Report: Winter 2009 10


Women lead resistance
Katherine Ronderos, a women’s rights officer at the Central America
Women’s Network (CAWN), visited Honduras during the recent turmoil and
was an eyewitness when ousted President Zelaya slipped back into the
country in September and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy. She talks
to Cheryl Gallagher about the women who have been at the forefront
of the resistance and the threat the coup poses to women’s rights.
ATHERINE RONDEROS already
K had a research trip to Honduras
planned when Zelaya was dramatically
ousted from office. The initial purpose
of the visit had been to monitor a
partnership programme funded by
the National Lottery to tackle violence
against women. However, Ronderos
also found herself on a fact-finding
mission to explore how the coup was
affecting the women’s movement.
“The women’s movement in Latin
America is very well organised, so
when President Zelaya was overthrown,
women’s groups were immediately
able to mobilise and start protesting,”
says Ronderos. Tapping a network that
was already in place, women’s groups
sprung into action, using their contacts
in the international community to
draw attention to events and devise
strategies for resistance. Unlike the
traditional trade unions – which were
slower to respond – the Honduran
women’s movement is still relatively
new and dynamic. Ronderos explains
that, as women’s groups are “still
struggling for recognition in society”,
they were the first sector to take to the
streets to demand Zelaya’s return.
Ronderos interviewed many women
in the capital Tegucigalpa and
elsewhere, and was shocked to hear
details of the women’s treatment at the
hands of the military supporting the
coup leaders. “I spoke to many women
who were subjected to sexual violence
by soldiers and police. Sexual insults
like ‘bitch’ and ‘prostitute’ were
common. Some women were hit on
their breasts with truncheons and
others had itching powder put up their
skirts. I also heard reports of police
putting their truncheons between
women’s legs. One woman was even
raped by four soldiers on the border
11
Honduras
Ronderos, “this would have meant
access to contraception and in some
cases abortion.”
As testament to the effectiveness
of the women’s resistance, feminist
organisations such as Centro de
Derechos de Mujeres (CDM – Centre
for Women’s Rights) and Centro de
Estudios de la Mujer-Honduras (CEM-H
– Honduran Centre for Women’s
Studies) were informed that their radio
with Nicaragua. This sexual aggression,
used as a weapon to undermine the
women’s resistance, shows a clear
programmes, Tiempo de Hablar (Time
to Talk), and La Bullaranga (Noise),
would be closed down. Through these
link between political violence and
programmes, women’s groups had
gender violence.”
been able to denounce the many
One of Honduras’ greatest
human rights violations, in particular
achievements in women’s rights has
those against women, occurring
been the establishment of the National
throughout the country since Zelaya
Institute for Women, INAM. However,
was ousted. Ronderos laments that,
Zelaya’s overthrow placed its very
without freedom of information, it
existence under threat. Women’s
will be difficult to expose further
Minister Selma Estrada had to abandon
human rights abuses and correct the
her post and go into hiding after
“campaign of lies and misinformation
receiving death threats. The coup
that the coup leaders are transmitting”.
leaders then replaced her with Maria
“Women are playing a key role in the
Martha Diaz, who is a member of
progressive political agenda and have
Opus Dei, a controversial Catholic
the most to lose when democracy is
organisation known for its misogyny
threatened,” she warns.
and right-wing political agenda. Diaz
said she planned to transform INAM
www.cemh.org.hn
into an organisation to protect families
in general, a move that could roll back For information on CAWN events
years of progress in the women’s marking the International Day for the
movement. In addition, Zelaya’s reform Elimination of Violence Against
agenda had included women’s sexual Women: www.cawn.org
and reproductive rights. According to
“Tough love” letter to Obama Honduran Feminists in
Resistance wrote to
Barack Obama:
“Mr President, Honduras
was among the countries
in the world that saw with
great hope your arrival
to the presidency… We
applauded your expressed
Photo: Katherine Ronderos
desire to establish [a] new
type [of] relations with the
region. But six months
and many deaths later,
our great hope is on hold.
Your weak response to
the coup is leading to a
Feminists in Resistance demonstrate against the
situation of violence in
coup, Tegucigalpa. Slogan on hats and T-shirts reads:
“Ni golpes de estado, ni golpes a las mujeres” our country that we do
(No to the coup d’etat, no to beating women) not deserve.”
Central America Report: Winter 2009
Honduras
reforms that would relax employment
Factory employment laws in EPZs. Under the proposed
changes, factory owners would be
allowed to employ workers on a
rights under threat temporary or part-time basis. For EPZ
workers, who already face appalling
working conditions, long hours and
Bosses have used the coup to squeeze workers, says low pay, such legislation would result
Laia Blanch of anti-poverty organisation War on Want. in the loss of social security benefits,
more job insecurity and other long-
term consequences affecting their
OLECTIVA DE MUJERES of the Loom and GAP. Though the

