Central America Report - Winter 2009

8/8/2019 Central America Report - Winter 2009

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Central AmericaWinter 2009

Honduras coupmeets stiff resistanceWomen on the frontline

Also in this issue: Food crisis inGuatemala, La Vida Loca – Salvadoran

gangs on screen, growing coffeein a changing climate


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Editorial

Central America Reportis online at:www.central-america-report.org.ukFor information, magazine subscriptions and article submissions,please contact us at:[email protected]

We are looking for volunteers to help us out with producing ourprint magazine and keeping our website up to date. For furtherinformation, please check the website, email us or call020 7561 4836(NSC office).

Published by Central America Report,86 Durham Road, London N7 7DTEmail: [email protected] Editorial committee: Ruth Collins, Patrick

Daniels, Abbie Kempson, Megan Rowlingand Helen YuillCover photos: Left: Demonstration againstthe coup. Bottom right: “Golpe al golpe” (Beatthe Coup) artistic festival. Both photos byOscar Mendoza, student at the CentralAmerica Virtual Campus, San Pedro de Sula,Honduras. Top right: “Feminists in Resistance”protest against the coup, Tegucigalpa,Honduras. Photo by Katherine RonderosDesign: Jane WarringOur thanks to all the contributors for helpingto produce this issue of CAR. The articles inthis magazine should be taken as having

been written in a personal capacity, unlessotherwise stated. Any views stated in thearticles should not be taken to represent thepolicy of any of the organisations that supportthe production of Central America Report.

Change we can’t believe in?IN THIS ISSUE we focus on the coup in Honduras, the role of the US,

and the extraordinary courage and resilience of illegally ousted PresentManuel Zelaya and the movement that sprang up against the coup. Wealso explore the reverberations of the political crisis across the region.

At April’s Summit of the Americas, US President Barack Obamapromised a new vision for the continent – a democratic Westernhemisphere of equal partners, mutual interests and shared values. But threemonths later, in an event eerily reminiscent of the dark period of brutalmilitary coups and repression of the 1970s and 80s, Zelaya was seized fromhis bed at gunpoint and bundled onto a military plane to Costa Rica.

Those who have traditionally held political, economic and military powertook it upon themselves to “protect” Honduras from the leftward shift seenacross Latin America in the past 10 years. In their eyes, Zelaya’s “crimes”included legislation to preserve the country’s plundered forests, efforts to block the privatisation of the national telecommunications company, thecancellation of environmentally damaging mining concessions, raising theminimum wage, setting up a women’s ministry, and – worst of all – gainingsupport from states in the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA).

So how, less than a year after Obama’s “change we can believe in”rhetoric, did US policy lurch backwards to a spirit of Cold War disregard forCentral America? We highlight some of the reasons: the growing influenceof an aggressive right wing in the US and Latin America; powerful businessinterests that regard Latin America as their “backyard”; and the monumentalproblems facing the Obama administration, whose priorities lie elsewhere.The coup represents a power struggle across the continent – in the US toundermine the president’s authority, and in Latin America to challengeleft-leaning governments committed to redressing gross inequalities.

As CAR goes to press, the power-sharing agreement brokered by theUS and the Organization of American States to establish a governmentof national unity and reconciliation has unravelled. In a flagrant breach of the deal, de facto president Roberto Micheletti has formed a cabinet thatexcludes Zelaya and his representatives. “It’s absurd what they are doing –trying to mock all of us, the people who elected me and the internationalcommunity that supports me,” said Zelaya. “We’ve decided not to continuethis theatre with Mr Micheletti.” With the opponents of “change wecan believe in” pushing their agenda hard across the Americas, theinternational solidarity movement has a vital role to play in maintainingglobal pressure to restore the rightful Honduran president to power.

ContentsTackling hunger in Guatemala 3A combination of drought and the globalfinancial crisis means less food on thetable for many poor rural families

Christian Poveda obituary 4Ruth Collins pays tribute to the film-maker killed after making a hard-hittingdocumentary on Salvadoran gangs

Coffee in a changing climate 5Megan Rowling reports on a project tohelp Nicaraguan coffee farmers adaptto global warming

Regional update 6 – 7Nicaragua’s rights ombudsman callsfor an end to the ban on therapeuticabortion

HONDURAS COUP

Political and economicimplications for the region 8

Chronology of the crisis, plus solidaritywith the resistance movement 9

US right uses crisis to attack Obama 10

Women at the forefront of resistance:interview with Katherine Ronderos,Central America Women’s Network 11

War on Want partner exposes abuseof maquilaworkers’ rights 12

Street kids world cup & film review 13Young Nicaraguan footballers seek success in South AfricaAmerican/Sandinista: the story of theengineers who lit up the Revolution

Take action 14–16Twin town news, UK trade unionistsvisit Nicaragua, and witnessinglegal history in Guatemala



Guatemala

3 Central America Report: Winter 2009

Guatemala grapples withfood shortagesChronic child malnutrition and persistent food insecurity requirea more sustainable solution

INTERNATIONAL AID AGENCIESare providing nutritional, health

and farming support to hungryfamilies in Guatemala after PresidentÁlvaro Colom declared a national“state of calamity” in September inresponse to severe food shortages.The rural poor are being hit hard by falling remittances and rising

unemployment caused by the globaleconomic crisis, persistent high foodand fertiliser prices, and a lack of rain stemming from the El Niñoweather phenomenon. Droughtconditions have damaged corn and bean crops, which are staple foods,and this has compounded the impactof a poor harvest in late 2008 in thewake of flooding.

According to the Red Cross, somecommunities only have enough food tolast until the next harvest in December,which is likely to be sparse. Those worstaffected live in the seven provinces of

the eastern “dry corridor”, where54,000 families cannot access the foodthey need. The government estimatesthat a total of 410,000 families in 21provinces (around 2.5 million people)are affected by the food crisis, and25 children are reported to have diedfrom 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 andthe fourth highest in the world.

