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A dossier of weekly information published by the ------ Introduction On the 45th day of the coup in Honduras, workers, peasants and young people from across the country, braving repression, demonstrated in the center of Tegucigalpa, the capital, to express their rejection of the coup, to demand the restoration of democratic freedoms and the return of the legitimate president, Manuel Zelaya. You will find the press release issued on the evening of this powerful demonstration by the National Front Against the Coup.
The ILC, for its part, supports the call of the Front and calls on activists and organizations in the form they deem appropriate to show their support for the courageous struggle of the Honduran people for democracy and sovereignty. Democracy and sovereignty are also at the center of the struggle by USLAW (US Labor Against the War) against the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. We also are publishing the message of the POI (Parti Ouvrier Indépendant, France) to the first congress of Twunguranani (Democratic Workers Party) of Burundi. ----- Contact Informations international *****************************
By the thousands, workers, young people and democrats are marching on the capital, Tegucigalpa General Strike called by the trade unions, Mobilization is increasing in Honduras against the coup d'etat. At the continental level and at international level, solidarity statements are increasing, workers, people, and youth have been bravely fighting for over a month against the perpetrators of the coup, defying the crackdown has already formally left at least six people dead and many wounded. Clearly confirming its involvement in the coup in Honduras, the U.S. government has just declared that it "does not support President Zelaya," who was kicked out by the coup. Washington and the Organization of American States (OAS) called "all parties" to "compromise". Contrary to this, the people of Honduras raise the demand of the immediate reinstatement of the elected President. The Honduran trade unions called for a general strike beginning on Friday August 8 and the National Front against the Coup, bringing together all workers', democratic, and popular organization in Honduras, called for a big march. It will converge on August 11 in a national gathering in Tegucigalpa, the capital, and San Pedro Sula. Denouncing the coup d'état, while the Honduran population was preparing to participate in the referendum on the popular introduction of a fourth ballot box, where it would decide the possibility of convening a Constituent Assembly, the Front has addressed the representative organizations of the working class world. It calls to organize "militant solidarity with the working class and the people of Honduras", calling on all to organize " protests of rejection of the dictatorship at the embassies of Honduras and the United States in solidarity with the struggle of Honduran people and working class to get rid of this oppressive regime and achieve a new society. " In Brazil, the Central Unica dos Trabalhadores (CUT), meeting in Congress, called on all workers', democratic and popular organizations on the continent to participate in a continental day of action against the coup. In France, in response to the invitation of the committee Alert Honduras, the Independent Workers' Party called for a rally on Tuesday, August 11 at the Embassy of Honduras in Paris to condemn the coup, demanding the immediate and unconditional restoration of the elected president, Manuel Zelaya, the release of all imprisoned because of the coup, and the immediate restoration of public and individual freedoms. Correspondent ----- PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL FRONT AGAINST THE COUP D'ETAT Declaration No. 19 The National Front against the Coup, after forty five days of resistance, makes it known to the national and international community that it rejects the delaying tactics of the rebel government to restore constitutional order in our country, and if in the next few days the illegal rulers do not give up their de facto regime and Manuel Zelaya Rosales is not reinstated in his duties as the legitimate President of Honduras, the following shall apply: 1. Expand and deepen the actions of resistance throughout the country and intensify calls for international solidarity actions against the de facto regime. 2. Extend the peaceful actions to affect the normal operations of companies that have promoted, funded the perpetrators of the politico-military coup d'état against the legally constituted government of Manuel Zelaya Rosales and against all the people of Honduras. 3. Denounce the illegality of the electoral process set up by the de facto government, which is distorted by the violent removal of President Zelaya from office, and whose restoration is the only way to validate the results, with observations and the recognition of the global community. 4. Legal punishment in national and international criminal proceedings against those intellectual, material and financial perpetrators of violations of civil rights and liberties, including the killing of members of popular resistance, killings by police, soldiers and paramilitaries commandos for the regime. We invite you to participate in the National March of Popular Resistance, which is the way to the National Constituent Assembly to draft and adopt a new Constitution in Honduras! Tuesday, August 11, 2009 ----- INDEPENDENT WORKERS PARTY AUGUST 7, 2009 SOLIDARITY WITH THE WORKERS AND THE PEOPLE OF HONDURAS RALLY AT THE HONDURAS EMBASSY IN PARIS
