Latin America
Related: About this forumProtests in Honduras After Student Critics of Education Minister Found Dead
Protests in Honduras After Student Critics of Education Minister Found Dead
05:26 31.03.2015(updated 10:59 31.03.2015
Four high school students who organized several demonstrations against Honduras education ministers decision to change the class schedule were found dead in the country's capital.
The body of Soad Ham, a 13-year-old student leader of the Central Institute of Tegucigalpa who participated in the student protests against the Honduran government in the last two weeks, was found inside a plastic bag Wednesday. TeleSUR reported that Ham was tortured.
On Thursday, the opposition Libre Party called for protests against the deaths of Ham and three other student leaders, which they are calling assassinations.
Critics say Education Minister Marlon Escotos decision to add five minutes to each class means students will leave their schools at 7 p.m. a dangerous time for children to be on the streets of one of Latin Americas most dangerous countries.
More:
http://sptnkne.ws/a4M
Demeter
(85,373 posts)there are no words...
http://otherwords.org/honduras-is-the-real-benghazi/
Her Central American foreign policy blunder ought to darken her presidential prospects....Clintons apparent unbeatability this time around helps explain the right-wing hysteria over the Benghazi tragedy. The conspiracy theories about the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya amount to a desperate effort to discredit the Democratic Partys strong centrist candidate. Its no surprise that this ploy isnt making a dent on her popularity. What beats me is why more Democrats arent deeply troubled by the legacy of Clintons foreign policy blunder in Honduras.
Maybe youve forgotten what happened in that small country in the first year of the Obama administration more on that in a moment. But surely youve noticed the ugly wave of xenophobia greeting a growing number of Central American child refugees arriving on our southern border. Some of President Barack Obamas supporters are trying to blame this immigration crisis on the Bush administration because of an anti-trafficking law George W. signed in 2008 specifically written to protect Central American children that preceded an uptick in their arrivals. But which country is the top source of kids crossing the border? Honduras, home to the worlds highest murder rate, Latin Americas worst economic inequality, and a repressive U.S.-backed government.
When Honduran military forces allied with rightist lawmakers ousted democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya in 2009, then-Secretary of State Clinton sided with the armed forces and fought global pressure to reinstate him.
Washington wields great influence over Honduras, thanks to the numerous military bases built with U.S. funds where training and joint military and anti-drug operations take place. Since the coup, nearly $350 million in U.S. assistance, including more than $50 million in military aid has poured into the country. Thats a lot of investment in a nation where the police, the military, and private security forces are killing people with alarming frequency and impunity, according to Human Rights Watch. In short, desperate Honduran children are seeking refuge from a human rights nightmare that would cast a dark cloud over Clintons presidential bid right now if the media were paying any attention...
Emily Schwartz Greco is the managing editor of OtherWords, a non-profit national editorial service run by the Institute for Policy Studies @ESGreco. OtherWords.org