C Hondureñas (Honduran
Women’s Collective –
CODEMUH) is a women-led rights
organisation and long-term partner of
War on Want that works to empower
women workers in Honduras’ Export
Processing Zones (EPZs). Over the
last 20 years, the maquiladora industry
has become an integral part of the
Honduran economy. CODEMUH has
monitored and documented violations
of human and employment rights in
its garment factories, especially
among women workers.
Photo: War on Want
maquila industry has brought much
needed investment to Honduras, the
benefits are limited to a minority and
livelihoods. CODEMUH has
campaigned against these proposed
reforms, while raising awareness
among women workers of the impact
have come at the expense of basic
of the coup on their civil liberties
employment rights.
and employment rights. Working in
In the aftermath of the coup,
partnership with CODEMUH, War on
CODEMUH, together with other
Want is dedicated to exposing and
Honduran grassroots organisations,
taking action against the violation
has campaigned against abuses of
of human rights in sweatshops.
human and employment rights in
the maquilas. In July, it reported that
http://codemuh.net/index.php
workers were forced by factory
(Spanish), www.waronwant.org
owners to join in the so-called Marchas
de la Paz (Peace Walks) organised
by the de facto president, Roberto
Micheletti, and financed by the Worker’s testimony
business community with the support
of the military. While the majority of
San Pedro Sula
workers opposed the coup, they felt My name is María López* and I’m
forced to attend these rallies two or a Honduran garment worker at the
three times a month for fear of losing Elcatex factory of the Canahuati-
their jobs. Lovable company group. We produce
They were told they would be paid for international companies such as
the daily minimum wage (around Hanes Brand Inc, HBI, WalMart, JC
100 lempiras – roughly £3), but Penny and Jockey. A few days ago,
CODEMUH informed War on Want the factory owner forced us to

they received nothing. In fact, after participate in the Marchas de la Paz

CODEMUH street performance protesting
against lack of access to information
The Honduran maquila industry is
one of the largest exporters of textile
products to the US and the leading
exporter to Central American and
Caribbean countries, and is highly
dependent on these markets.
Employing around 133,000 people,
of whom 70 percent are women, the
main product is clothing, including
well-known brand names such as
WalMart, Adidas, Hanes, HBI, Fruit
attending demonstrations they were
forced to make up for ‘lost’ time by
working an extra day. They were also
required to work two additional hours
each day without pay in response to
a curfew imposed by the de facto
government. CODEMUH has
condemned this flagrant violation of
Article 23 of the Honduran Labour
Code, which states that “workers
cannot take advantage of the profit
or utilities made by the owners and
never assume their risk and losses”.
CODEMUH has denounced the
actions of the Honduran Council of
Private Companies, which has used
the crisis to try to push through legal
organised by the de facto government,
business class and Evangelical and
Catholic Church leaders. They
mobilised four buses full of men and
women workers. During the protest
they told us to shout “Viva Micheletti”,
and when the CNN helicopter was
approaching us we were told to say
“Queremos paz” (We want peace) and
“Qué viva el Presidente Micheletti”
(Long live President Micheletti).
I participated in this march because
I was not aware of the situation.
And what will I do without my job?
* This worker’s name has been changed to
protect her identity