- With all the Honduran labor organizations, the Independent Workers' Party denounced the coup d'état in Honduras: "On June 28, while the Honduran population was preparing to participate in the People's Referendum on the implementation of a fourth ballot, where it would decide the possibility of convening a Constituent Assembly, thousands of soldiers kidnapped the President of the Republic, Manuel Zelaya Rosales, and expelled him to neighboring Costa Rica; they occupied the house of the presidency, closed by force all independent radio and television stations, established martial law in the country. " Workers, the people, and the Honduran youth have been mobilized for more than a month and organized with courage against the perpetrators of the coup, defying the repression that has already left at least six dead and many wounded. Two days ago, it was the students who faced brutal repression. The Honduran trade unions have called today for a general strike. The National Front against the called at the same time, a large march to converge in a national gathering against the coup in Tegucigalpa (the capital) and San Pedro Sula. Everywhere, throughout the Americas, workers and youth organizations immediately condemned the coup. In Brazil, the CUT (United Workers Central), currently meeting in Congress, calls on all democratic and popular organizations on the continent to a continental week of action from August 10 to 15 in support of the Honduran people against the coup. In Paris, the Committee Honduras Alert "calls for a rally in front of the Embassy of Honduras on August 11, when there will arrive in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula the great marches of popular freedom and sovereignty. In solidarity with the workers, youth and people of Honduras, the Independent Workers' Party has for a picket in front of the Embassy of Honduras in Paris on Tuesday August 11 at 18:30. Support the people of Honduras in its struggle for sovereignty, against the coup, against the dictatorship. DOWN WITH THE COUP D'ETAT! Immediate and unconditional return to power of President Manuel Zelaya! Release of all imprisoned because of the coup d'état! Immediate restoration of public and individual freedoms! Self-determination for the Honduran people! ************************
USLAW Affiliate Info: Shocking Stats from Iraq; Demand "Out Now!" from Iraq on October 17! The information contained in the article below presents a shocking picture of the situation in Iraq. Most of these conditions are directly or indirectly attributable to the illegal invasion and occupation. That creates a heavy moral responsibility for Americans of conscience to redouble our efforts to end U.S. military occupation of that long suffering country - what amounts to the torture of an entire nation by the largest, most lethal military in human history. Following the article is a message regarding the October 17 local and regional antiwar actions which USLAW recently endorsed. Sabah al-Baghdadi - Iraq: Disastrous and Shocking Official Statistics Translated and adapted from Arabic by Khalil Nakhleh The following official governmental statistics, up to December 2008, show the disastrous conditions prevalent in Iraq since the American invasion and occupation of that country. 1. One million widowed Iraqi women (according to Iraqi Ministry of Women Affairs). 2. Four million orphaned Iraqi children (according to estimates by the Iraqi Ministry of Planning). 3. Two and a half million (2,500,000) Iraqis killed (according to the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Forensic Medicine). 4. 800,000 Iraqis have disappeared in secret holding places connected with the different ruling parties (according to registered complaints at the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior). 5. 340,000 Iraqi prisoners, detained without charge, in U.S. army prisons, the prisons of the Iraqi government, and the prisons in the Kurdistan District (according to Iraqi, Arab, international and UN human rights organizations and agencies). US occupying forces admit officially that the number of Iraqi detainees in their prisons is about 120,000. 6. Four and a half million (4,500,000) Iraqis are refugees outside Iraq (according to statistics of those seeking passports (category C) from the General Directorate of Passports. 7. Two and a half million (2,500,000) Iraqis are refugees inside Iraq (according to the Iraqi Ministry of Refugees). 8. 76,000 registered Iraqi cases of AIDS; this number did not exceed 114 cases before the invasion and occupation of Iraq (according to the Iraqi Ministry of Health). 9. Frightening spread of the use of addictive drugs imported from Iran, among youth (according to the Iraqi Ministry of Health and the Center for Combating Drugs and Addictions). I have written a series of well-researched articles about the various methods used to smuggle drugs, some of which are highly toxic, and how they are collected in different storage places in the southern districts, under the total control of some of the parties and the militias participating in the government, and how the profits from these drugs are used to buy (pay off) government officials, in order to gain their support and silence, and to finance their election campaigns. 10. Three out of every four marriages end up in divorce since the invasion and occupation of Iraq (according to Iraqi Ministry of Health). 11. More than 40% of the Iraqi people are under the poverty line (according to the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights). I believe, however, that the actual percentage is much higher, and surpasses 55%. 12. Decline in the level and quality of basic and tertiary education, according to statements made by officials in UNESCO, which led this organization to refuse to recognize university degrees issued by Iraqi tertiary institutions (universities and colleges). 13. Tens of thousands of forged university degrees are granted to high government officials, high ranking officers, directors generals, and senior officials of political parties (according to statements and statistics from the Iraqi Honesty and Transparency Commission). 14. There exist about 550 political bodies and party coalitions (according to the Iraqi Independent Public Elections Commission), and, as of today, there is no law regulating this large number of political bodies. 