Press Breakfast with Delegation of Honduran Civil Society Leaders

July 24, 2009

Press Breakfast with Delegation of Honduran
Civil Society Leaders

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

8:30am

Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009

The crisis in Honduras is intensifying and a solution is still not on the horizon. WOLA invites reporters to a breakfast discussion with Honduran civil society leaders to discuss what is needed to restore constitutional order since the coup d’état that took place on June 28.

The delegation from Honduras recognizes that for the immediate crisis to be resolved, President Manuel Zelaya has to be allowed to return.  At the same time, these leaders emphasize that in order to resolve the current crisis, the long-standing issues of political exclusion, impunity, corruption, poverty and inequality have to be addressed.

The human rights representatives visiting DC next week are calling for a national dialogue to strengthen participatory democracy and for those involved in human rights violations to be brought to justice. During its visit to DC, the delegation will be meeting with members of Congress and the Administration.

SPEAKERS:

Francisco Machado Leiva is the former director of the National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations in Honduras (ASONOG), an NGO dedicated to promoting participatory democratic action in order to improve the quality of life of citizens in Honduras.  Due to threats against him and his family, Mr. Machado was forced to flee Honduras in late 2008 but continues to work on the behalf of ASONOG.

Edgardo Aristides Chevez Angelino is a member of the Adventist Church of Honduras, the Director of the Christian Agency for the Integral Development of Honduras (OCDIH) and the President of the Board of ASONOG. 

Merly Eguigure is a member of the Women’s Movement for Peace “Visitación Padilla,” a women’s organization in Tegucigalpa, the nation’s capital. 

The discussion will be held in Spanish, translation will be available. Members of the delegation will be available for interviews immediately after the breakfast. Please RSVP to Kristina Demain, kdemain@wola.org, 202-797-2171.