Humanitarian news websiteAlertNet reported in October on UNresearch that put the cost of economiclosses from child malnutrition inGuatemala at $3.1 billion a year in2004, or 11 percent of the country’sgross domestic product (GDP). Thatcompares with an average of upto three percent of GDP across 10Latin American countries studied.“There’s a clear relationship betweenchild malnutrition, economic loss,productivity and competitiveness,”Alejandro Chicheri, WFP's regionalinformation officer, told AlertNet.Describing the Guatemalan figure as“amazingly high,” he added that “onlya fraction of that $3.1 billion” would be necessary to resolve the problem.

The national and internationalresponse to this year’s food crisisincludes food aid, distribution of seeds and fertilisers, technical helpfor farmers to rehabilitate their cropsand livelihoods, measures to preventthe spread of dengue fever, andcommunity education in health andnutrition. Meanwhile, the governmentplans to implement a longer-termstrategy to reduce vulnerabilityto hunger and introduce a moresustainable system of production.

Aid agency Save the Children isalready training families inagricultural techniques and setting

up micro-irrigation systems forkitchen gardens, as well as providingchickens and goats. The programmeaims to help parents give theirchildren a more varied and plentifuldiet. Farmer Miguel says the health of his son Alex has improved drasticallythanks to his family’s participation inthe project. Miguel is also teachingothers in Quiché about the low-costand environmentally-friendlyagricultural practices he has learned.“My land makes more corn now, so Idon't have to buy corn at the marketanymore,” he says.

Megan Rowling and Anastasia Moloney

(AlertNet)www.alertnet.orgwww.redhum.org (Spanish)www.savethechildren.org.gt

Survey showsfinancial crisis ishurting children

This year’s survey on remittancesin Guatemala conducted by theInternational Organisation forMigration and UNICEF highlightsthe negative impact of the financialcrisis on children and adolescents.

• An estimated 1.6 millionGuatemalans live abroad – 70.5percent are men who send anaverage of $272 home each month.Remittances in 2009 are expectedto total $3.84 billion, 11 percentlower than in 2008.

• Among 3,000 householdsinterviewed, 8.7 percent of childrenbetween 7 and 17 can no longerattend school and 7.4 percenthave been forced to find jobs tosupplement the family income.

• 72 percent of householdsdescribed their economic situationas between bad and fair. Manyhave been forced to cut down the

number of meals per day and theamount of calories they consume.

www.oim.org.gt/index2.html

Gregoria Sanchez, 20, is proud of the sizeof her eight-month-old baby who receives anutritious food supplement called VitaCerealfrom the UN World Food Programme.Monthly rations give children from poorcommunities the chance to developproperly, but WFP has struggled to findfunds to pay for the scheme, which reaches100,000 children and 50,000 pregnant andlactating women in Guatemala.www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala

P h o t o : W F P / M a r t i n

P e n n e r ,

D e c e m

b e r 2 0 0 8



El Salvador

Film on ‘crazy life’ ofgangs has tragic endingRuth Collins reports on the work of Christian Poveda (1957– 2009)who was killed in El Salvador after making a documentary aboutthe country’s violent street gangs.

DESCRIBED AS “one of nature’sanarchists” by friend and

colleague Nick Fraser, ChristianPoveda was well known for his inabilityto accept authority. A talentedFrench-Spanish photojournalist anddocumentary film-maker, Povedatold Salvadoran webzineEl Faro in

July this year that he wished “tounderstand why a 12- or 13-year-oldchild joins a gang and gives his or herlife to it”. However, his desire tounravel the inside story behind gangviolence in El Salvador ultimately costhim his life on September 2 2009.

Poveda first went to El Salvador in January 1980 as a photographer forTIME magazine covering the civilwar. He returned in the 1990s, thistime to make a documentary aboutSalvadoran gangs. He carried out 190interviews with Salvador’s two maingangs, the Mara Salvatrucha andMara 18. Killing day after day toprove their supremacy, their rivalrycontinues to terrorise the country.Living with Mara 18 members for 18months, Poveda gathered footage forhis celebrated documentaryLa VidaLoca(Crazy Life) due for widespreadrelease in September. On the dayof his death, it is thought he wastravelling back from La Campanera,a town not far from the capital SanSalvador, when his car was ambushedand he was shot in the head. LaCampanera is home to the MaraSalvatrucha which had declinedPoveda’s offer to collaborate inthe documentary.

La Vida Loca begins how it meansto go on: with a funeral and close-ups

of a corpse and bystanders arounda coffin – some in tears of anguish,some in disbelief and some simply instony silence. Perhaps one of the moststartling aspects is how close Poveda

is able to get to the action, thrustingthe viewer into an intimate andsombre occasion. Yet, as is soon madeclear, this is by no means the lastfuneral, nor the last body on display.Amid vain endeavours by NGOHomies Unidos to rehabilitate younggang members (mareros) and clashes

with the police, Poveda paints arealistically bleak picture of their livesand shows how each individual istrapped in a vicious spiral from whichthere is no perceivable way out.

Poveda’s film not only reveals themareros’day-to-day way of life, butalso draws attention to a heavy policecrackdown that has failed to addressthe real issues pushing these youngpeople to keep on reoffending. LaChucky, a female Mara 18 member,appears to embody some of thetypical characteristics of Salvadorangang members – illiteracy, feelingabandoned by parents andmarginalised from society. Signifyingher allegiance to the gang, the number‘18’ is tattooed across La Chucky’s

forehead for all to see. In El Salvador,anyone with such a tattoo isunemployable, leading HomiesUnidos to set up a bakery to try andhelp marerosmake a fresh start. Yet,as Poveda illustrates, for most,converting to a better life throughwork or even religion is not a viableor lasting solution.

La Vida Locais a brave andrevealing documentary that exposesthe endemic and senseless violencestill 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 muchto show how in this society, life is

truly transitory and as soon as onegang member dies, another will beinitiated and duly take their place.It is all the more poignant thatPoveda’s desire to be so close to theaction led to his untimely death. Butthen, as Salvadoran Edu Ponces wrotecandidly inEl Faro ,“ if you look longenough down the throat of the lion,he will eat you.”