Central America Report: Winter 2009 12

 Nicaragua

World cup kick-off for

Nicaraguan street kids

Photo: Peter Bone/Casa Alianza Nicaragua/Amos Trust

N MARCH 2010, street children from
I across the globe will head to
Durban in South Africa to compete
in the first-ever Street Child World
Cup. Teams from nine countries –
Nicaragua, Brazil, India, Philippines,
South Africa, Britain, Ukraine,
Vietnam and Tanzania – will work
with international coaches to express
themselves on the football pitch and
with specially trained artists who will
enable them to tell their stories.
Players will also discuss solutions to
the issues they face with NGOs,
policy makers and the media, and
will launch a ‘Street Child Manifesto’
forming the basis of a new
international campaign on street
children’s rights.
Nicaraguan street kids supported
by the NGO Casa Alianza will
participate in the tournament. The
world cup was initiated by the UK-
based Amos Trust and is being hosted
by its South African partner
Umthombo Street Children and
supported by a group of other
charities. It has the backing of Gary
Lineker and other football stars, and
former Cape Town bishop Desmond
Tutu is one of the sponsors.
There are no official figures on
the number of street children in
Nicaragua, but some estimates put the
number as high as 100,000. According “Playing football gives them a sense of
to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), their own worth – and shows that the
game is not just for the great footballers of
a further 167,000 are involved in child
the world.” Casa Alianza representative
labour. In Managua, life is extremely
harsh for the capital’s estimated
15,000 street children and chronic Casa Alianza supports 3,500
illness is common. Most have children a year, including 366 in full
problems with addiction and broken time residential programmes. It offers
family relationships. A survey of 300 specialist services including healthcare,
kids by the Nicaraguan Ministry of drug rehabilitation and sports, cultural
Family found that over 80 percent and recreational programmes.
had engaged in prostitution in order
to survive. Others get caught up in www.streetchildworldcup.org
gangs and a spiral of violence. www.casa-alianza.org.uk

Film review remarks journalist Joan

American/Sandinista
In 1979 the Sandinista National
Liberation Front (Frente
Sandinista de Liberación Nacional
– FSLN) drove Nicaraguan
President Anastasio Somoza
Debayle out of the country,
putting an abrupt end to three
generations of Somoza family
rule. Over the course of the
next decade, any efforts to
re-stabilise and rebuild the
country were thwarted by
the war raging between the
Sandinistas and US-backed
Contra rebels.
American/Sandinista
highlights the work of a group
of American engineers who
worked tirelessly during this
chaotic period to improve
facilities for Nicaraguans. Ben
Linder, Donald Macleay and
their colleagues trained
Nicaraguan locals, and
together they constructed the
country’s first hydroelectric
plant in El Cuá – bringing this
village and subsequently many
others their first-ever taste
of electricity.
Switching between archive
footage, stills and contemporary
interviews, Jason Blalock
powerfully evokes the
politicised and polemical
environment in which Linder
met his untimely death in
1987. On April 28, Linder and
two Nicaraguans were on the
construction site for a new
dam near San José de Bocay
when they were attacked
and killed by Contra rebels.
Interviews with human rights
activists, journalists and
Linder’s American and
Kruckewitt. By the end of the
war in 1990, some 30,000
Nicaraguans had been killed.
However, as Kruckewitt and
the documentary as a whole
seem to suggest, it was
Linder’s death more than
anything that brought the
severity of the Nicaraguan
situation firmly and forcibly to
the attention of the US and the
wider world. This film is a
compelling tribute to a man
who gave a helping hand to
Nicaragua when the embattled
country needed it most.
Nicaraguan co-workers reveal
a palpable sense of their
www.american-sandinista.com
emotional attachment to both
The film premiered in the UK
the cause and the fun-loving
in April 2009 at the Bristol
engineer.
Latin American Forum.
“I think it is a sad fact that,
To purchase a copy, contact
in order for Americans to
the Nicaragua Solidarity
really feel the pain of what
Campaign (see back cover).
was going on in Nicaragua,
one American had to die,” Ruth Collins