15. There exist about 11,400 civil society organizations (according to the Iraqi ministries of the Interior, Justice and Social Welfare). These organizations have public and secret objectives, and it is not clear what these are, and how they are financed. 16. There are 126 security companies controlled by foreign secret service agencies, and registered at the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. The declared objective of these companies is to protect foreign embassies, foreign diplomats, and visiting VIPs. However, their hidden objectives are unknown. In this case, what is the value of having today one million persons under arms in Iraq, distributed among the Ministries of Defense, the Interior, the various governmental security agencies, in addition to the security agencies of the various ruling parties. 17. There are 43 officially registered armed militias connected to parties. 18. There are 220 newspapers and media publications financed by foreign secret service agencies (according to Iraqi Journalist Union). The specific objectives of these publications is to do brainwashing of Iraqis, to remove their thinking about the various projects aiming at fragmenting Iraq into sectarian, regional, and ethnic mini-states, and to destroy their national identity. 19. There are 45 TV channels financed by foreign secret service agencies (according to statements by the Management of Nilesat and Arabsat satellite service providers). 20. There are 67 radio stations financed by foreign secret service agencies (according to statements by the Iraqi Information Commission). 21. There are 4 networks of digital communications, the estimated value of each is 12 billion dollars, financed in favor of party leaders. Among which are the following companies: · Kork Company owned exclusively by Mas'aoud Barazani (the
President of the Kurdistan District); 22. There are more than 11,400 official and unofficial party headquarters. These could be the offices of fake contracting company, or an NGO, or a political group. However, these headquarters in reality are public premises for the Iraqi government that were taken over from their legitimate owners after they were eliminated, or forced to vacate and seek refuge somewhere else. All are paid for from the Iraqi national budget. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what's happening in "their new democratic Iraq", since the American invasion and occupation of the country. The article appeared originally in www.kanaanonline.org, no. 1973, on 30.7.2009. Sabah al-Baghdadi is an independent Iraqi journalist and researcher; he may be reached at sabahalbaghdadi@maktoob.com. Translated and adapted by Dr. Khalil Nakhleh: Dr. Khalil Nakhleh is an independent Palestinian researcher and development consultant; he may be reached at abusama@palnet.com. ----- To all USLAW affiliates: On July 29, 2009, the USLAW Steering Committee voted to endorse a call for nationally coordinated regional and local antiwar protests on Saturday, October 17. We haven't mobilized in the streets in quite some time and the actions are sorely needed. While the perception is widespread that the U.S. is leaving Iraq, the reality is much different (see the attached Fact Sheet, with special thanks to Michael Eisenscher for editing, formatting and designing it). Among other things, October 17 will provide us an opportunity to drive home the point that while the number of unemployed workers continues to mount rapidly, and as states and municipalities slash jobs and vitally needed services, the government continues to pour billions into the continued occupation of Iraq. It is in USLAW's tradition that when we endorse something, we follow-up with meaningful activity to make it as successful as possible. A broad range of organizations has endorsed October 17 as a day for protest - including the Iraq Moratorium, Progressive Democrats of America, and local antiwar coalitions in California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, Minnesota, Northern Kentucky, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Many more groups are scheduled to act on proposals to endorse October 17 at upcoming meetings. (Note: The Iraq Moratorium, which USLAW previously endorsed, was the first group to call for actions on October 17 as a way to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam Moratorium, which saw millions around the world, including large numbers of trade unionists, out in the streets demanding an end to that war.) The specific demands for the regional and local actions will be determined by the groups involved (a slogan like "Money for Jobs and Education, not for War and Occupation! Bring the Troops Home Now from Iraq!" has been suggested for trade unionists participating in the October 17 demonstrations). Per the motion passed by the USLAW Steering Committee, affiliates can either join with community antiwar groups in planning the actions or hold separate labor events. The important thing, whatever form it takes, is to be visible on October 17 and keep the pressure on the government to end the occupation. The immediate need now is for us to get organized in order to get the word out, generate additional labor endorsements, and lay the groundwork for as large a labor mobilization on October 17 as we can muster. The right wing is very active these days, as shown by their disrupting town hall meetings to prevent health reform advocates from having their say, and we in labor must not only match but exceed their energy and visibility in ensuring that our message is heard. Regarding labor endorsements, attached is a form for that purpose, which can be filled out and returned electronically. We hope that your union will endorse and help build labor's turnout for October 17. Also, please join USLAW's Labor for October 17 Committee so that we can coordinate our efforts in the weeks and months ahead. Write jandb99@aol.com or call 216-382-4597 to get involved.