Official La Vida Loca site with trailer:www.lafemme-endormie.com/vidalocaHomage to Poveda and slideshowof Poveda’s images put togetherby Mexican photographers:http://zonezero.com/exposiciones/ fotografos/poveda/index.html

P h o t o : © C h r i s t i a n

P o v e d a

Christian Poveda, director of La Vida Loca , during the filming of his documentary, with“El Bambam”, Little One and Cesarito


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Central America

Growing coffee in a warmer worldMegan Rowling reports on a project helping farmers protect their livelihoods.

AS PROSPECTS FADE for a new

deal on climate change at UNtalks in Copenhagen in December 2009,communities in countries alreadyfeeling the effects of global warming areworking out how to adapt. While theyhave yet to secure the billions of dollarsin international support needed toprotect their lives, homes and crops,many farmers, coast-dwellers and othervulnerable groups are doing whatthey can to cope with the impacts.Cafédirect, the UK ethical hot drinkscompany, and German technicalcooperation agency GTZ are helpingtea and coffee producers in four regionsto manage climate change througha three-year project called AdapCC.

AdapCC research shows thatincreasingly unpredictable rainfall andtemperature patterns are likely toreduce the quality and quantity of yields. Smallholder growers – whoproduce most of the world’s coffee –

will be worst affected, with calculationssuggesting that in some regions annualincomes could be slashed by up to 90percent over the next 15 years. “Whilethere’s no universal panacea to theproblems farmers face, AdapCC hasdemonstrated that by working directlywith the grower communities, we cancollectively combat the effects of climatechange,” said Cafédirect’s WolfgangWeinmann. “AdapCC providesreplicable, region-specific, and perhapsmost importantly, scalable solutions thathelp counter the impacts of climatechange. The challenge for Cafédirectand those interested in sustainablelivelihoods in the developing world isto… develop long-term partnershipsthat safeguard not only the supplychain but the interests of the grower.”

In Latin America, pilot schemes have been launched in Mexico, Peru andNicaragua. The Nicaraguan initiative is

being carried out with two producergroups that work with Cafédirect,PRODECOOP and CECOCAFEN.According to research in 10 coffee-growing areas in the country, rainfall

is expected to decrease, and minimumand maximum temperatures to increasein the coming four decades – meaningthat some land at lower altitudes could

become unsuitable for coffee andfarmers will need to identify alternativecrops. In other places producers willhave to adapt their growing techniques.However, climate change may mean itis worth investing in new plantationsat higher altitudes. “Climate change brings not only bad news but also a lotof potential. The winners will be thosewho are prepared for change and knowhow to adapt,” concludes the study.

At one workshop, coffee growersexpressed concern about droughts,landslides, deforestation, and pests anddiseases linked to rising temperatures.Interviews with 40 producers from25 Nicaraguan co-operatives revealedobstacles to tackling climate change:a lack of long-term financial support,technical know-how and environmentalexpertise; poor incentives for growersto apply sustainable practices; andinadequate information about climate

change impacts and alternativemethods and technology. In the faceof these problems, PRODECOOP hasdeveloped a plan to reduce climate risksand adapt the coffee production system

Extreme weather hitsEl Salvador, NicaraguaFlooding and landslides in earlyNovember killed more than 150people in El Salvador and displaced14,000. Torrential rains – brought bya low-pressure system in the Pacific

– caused rivers to burst their banksand hillsides to collapse. PresidentMauricio Funes declared a nationalemergency, and blamed ElSalvador’s lack of preparation forextreme weather. “The drama we arefacing and the precarious situationcommunities face in large areas ofthe country is because of the lackof mitigation and risk preventionprogrammes, which for years hadbeen demanded but were nevercarried out,” he said. Thegovernment and international aidagencies provided shelter, food,medical and other relief in the worst-hit areas. Meanwhile, in Nicaragua,

the UN World Food Programme saidit would assist more than 13,000people affected by Hurricane Ida,which caused extensive damage onthe Atlantic coast in early November.Other parts of Nicaragua have beensuffering from a severe drought,with the National Federationof Cooperatives (FENACOOP)predicting a fall of up to 30 percentin corn, bean and rice production.The Federation has urged thegovernment to promote the use ofdrought-resistant seeds and supportthe development of irrigation.

Sources: AlertNet(www.alertnet.org) and ReliefWeb(www.reliefweb.int)

Coffee picker at the Ramon Sevillacooperative, El Volcan, Nicaragua

through training programmes, settingup a weather monitoring station,providing technical support for organicmethods and better water management,

and encouraging cooperatives toexpand their role in environmentalservices, including carbon capture.

www.adapcc.org/en/nicaragua.htm

P h o t o : S t a n t o n M e d i a



Central America

Regional updateEL SALVADOR

Funes most popularpresident in AmericasA collection of survey resultsfrom 15 countries in theAmericas, assembled bythe Mitofsky polling firm inSeptember, gave SalvadoranPresident Mauricio Funes –the FMLN candidate electedin March – the highest ranking.Funes scored an approval

rating of 84 percent among hiscountry’s citizens, followed byLula of Brazil with 81 percent.

Free school uniformsPresident Funes has promisedtwo school uniforms, a pairof shoes and a set of schoolsupplies to every state-schoolstudent in the country. The bidding process for schooluniform fabrics was launchedin August, and production is to be carried out locally with theaim of creating jobs. The freeschool meal programme hasalso been expanded from ruralschools to include students inimpoverished urban areas.

FMLN blocks same-sexmarriage and adoption banOn September 24, a

constitutional reform thatwould have banned same-sexmarriage and adoption wasdefeated after the FMLNrefused to back it, preventingthe proposal from gaining thenecessary two-thirds majority.