13 Central America Report: Winter 2009

 Take action
Solidarity and campaign news
NICARAGUA
Twin Towns
Photo: Ken Martin
Sue Martin (centre) with school teachers
Perla María Serrano (left) and Gloria
Solórzano López (right)
■ Santa Rosa Fund (Tavistock)
This summer, two Santa Rosa Fund
volunteers, Sue and Ken Martin,
successfully trained staff at the
Colegio Santa Rosa in Managua in
the use of five computers donated by
the Fund and the British Embassy in
Costa Rica. The Martins also visited
other projects supported by the Fund.
www.santarosafund.org
■ Swindon-Ocotal Link (SOL)
The Penhill lunch club for elderly
people in Swindon is making regular
donations to the old people’s home
in Ocotal and a Skype link-up was
recently set up between the two
groups. At the invitation of the Ocotal
mayor, Dr Carlos Norori, members
of SOL travelled to Ocotal on October
19 together with representatives from
Ocotal’s twin towns in Spain,
Germany and France to celebrate
Ocotal’s bicentenary. In July 2010,
SOL is planning to celebrate its 20th
anniversary with speakers from
Ocotal, participation in the Swindon
mela and a link-up with other
European towns twinned with Ocotal.
Gillian Wallis: gilliantiff@yahoo.com
Central America Report: Winter 2009
■ Leeds Central America Solidarity
Group (LCAS)
The group continues to provide funds
for the Community Movement (MCN)
in its twin town of La Concha. This
money is being used for a micro-credit
scheme for women and roofing repairs
for the MCN office. Future plans
include a showing of the documentary
American/Sandinista (see review on
page 13) and a fundraising Ceilidh.
Sarah Fishwick: sarah@leedsdec.org.uk
■ Bristol Link with Nicaragua
(BLINC)
Highlights include the annual Copa
Sandino football tournament that
raised £1,400 for the El Chavo school
renovation project in BLINC’s twin
town of Puerto Morazan. In addition,
Cotham secondary school hosted a visit
by teacher Gary Espinoza from its twin
school in Tonala, culminating in a
Nicaraguan fiesta, and the Montessori
school held a large fundraising picnic
for its counterpart in Puerto Morazan,
resulting in a total of £2,000.
BLINC celebrated its 20th
anniversary with a ‘Night for
Nicaragua’, starring top Nicaraguan
female vocalist Katia Cardenal, and a
national conference for local authorities
on twinning with Nicaragua hosted
by Bristol City Council and BLINC
with guest speaker Emigdio Tellez,
executive mayor of Puerto Morazan.
alix.hughes@uwe.ac.uk
Nicaraguan vocalist Katia Cardenal
■ Islington-Managua Friendship
Association
Which is the largest country in
Central America? Find out the answer
to this and much more at one of the
Association’s regular pub quizzes
to raise funds for a pre-school in
Managua’s Barrio Edgard Mungaia.
www.imfa.org.uk
Nicaragua Solidarity
Campaign (NSC)
■ Rio Coco Miskitu Literacy Project
In June, the United Nations
Education, Science and Culture
Organization (UNESCO) certified that
Nicaragua was “illiteracy free” having
reduced the national adult illiteracy
rate from 20.7 percent nationally to
3.6 percent using a methodology
called Yo Si Puedo (Yes I Can), which
was developed in Cuba and has been
used successfully in 30 countries.
The Nicaragua government literacy
campaign started in 2007 and is now
being extended to the Rio Coco region
of the Caribbean Coast where the
majority of the population speak
Miskitu. Teaching materials have been
adapted to the local context. NSC has
provided support of $3,000 to the
Carlos Fonseca Amador Education
Association (AEPCFA) to provide fuel
for transport and generators to power
the teaching equipment. In 2010, we
plan to continue building solidarity
with the association through a
speaker tour of the UK and a study
tour to the Caribbean Coast.
campaigns@nicaraguasc.org.uk
Nicaragua Solidarity
Campaign Action Group
(NSCAG)
■ Linking young trade unionists
This project promotes trade union
solidarity and facilitates links
between young trade unionists in
14

