Honduras: The Struggle for Democracy, Human Rights, and the Environment

The June 2009 military coup that resulted in the ousting of the democratically elected government marked a rapid and harrowing escalation in violence, repression, corruption, and impunity in Honduras. Today, Honduras is known as the 'murder capital of the world' and a 'repression capital of the Americas'. However, a rising pro-democracy movement is emerging in Honduras and the new party, LIBRE, was strongly supported in the November 2012 primary elections. The general elections will take place this November and the pro-democracy movement is gaining momentum. This presentation will provide background and a discussion of the ramifications for Democracy, Human Rights and the Environment in Honduras today.

Mark Sullivan is an environmental attorney in Santa Cruz, California and an adjunct professor of environmental law at De Anza College in Cupertino, California. He is interested in the relationships between environmental harms and human rights violations, and he has traveled extensively throughout Central America. Most recently, last November he participated in a delegation that observed the primary elections in Honduras and he just returned from Honduras on a human rights delegation with Rights Action. He is also organizing two delegations to Honduras later this year with Rights Action, one delegation will take place this August and another delegation of lawyers will observe the General Elections in November 2013.

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Sponsored by San Jose Peace and Justice Center, and Spanish for Activists