Indigenous participationin Independence DayEl Salvador’s indigenouscommunity took part forthe first time in officialIndependence Day celebrationson September 15. Representativesfrom indigenous communities

in Nahuizalco, Sonsonateand Santa Ana performed a

ceremony in which they calledfor true independence forEl Salvador and inclusionof indigenous people. Theycriticised the country’sindebtedness and involvementin the Central America FreeTrade Agreement, as well asits high rates of murder andviolence. Historical oppressionof indigenous peoples, mostnotably the 1932 massacre, hasled to their assimilation, butthere have been growingattempts in recent years topreserve indigenous cultureand the Nahuat language.

GUATEMALA

Conflicts over mining projectsProtests by local people are

blocking a $1 billion nickelmining project, one of CentralAmerica’s biggest mineralinvestments. Canada’s HudBayMinerals wants to develop along-dormant pit near the townof El Estor, on the banks of Guatemala’s biggest lake, whichhas world-class nickel reserves.But hundreds of local peopleclaim that large expanses of

company land near Lake Izabal belonged to their ancestors andhave occupied the property forthe past four years, farming cornand building thatch houses.A teacher was killed inSeptember when securityguards from HudBay’sGuatemala unit clashed withlocal residents after the breakdown of talks to arrangetheir eviction and relocation.

As multinational companiescontinue to seek licences formineral exploitation, time andagain local communities are

rejecting these initiatives inpopular consultations. Theyoppose the government’s movesto sell off what they deem astheir land, as well as thepotential environmental damage

and lack of local economic benefit. A spokesperson forXinka community membersfrom Santa María Xalapán in Jalapa said a referendum, whichenjoyed wide participation, haddemonstrated a resounding ‘no’to mining activity in themunicipality.

NICARAGUA

Appeal against re-election banOn October 19, theconstitutional panel of Nicaragua’s Supreme Courtruled favourably on a petitionfrom President Daniel Ortegaand 105 Sandinista mayorsthat their rights were beingviolated by a provision in theconstitution which does notpermit their consecutive re-election to office. PresidentOscar Arias of Costa Rica wona similar appeal in 2008.Opposition parties and civilsociety organisations reactedswiftly, accusing Sandinista justices of taking the decisionin the absence of their Liberalcolleagues. Daniel Ortega told atelevision audience, “I will say

to those people that they shouldcalm down and not drown in aglass of water. To solve this wehave the 2011 elections. Whatare they afraid of?”

Job losses in free trade zonesSpeaking at a Central AmericaMaquiladora Workers SolidarityNetwork forum in Managuain October, Sandra Ramos,president of the Maria ElenaCuadra Women’s Movement(MEC), called on thegovernment to respond to theneeds of the more than 30,000

workers who have been laid off by factories in the nation’s freetrade zones. As a result of theglobal financial crisis, CentralAmerican countries areexperiencing major increases in

unemployment in themaquilas ,and the movement of womenworkers into the informaleconomy. The gatheringaddressed violations of workers’labour, human and social rights,focusing on women. Specificissues included reform of theSalvadoran labour law, concernover the presence of organisedcrime in Guatemala’s free tradezones, and the accusation thatHonduran workers have beenforced to march in support of the coup government.

US court lets Dole off bananaworkers’ compensationA Miami court ruled in Octoberthat fruit and vegetableproducer Dole Food Inc. cannot be forced in the US to pay a $97million verdict issued bya Nicaraguan court fouryears ago, which awardedcompensation to 150Nicaraguans who claimedthey had suffered injuries frompesticides used at Dole’s bananaplantations in the 1970s.Lawyers for the Nicaraguans brought the case to Florida in2007 to enforce the verdict undera state law that recognises

foreign judgments. However, theUS judge said it could not beimplemented because it was based on a law that violatesinternational legal standards.Since 2002, Nicaraguan courtshave issued judgments in 32such cases for a total of $2.05 billion against Dole andpesticide makers.

Dole also convinced a LosAngeles judge earlier this yearthat three class-action lawsuits by banana workers were basedon a conspiracy hatched by USand Nicaraguan plaintiff



Central Americalawyers with the help of someNicaraguan judges. However,Dole has withdrawn adefamation lawsuit againsta Swedish filmmaker aftercomplaints in Sweden that the

company was trying to curb freespeech by suing Fredrik Gerttenfor showing the documentaryBananas! , which is based onthe dismissed cases.

Ombudsman urgesdecriminalisation oftherapeutic abortionNicaragua’s human rightsombudsman, Omar Cabezas,has formally requested that theSupreme Court overturn thecurrent law that declares allabortion illegal, even therapeuticabortion, which only applies incases of extreme hardship andparticularly when the mother’slife is in danger from her

pregnancy. Reminding journalists that therapeuticabortion had been written intoNicaraguan law for over acentury before it was bannedtwo years ago, and that

Nicaragua is now among a tinyminority of nations that regard itas a crime, Cabezas said: “I amhopeful once again, and I say itopenly, that when next I travelto Geneva as Nicaragua’sOmbudsman, I will have thehappiness of knowing thatNicaragua will once againdisplay – on a global, planetarylevel, and before a gathering of all the nations of the world –the legalisation of therapeuticabortion.” Several NGOs,including the NicaraguanCentre for Human Rights(CENIDH), and women’sgroups fighting violencehave made similar appeals.

Meanwhile, a report fromAmnesty International,published in July, concludes thatthe abortion ban is endangeringthe lives of girls and women,denying them life-saving

treatment, and preventing healthprofessionals from practicingeffective medicine. Accordingto official figures, 33 girls andwomen died in pregnancy inthe first 19 weeks of this year,compared with 20 in the sameperiod last year, and 16 percentof maternal deaths were due tounsafe abortion, compared withnone in 2008. Amnesty’s reportalso notes a rise in pregnantteenagers committing suicide by consuming poison in 2008.“What alternatives is thisgovernment offering a 10-year-old pregnant as a result of rape?And to a cancer sufferer who isdenied life saving treatment just

because she is pregnant, whileshe has other children waitingat home?” said Kate Gilmore,Amnesty’s executive deputysecretary, describing what shehad seen on a visit to Nicaragua

as “sheer horror” and noting thegovernment’s refusal to meetAmnesty to discuss the law.www.amnesty.org/en/region/ nicaragua

The Nicaragua SolidarityCampaign (NSC) believes thatthe roots of the abortion banlie with a fundamentalistinterpretation of religious doctrineby the leadership of the Catholicchurch in Nicaragua, propagatedin the 2006 election campaignand adopted by all major parties.NSC has condemned this repressivelegislation as an extreme violationof the rights of women andcampaigned for its reversal.