Trade union delegation visits Nicaragua
Nine trade unionists from Unite,
UNISON and the NUT visited
Nicaragua in July to build
solidarity with Nicaraguan unions
and to take part in celebrations
for the 30th anniversary of
the Sandinista Revolution. See
www.nicaraguasc.org.uk/nscag
for reports. The next trade union
delegation to Nicaragua in 2010 will
focus on young trade unionists and
those who work with young people.
“It was an amazing experience
to be part of the recent NSCAG
delegation to Nicaragua, especially
as it coincided with the 30th
anniversary celebration of the
Sandinista Revolution. Meeting
trade union members and
representatives, community groups
and co-operatives, we listened
firsthand to the struggles facing
people and how committed they
are to improving their living and
working conditions. Solidarity
links can only assist this process
and much-needed support, not
charity, is how Nicaragua can
the UK and Nicaragua. The first
delegation of young British trade
unionists went to Nicaragua in 2008,
and Nicaraguan trade unionists have
visited the UK on speaking tours.
UNISON has provided financial
support for the FNT (National
Workers Front - the Nicaraguan TUC
equivalent) to train young members
in leadership, trade union law and
organisational skills to strengthen
15
NSCAG
trade union
delegation
in Nicaragua,
July 2009
develop long and sustainable
relationships with colleagues in
the UK.” Alison Jones, UNITE
“I will never forget the elation of
being in Revolution Square… or
the joy and pride of ordinary
Nicaraguans claiming and owning
their revolution. It is this more
than anything that leads me to
believe that Nicaragua will find its
way out of its current difficulties,
propelled by the sheer enthusiasm
and commitment of its people, and
especially the young. Wherever
we went and whoever we met,
we saw that Nicaraguans had not
forgotten the meaning of the
word ‘community’ and even more
importantly, they still saw it as
something worth striving for.
Nicaraguans, through all their
troubles and difficulties, give us
all hope that through persistence,
courage and generosity of spirit we
can secure that better way of life
that we all need to believe is
possible.” Ruby Cox, UNISON
youth activism. This led to the first
ever FNT National Youth Assembly in
2006. In June of this year, Karina
Gómez, an organiser from the youth
committee of the CTCP (Informal
Sector Workers’ Union), gave a
number of inspiring talks to trade
unionists around the UK. In 2010,
NSCAG will build on these successes
with a second phase of the project.
Take action
■ Speaker tour
Orlando Mercado Mendoza from the
CTCP (Informal Sector Workers’ Union)
will be in the UK in December to
participate in a Unite event on
‘Organising in the Global Workplace’,
and to speak at the Latin America
Conference on December 5.
Tash Eve: nscag@nicaraguasc.org.uk
EL SALVADOR
■ Scholarship scheme
Young people from Dimas Rodriguez,
a small village north of San Salvador
created at the end of the war by a group
of FMLN guerillas and their families,
are being offered the chance to go to
university through a scholarship scheme.
Local work prospects are limited and a
lack of funds has prevented many young
people from accessing higher education –
one of the main reasons why so many
migrate to the US. Every penny donated
goes directly to community leaders in
Dimas Rodriguez who decide which
young people will receive support. Those
selected agree to undertake regular
community work, ensuring that the
whole community benefits from the
scholarship fund.
www. educationforthefuture.
blogspot.com
If you can pay £40 a month (or any
other contribution) to send a young
person to university, please set up
a standing order or contact
Topsy Page: topsypage@hotmail.com
A/c name: Education for the Future
A/c number: 20162520 Sort code: 08 60 01
GUATEMALA
Guatemala Solidarity
Network (GSN)
We would like to thank Amy Wilson
and Megan Ciotti for coordinating
fundraising efforts for GSN with the
Workers Beer Festival. Volunteers
raised over £2,000 by serving thirsty
festival-goers over the summer at
events including Glastonbury, Latitude,
Leeds and Reading. Thanks to all those
who pulled pints for us!
Central America Report: Winter 2009
Take action

Witnessing the making of Guatemalan legal history

A Guatemalan court has convicted an ex-military commissioner to 150 years in prison for the forced
disappearance in the 1980s of six indigenous farmers from Choatalúm, Chimaltenango, about 40km (25
miles) west of Guatemala City. This landmark ruling is the first conviction for crimes against humanity in
connection with the disappearances that took place during Guatemala’s armed conflict. Amanda Kistler,
an accompanier with the Coordination of International Accompaniment in Guatemala (CAIG), was in the
courtroom when the verdict was announced.

