The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) calls on the United States government to finalize its legal deliberations and determine that what occurred on June 28 in Honduras was indeed a coup d'etat— an action that would cancel all aid to the de facto regime and require the withdrawal of US troops.
"Since June 28, the State Department has been mulling over whether the ouster of President Zelaya was legally a coup, " said Vicki Gass, Senior Associate for Rights and Development at WOLA, who recently returned from Honduras. "While the delay in making the determination may have been to use this as leverage during negotiations with the de facto regime, the fact is that two months have passed and the coup government continues to refuse all diplomatic options to restore constitutional order. It's time for bolder actions."
WOLA applauds the U.S. State Department's decision last week to suspend the issuing of most visas in Honduras, but in the face of the de facto government's intransigence, WOLA urges the U.S. to legally declare the events of June 28 a coup d'etat and end all aid to Honduras, as required by U.S. law.
"The US must comply with its own law and cut all aid to Honduras," said Gass. "But the U.S. should also cancel the visas for key members of the de facto government and their families, and freeze their assets held in the U.S. to demonstrate to the de facto regime and their supporters that we will not tolerate coups in this hemisphere."
Contact:
Vicki Gass, Senior Associate on Rights and Development
202-797-2171; vgass@wola.org