Honduras

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING thecoup, Nicaragua’s FSLN-led

coalition government gave refuge toPresident Manuel Zelaya and playeda key diplomatic role in coordinatinga regional response through theCentral American Integration System(SICA). Meetings were also held atthe highest level of the countries inthe left-wing Bolivarian Alternativefor the Americas (ALBA). Themeasures agreed included a 48-hourtrade embargo against Honduras.

The Nicaraguan government’ssupport for Zelaya was unscrupulouslyexploited by the right-wing opposition.The US-backed former presidentialcandidate Eduardo Montealegre

and leading Partido LiberalConstitucionalista (PLC) politiciansvisited Honduras. Montealegreshamelessly expressed solidarity withthe coup regime but others were morecircumspect, as PLC politicians – liketheir counterparts in the HonduranLiberal Party – are bitterly divided between those loyal to Zelaya andthe coup perpetrators.

Alta Hooker Blandford,rector of URACCAN (theAtlantic Coast Autonomous

University), reports on theregional economic impact.

The Honduran crisis has had seriouseconomic consequences across theregion, reducing exports and foreignexchange earnings. It has led to a dropin commercial activity and regionaltourism, and a reversal of regionalintegration. Costa Rica has seenimportant trade relations with Guatemalahampered; and in Panama, the resaleof goods produced in Honduranexport-processing zones has been hit.Across the region, businesses havelost tens of millions of dollars, whilegovernment budgets are beingsqueezed by a significant fall in taxand customs revenue.

In the municipality of Nueva Guineaon Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast, forexample, the coup has caused severedifficulties for the export of milk products,root vegetables and potatoes to ElSalvador, Puerto Rico and the US

eastern seaboard. Nicaragua has limitedport infrastructure and depends onHonduras, with exports to the Caribbeanand the rest of the world passing throughPuerto Cortés on the Atlantic coastof Honduras.

Furthermore, negotiations on theEU-Central America AssociationAgreement have been suspended.Despite negative aspects, such asintellectual property rights, theagreement could bring much-needed

trade opportunities. The currentuncertainty affects economic planningin general, especially with regard toregional investment.

Honduras coup sendsshock waves across regionThe crisis in Honduras has had serious political, social and economicrepercussions throughout Central America, a region still experiencingthe the dark consequences of the wars of the 1980s and early 1990s.Toni Solo examines the impact on Nicaragua.

Salvadoran President MauricioFunes of the left-wing FMLNimmediately condemned thecoup and called for Zelaya’sreinstatement. However, theright-wing Nationalist RepublicanAlliance (ARENA), the corporatesector and others with influence inthe military were quick to exploitthe situation, warning Funes ofthe consequences should he“act like Zelaya”.

Demonstration against the coup, San Pedro de Sula P h o t o : O s c a r M e n d o z a

As Montealegre’s politicalcredibility withered, his rival for theleadership of a unified right wing –convicted criminal and formerPresident Arnoldo Alemán – kept alow profile, crisscrossing Nicaragua torebuild his grassroots support. Oneunintended consequence of the coupcould be widening divisions withinNicaragua’s political right, allowingPresident Daniel Ortega’s governmentto strengthen its position domesticallyand regionally. Any Hondurangovernment emerging from the chaosis likely to be extremely weak. CostaRican President Oscar Arias’ sympathyfor the coup regime has not enhancedhis regional status. And in El Salvador

and Guatemala, Mauricio Funes andÁlvaro Colom are struggling to developtheir programmes of governmentrespectively. Consequently, theNicaraguan administration may havesucceeded in enhancing its regionalinfluence and prestige – an outcomethat would thwart hopes among theUS and European governments fora weaker ALBA.

Toni Solo writes for tortillaconsal.com



KATHERINE RONDEROS alreadyhad a research trip to Honduras

planned when Zelaya was dramaticallyousted from office. The initial purposeof the visit had been to monitor apartnership programme funded bythe National Lottery to tackle violenceagainst women. However, Ronderosalso found herself on a fact-findingmission to explore how the coup wasaffecting the women’s movement.

“The women’s movement in LatinAmerica is very well organised, sowhen President Zelaya was overthrown,women’s groups were immediatelyable to mobilise and start protesting,”says Ronderos. Tapping a network thatwas already in place, women’s groups

sprung into action, using their contactsin the international community todraw attention to events and devisestrategies for resistance. Unlike thetraditional trade unions – which wereslower to respond – the Honduranwomen’s movement is still relativelynew and dynamic. Ronderos explainsthat, as women’s groups are “stillstruggling for recognition in society”,they were the first sector to take to thestreets to demand Zelaya’s return.

Ronderos interviewed many womenin the capital Tegucigalpa andelsewhere, and was shocked to heardetails of the women’s treatment at thehands of the military supporting thecoup leaders. “I spoke to many womenwho were subjected to sexual violence by soldiers and police. Sexual insultslike ‘bitch’ and ‘prostitute’ werecommon. Some women were hit ontheir breasts with truncheons and

others had itching powder put up theirskirts. I also heard reports of policeputting their truncheons betweenwomen’s legs. One woman was evenraped by four soldiers on the border

Honduras

Central America Report: Winter 200911

Women lead resistance

with Nicaragua. This sexual aggression,used as a weapon to undermine thewomen’s resistance, shows a clearlink between political violence andgender violence.”