“ ODAY, 27 YEARS LATER,” the
T judge said, “the victims continue
to feel the psychological effects of
the crime”. He was referring to the
impact on relatives who have been
unable to bury the disappeared,
and to survivors of abuse such as
torture, and suggested they should
be able to claim damages. Finally,
he declared without equivocation
that the tribunal considered that
Felipe Cusanero, in his capacity
as a military commissioner, had
abused his authority in deciding
between who lived and who died
in the community of Choatalúm;
he was responsible for the forced
disappearance of the six people in
question. The judge turned to the
secretary to read the sentence.
The minute the judge stopped
talking the entire courtroom seemed
to exhale simultaneously. No one
had done it consciously, but the
whole room seemed to have been
holding its breath. My heart was From the front of the room,
racing, my palms were sweaty and
my cheeks on fire. I pressed my
applause broke out. In a second,
the whole room was clapping,
face up against the cool surface crying, hugging. A few cries of
of the wall next to me and tried to “Que viva la justicia en Guatemala!”
focus by taking deep breaths. The (Long live justice in Guatemala!)
secretary announced that, for each rang out.
of the six disappeared, Cusanero
Amanda Kistler’s blog:
would serve 25 years in prison –
http://amandakistler.wordpress.com
150 years in total – to begin the
CAIG blog:
moment the reading ended. The
http://www.acoguate.blogspot.com/
tribunal also left the case open to
prosecute two other military officials
“The victims’ relatives still do not
mentioned in witness testimony for
know what happened to their loved
their responsibility in the crimes.
ones or where their remains are,
When the secretary finished
despite Cusanero, having been
speaking there was a commotion at
given multiple opportunities during
the front of the room as six police
the trial to share information...The
officers converged on Cusanero,
maintained silence means that their
handcuffing him and leading him
suffering continues.” International
out of the room. The press became
accompanier Natalie Mercier blogs
frenzied, cameras flashing and
about what the sentence means for
reporters jockeying for position.
the relatives of the victims.
Meanwhile the audience stood in
respect as the judges filed out. http://natyenguate.blogspot.com

Court backs probe of activist’s murder GET IN TOUCH

A precedent-setting sentence in Zacapa which found two men guilty of Wales NSC: Betws, Fford Haern Bach,
the 2007 murder of campesino leader Israel Carías Ortiz and his two Pen Y Groes LL54 6NY
sons has recognised that Ortiz was killed because of his leadership in Tel: 01286 882359 Email: benica@gn.apc.org
the struggle to reassert legal rights to community land. It mandates an www.walesnsc.wordpress.com
investigation into the planning or ‘intellectual authorship’ of the murder
NSC and local links:
– allegedly carried out by large land-owners (finqueros) who have
86 Durham Rd, London N7 7DT
been accused of contracting the assassins to protect their interests. In
Tel: 020 7561 4836 www.nicaraguasc.org.uk
Guatemala, such a ruling is referred to as dejar abierto, meaning that
the judges do not consider the crime resolved. However, action to GSN: 6 Marylands, Haywards
prosecute intellectual authors remains extremely difficult. Ortiz’s Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3JZ
assassination coincided with a three-month deadline for the lands to Tel: 01444 443401 Email: gsn_mail@yahoo.com
be handed over to the community and a nationwide increase in www.guatemalasolidarity.org.uk
repression against those asserting their rights to land and natural
CAWN: c/o One World Action, Bradley Close,
resources. According to witnesses and police reports, Ortiz had been
White Lion Street, London N1 9PF
intimidated and received death threats from the two accused, their
Tel: 020 7833 4174 Email: info@cawn.org
families and the finqueros since 2004, aimed at persuading him to
www.cawn.org
stop his campaign.

Central America Report: Winter 2009 16