One of Honduras’ greatestachievements in women’s rights has been the establishment of the NationalInstitute for Women, INAM. However,Zelaya’s overthrow placed its veryexistence under threat. Women’sMinister Selma Estrada had to abandonher post and go into hiding afterreceiving death threats. The coupleaders then replaced her with MariaMartha Diaz, who is a member of Opus Dei, a controversial Catholicorganisation known for its misogyny

and right-wing political agenda. Diazsaid she planned to transform INAMinto an organisation to protect familiesin general, a move that could roll back years of progress in the women’smovement. In addition, Zelaya’s reformagenda had included women’s sexualand reproductive rights. According to

Katherine Ronderos , a women’s rights officer at the Central AmericaWomen’s Network (CAWN), visited Honduras during the recent turmoil andwas an eyewitness when ousted President Zelaya slipped back into the

country in September and took refuge in the Brazilian embassy. She talksto Cheryl Gallagher about the women who have been at the forefrontof the resistance and the threat the coup poses to women’s rights.

Ronderos, “this would have meantaccess to contraception and in somecases abortion.”

As testament to the effectivenessof the women’s resistance, feministorganisations such asCentro de

Derechos de Mujeres(CDM – Centrefor Women’s Rights) andCentro deEstudios de la Mujer-Honduras(CEM-H– Honduran Centre for Women’sStudies) were informed that their radioprogrammes,Tiempo de Hablar(Timeto Talk), andLa Bullaranga(Noise),would be closed down. Through theseprogrammes, women’s groups had been able to denounce the manyhuman rights violations, in particular

those against women, occurringthroughout the country since Zelayawas ousted. Ronderos laments that,without freedom of information, itwill be difficult to expose furtherhuman rights abuses and correct the“campaign of lies and misinformationthat the coup leaders are transmitting”.“Women are playing a key role in theprogressive political agenda and havethe most to lose when democracy isthreatened,” she warns.

www.cemh.org.hn

For information on CAWN eventsmarking the International Day for theElimination of Violence AgainstWomen: www.cawn.org

Feminists in Resistance demonstrate against thecoup, Tegucigalpa. Slogan on hats and T-shirts reads:“Ni golpes de estado, ni golpes a las mujeres” (No to the coup d’etat, no to beating women)

Honduran Feminists inResistance wrote to

Barack Obama:“Mr President, Honduraswas among the countriesin the world that saw withgreat hope your arrivalto the presidency… Weapplauded your expresseddesire to establish [a] newtype [of] relations with theregion. But six monthsand many deaths later,our great hope is on hold.Your weak response tothe coup is leading to asituation of violence inour country that we donot deserve.”

“Tough love” letter to Obama

P h o t o : K a t h e r i n e

R o n d e r o s



Honduras

COLECTIVA DE MUJERESHondureñas (HonduranWomen’s Collective –

CODEMUH) is a women-led rightsorganisation and long-term partner of War on Want that works to empowerwomen workers in Honduras’ ExportProcessing Zones (EPZs). Over thelast 20 years, themaquiladoraindustryhas become an integral part of theHonduran economy. CODEMUH hasmonitored and documented violationsof human and employment rights inits garment factories, especiallyamong women workers.

The Honduranmaquilaindustry isone of the largest exporters of textileproducts to the US and the leadingexporter to Central American andCaribbean countries, and is highlydependent on these markets.Employing around 133,000 people,

of whom 70 percent are women, themain product is clothing, includingwell-known brand names such asWalMart, Adidas, Hanes, HBI, Fruit

of the Loom and GAP. Though themaquilaindustry has brought muchneeded investment to Honduras, the benefits are limited to a minority andhave come at the expense of basicemployment rights.

In the aftermath of the coup,CODEMUH, together with otherHonduran grassroots organisations,has campaigned against abuses of human and employment rights inthe maquilas. In July, it reported thatworkers were forced by factoryowners to join in the so-called Marchasde la Paz(Peace Walks) organised by the de facto president, RobertoMicheletti, and financed by the business community with the support

of the military. While the majority of workers opposed the coup, they feltforced to attend these rallies two orthree times a month for fear of losingtheir jobs.

They were told they would be paidthe daily minimum wage (around100 lempiras – roughly £3), butCODEMUH informed War on Wantthey received nothing. In fact, afterattending demonstrations they wereforced to make up for ‘lost’ time byworking an extra day. They were alsorequired to work two additional hourseach day without pay in response toa curfew imposed by the de factogovernment. CODEMUH hascondemned this flagrant violation of Article 23 of the Honduran LabourCode, which states that “workerscannot take advantage of the profitor utilities made by the owners andnever assume their risk and losses”.

CODEMUH has denounced theactions of the Honduran Council of Private Companies, which has usedthe crisis to try to push through legal

reforms that would relax employmentlaws in EPZs. Under the proposedchanges, factory owners would beallowed to employ workers on atemporary or part-time basis. For EPZworkers, who already face appallingworking conditions, long hours andlow pay, such legislation would resultin the loss of social security benefits,more job insecurity and other long-term consequences affecting theirlivelihoods. CODEMUH hascampaigned against these proposedreforms, while raising awarenessamong women workers of the impactof the coup on their civil libertiesand employment rights. Working in

partnership with CODEMUH, War onWant is dedicated to exposing andtaking action against the violationof human rights in sweatshops.

http://codemuh.net/index.php(Spanish), www.waronwant.org

Factory employmentrights under threatBosses have used the coup to squeeze workers, saysLaia Blanch of anti-poverty organisation War on Want.

CODEMUH street performance protestingagainst lack of access to information

P h o t o : W a r o n

W a n t

Worker’s testimonySan Pedro SulaMy name is María López* and I’ma Honduran garment worker at theElcatex factory of the Canahuati-Lovable company group. We producefor international companies such asHanes Brand Inc, HBI, WalMart, JCPenny and Jockey. A few days ago,the factory owner forced us toparticipate in the Marchas de la Paz organised by the de facto government,business class and Evangelical andCatholic Church leaders. Theymobilised four buses full of men andwomen workers. During the protestthey told us to shout “Viva Micheletti” ,and when the CNN helicopter wasapproaching 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 becauseI 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



Nicaragua

Film reviewAmerican/Sandinista

In 1979 the Sandinista NationalLiberation Front(FrenteSandinista de Liberación Nacional – FSLN)drove NicaraguanPresident Anastasio SomozaDebayle out of the country,putting an abrupt end to threegenerations of Somoza familyrule. Over the course of thenext decade, any efforts tore-stabilise and rebuild thecountry were thwarted bythe war raging between theSandinistas and US-backedContra rebels.

American/Sandinistahighlights the work of a group

of American engineers whoworked tirelessly during thischaotic period to improvefacilities for Nicaraguans. BenLinder, Donald Macleay and

their colleagues trainedNicaraguan locals, andtogether they constructed thecountry’s first hydroelectricplant in El Cuá – bringing thisvillage and subsequently manyothers their first-ever tasteof electricity.

Switching between archivefootage, stills and contemporaryinterviews, Jason Blalock powerfully evokes thepoliticised and polemicalenvironment in which Lindermet his untimely death in1987. On April 28, Linder andtwo Nicaraguans were on theconstruction site for a newdam near San José de Bocay

when they were attackedand killed by Contra rebels.Interviews with human rightsactivists, journalists andLinder’s American and

Nicaraguan co-workers reveala palpable sense of theiremotional attachment to boththe cause and the fun-lovingengineer.

“I think it is a sad fact that,in order for Americans toreally feel the pain of whatwas going on in Nicaragua,one American had to die,”

remarks journalist JoanKruckewitt. By the end of thewar in 1990, some 30,000Nicaraguans had been killed.However, as Kruckewitt andthe documentary as a wholeseem to suggest, it wasLinder’s death more thananything that brought the

severity of the Nicaraguansituation firmly and forcibly tothe attention of the US and thewider world. This film is acompelling tribute to a manwho gave a helping hand toNicaragua when the embattledcountry needed it most.

www.american-sandinista.comThe film premiered in the UKin April 2009 at the BristolLatin American Forum.To purchase a copy, contactthe Nicaragua SolidarityCampaign (see back cover).

Ruth Collins

World cup kick-off forNicaraguan street kids

IN MARCH 2010, street children fromacross the globe will head toDurban in South Africa to competein the first-ever Street Child WorldCup. Teams from nine countries –Nicaragua, Brazil, India, Philippines,South Africa, Britain, Ukraine,Vietnam and Tanzania – will work with international coaches to expressthemselves on the football pitch andwith specially trained artists who willenable them to tell their stories.Players will also discuss solutions tothe issues they face with NGOs,policy makers and the media, andwill launch a ‘Street Child Manifesto’forming the basis of a newinternational campaign on streetchildren’s rights.

Nicaraguan street kids supported by the NGO Casa Alianza willparticipate in the tournament. Theworld cup was initiated by the UK- based Amos Trust and is being hosted

by its South African partnerUmthombo Street Children andsupported by a group of othercharities. It has the backing of GaryLineker and other football stars, andformer Cape Town bishop DesmondTutu is one of the sponsors.

There are no official figures onthe number of street children inNicaragua, but some estimates put thenumber as high as 100,000. Accordingto the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF),a further 167,000 are involved in childlabour. In Managua, life is extremelyharsh for the capital’s estimated15,000 street children and chronicillness is common. Most haveproblems with addiction and brokenfamily relationships. A survey of 300kids by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Family found that over 80 percenthad engaged in prostitution in orderto survive. Others get caught up ingangs and a spiral of violence.

Casa Alianza supports 3,500children a year, including 366 in fulltime residential programmes. It offersspecialist services including healthcare,drug rehabilitation and sports, culturaland recreational programmes.

www.streetchildworldcup.org

www.casa-alianza.org.uk

“Playing football gives them a sense oftheir own worth – and shows that thegame is not just for the great footballers ofthe world.” Casa Alianza representative

P h o t o : P e t e r

B o n e / C a s a

A l i a n z a N i c a r a g u a / A m o s

T r u s t



Take action

Solidarity and campaign newsNICARAGUA

Twin Towns

■ Santa Rosa Fund (Tavistock) This summer, two Santa Rosa Fundvolunteers, Sue and Ken Martin,successfully trained staff at theColegio Santa Rosa in Managua inthe use of five computers donated bythe Fund and the British Embassy inCosta Rica. The Martins also visitedother projects supported by the Fund.www.santarosafund.org

■ Swindon-Ocotal Link (SOL) The Penhill lunch club for elderlypeople in Swindon is making regular

donations to the old people’s homein Ocotal and a Skype link-up wasrecently set up between the twogroups. At the invitation of the Ocotalmayor, Dr Carlos Norori, membersof SOL travelled to Ocotal on October19 together with representatives fromOcotal’s twin towns in Spain,Germany and France to celebrateOcotal’s bicentenary. In July 2010,SOL is planning to celebrate its 20thanniversary with speakers fromOcotal, participation in the Swindonmelaand a link-up with otherEuropean towns twinned with Ocotal.Gillian Wallis: [email protected]

■ Leeds Central America Solidarity Group (LCAS)

The group continues to provide fundsfor the Community Movement (MCN)in its twin town of La Concha. Thismoney is being used for a micro-creditscheme for women and roofing repairsfor the MCN office. Future plansinclude a showing of the documentaryAmerican/Sandinista(see review onpage 13) and a fundraising Ceilidh.Sarah Fishwick: [email protected]

■ Bristol Link with Nicaragua (BLINC) Highlights include the annualCopaSandinofootball tournament thatraised £1,400 for the El Chavo schoolrenovation project in BLINC’s twintown of Puerto Morazan. In addition,Cotham secondary school hosted a visit by teacher Gary Espinoza from its twinschool in Tonala, culminating in aNicaraguan fiesta , and the Montessorischool held a large fundraising picnicfor its counterpart in Puerto Morazan,resulting in a total of £2,000.

BLINC celebrated its 20thanniversary with a ‘Night forNicaragua’, starring top Nicaraguanfemale vocalist Katia Cardenal, and anational conference for local authoritieson twinning with Nicaragua hosted by Bristol City Council and BLINCwith guest speaker Emigdio Tellez,executive mayor of Puerto Morazan.

[email protected]

■ Islington-Managua Friendship Association

Which is the largest country inCentral America? Find out the answerto this and much more at one of theAssociation’s regular pub quizzesto raise funds for a pre-school inManagua’s Barrio Edgard Mungaia.www.imfa.org.uk

Nicaragua SolidarityCampaign (NSC)■ Rio Coco Miskitu Literacy Project In June, the United NationsEducation, Science and CultureOrganization (UNESCO) certified thatNicaragua was “illiteracy free” havingreduced the national adult illiteracyrate from 20.7 percent nationally to3.6 percent using a methodologycalledYo Si Puedo(Yes I Can), whichwas developed in Cuba and has beenused successfully in 30 countries.

The Nicaragua government literacycampaign started in 2007 and is now being extended to the Rio Coco regionof the Caribbean Coast where themajority of the population speak Miskitu. Teaching materials have beenadapted to the local context. NSC hasprovided support of $3,000 to theCarlos Fonseca Amador EducationAssociation (AEPCFA) to provide fuelfor transport and generators to powerthe teaching equipment. In 2010, weplan to continue building solidaritywith the association through aspeaker tour of the UK and a studytour to the Caribbean [email protected]

Nicaragua SolidarityCampaign Action Group(NSCAG)

■ Linking young trade unionists This project promotes trade unionsolidarity and facilitates links between young trade unionists in

P h o t o : K e n

M a r t i n

Sue Martin (centre) with school teachersPerla María Serrano (left) and GloriaSolórzano López (right)

Nicaraguan vocalist Katia Cardenal



Take action

Wales NSC: Betws, Fford Haern Bach,Pen Y Groes LL54 6NY

Tel: 01286 882359 Email: [email protected]

NSC and local links:86 Durham Rd, London N7 7DTTel: 020 7561 4836 www.nicaraguasc.org.uk GSN: 6 Marylands, HaywardsHeath, West Sussex, RH16 3JZTel: 01444 443401 Email: [email protected]

CAWN: c/o One World Action, Bradley Close,White Lion Street, London N1 9PFTel: 020 7833 4174 Email: [email protected]

GET IN TOUCHCourt backs probe of activist’s murderA precedent-setting sentence in Zacapa which found two men guilty ofthe 2007 murder of campesino leader Israel Carías Ortiz and his two

sons has recognised that Ortiz was killed because of his leadership inthe struggle to reassert legal rights to community land. It mandates aninvestigation into the planning or ‘intellectual authorship’ of the murder

– allegedly carried out by large land-owners ( finqueros ) who havebeen accused of contracting the assassins to protect their interests. InGuatemala, such a ruling is referred to as dejar abierto , meaning thatthe judges do not consider the crime resolved. However, action toprosecute intellectual authors remains extremely difficult. Ortiz’sassassination coincided with a three-month deadline for the lands tobe handed over to the community and a nationwide increase inrepression against those asserting their rights to land and natural

resources. According to witnesses and police reports, Ortiz had beenintimidated and received death threats from the two accused, theirfamilies and the finqueros since 2004, aimed at persuading him tostop his campaign.

TODAY, 27 YEARS LATER,” the judge said, “the victims continue

to feel the psychological effects ofthe crime”. He was referring to theimpact on relatives who have beenunable to bury the disappeared,and to survivors of abuse such as

torture, and suggested they shouldbe able to claim damages. Finally,he declared without equivocationthat the tribunal considered thatFelipe Cusanero, in his capacityas a military commissioner, hadabused his authority in decidingbetween who lived and who diedin the community of Choatalúm;he was responsible for the forceddisappearance of the six people inquestion. The judge turned to thesecretary to read the sentence.

The minute the judge stoppedtalking the entire courtroom seemedto exhale simultaneously. No onehad done it consciously, but thewhole room seemed to have been

From the front of the room,applause broke out. In a second,the whole room was clapping,crying, hugging. A few cries of“Que viva la justicia en Guatemala!” (Long live justice in Guatemala!)rang out.

Amanda Kistler’s blog:http://amandakistler.wordpress.comCAIG blog:http://www.acoguate.blogspot.com/

“The victims’ relatives still do not know what happened to their loved ones or where their remains are,despite Cusanero, having been given multiple opportunities during the trial to share information...The

maintained silence means that their suffering continues.” Internationalaccompanier Natalie Mercier blogsabout what the sentence means forthe relatives of the victims.

http://natyenguate.blogspot.com

holding its breath. My heart wasracing, my palms were sweaty andmy cheeks on fire. I pressed myface up against the cool surfaceof the wall next to me and tried tofocus by taking deep breaths. Thesecretary announced that, for each

of the six disappeared, Cusanerowould serve 25 years in prison –150 years in total – to begin themoment the reading ended. Thetribunal also left the case open toprosecute two other military officialsmentioned in witness testimony fortheir responsibility in the crimes.

When the secretary finishedspeaking there was a commotion atthe front of the room as six policeofficers converged on Cusanero,handcuffing him and leading himout of the room. The press becamefrenzied, cameras flashing andreporters jockeying for position.Meanwhile the audience stood inrespect as the judges filed out.

Witnessing the making of Guatemalan legal historyA Guatemalan court has convicted an ex-military commissioner to 150 years in prison for the forceddisappearance in the 1980s of six indigenous farmers from Choatalúm, Chimaltenango, about 40km (25miles) 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 thecourtroom when the verdict was announced.

“

Central America Report - Winter 2009

Documents

Transcript of Central America Report - Winter 2009