Donna Dewitt, President, South Carolina AFL-CIO *********************************
El Trabajo, newspaper of the Workers Party of the City and Countryside EDITORIAL 40 days have passed since the coup in Honduras and the U.S. government has not been able to formally recognize it, in contrast to previous coups d'etat. Furthermore, the reactions of the mass movement against the coup have began to be felt in Central America and South America, because it has raised at the center the call for a Constituent Assembly, which led the oligarchy and summit of the Honduran military, supported by the American embassy, to drive President Manuel Zelaya from power. Obama was forced at first to speak out against the coup, prompted by the situation full of social convulsions in the continent, which led to the rejection of the coup by all governments and the OAS. The U.S. government would like to see a lot of pro-imperialist governments like Micheletti, but the resistance that develops in the continent, including the most advanced governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, prevents the full implementation of this policy. And yet, what is decisive is the independent mobilization of organized workers in their unions, which have united the people of Honduras in the National Front against the coup, as well as the support they received from workers and people of 'Central America, which has prevented the putschists from fully imposing themselves, despite the bloody repression. Imperialism is trying everything it can to try to push back Zelaya, negotiating his return in exchange for impunity for the putschists and his renunciation of the call for a Constituent Assembly because it is aware that if it stood, this would affect all the countries of Latin America, where the holding of the Constituent Assembly is also demanded, such as Peru, where the Fujimori constitution of 1993 enabled Fujimori, Toledo and Garcia to open the country to the voracity of multinationals and submit workers to a form of semi-slavery and the nation to a total loss of its sovereignty. The 54-day strike of the peoples of the Amazon, which has inflicted a crushing defeat on the government despite the massacre of Bagua and the repression against leaders like Alberto Pizango; strikes in Andahuaylas, Cuzco and Puno have included a demand for the convening a Constituent Assembly. The July 8 Day of struggle called by the CGTP and the National Front for Sovereignty and Life, included the demand, but its leaders refuse to take the step to organize the fight. For its part, the Workers Party of the City and Countryside (PTCC) just held its congress on June 27, participated in the day of struggle by putting forward the slogan "Down with the government! Sovereign Constituent Assembly!" In Lambayaque, thousands have called for the Constituent Assembly. In Lima on July 17 at the invitation of the leaders of the CMA, the Union Bank of the Nation, the Federation of minors, the CGTP-Lambayaque, the Union of Civil Construction of Arequipa, and the PTCC, among others, the first meeting for the National Sovereign Constituent Assembly was held and decided on three tasks: organize a picket in front of the Embassy of Honduras to support the struggle for the return of President Zelaya, the Constituent Assembly and demand that the Garcia government sever diplomatic relations with the coup government, send a letter of solidarity to Honduras, and convene a second meeting on August 5. During the picket, which was held July 23, the letter of solidarity sent to the National Front against the coup was signed by dozens of leaders from across the country, who also called upon the leaders of the CGTP, the National Front for Sovereignty and Life, and political parties which claim to support democracy to call for a national mobilization in solidarity with the people of Honduras and to coordinate the Continental Day of Action. In the presidential message of July 28, President Garcia announced his rejection of the nationalization of Doe Run - the only solution for the close of the business - without worrying about the fact that 350 workers are losing their jobs; announced the order he gave to his interior minister to have the police on the streets use their weapons "with seriousness and without hesitation"; announces the formation of goon squads "- new version of the old PAIT" - to recruit and mobilize against social mobilizations. This requires that the leadership of the CGTP assume its responsibility to take the plunge and organize the fight for the National Assembly Constitution Assembly against Aprista government, which is sovereign and has the power to bury the Fujimori constitution, cancel NAFTA, the 102 legislative decrees and the law that privatized water, renationalize Doe Run, SIDERPERU and other companies to prevent their closure and maintain employment; cancel the privatization of ports, the fisheries, education, health, the public university; prohibit dismissals, raise salaries and pensions; end the payment of the foreign debt and regionalization; and finally win national sovereignty. Why doesn't the leadership of the CGTP take a step towards the organization of a Constituent Assembly and organize solidarity with the Honduran people who struggle to against the putschists and for a Constituent Assembly? The 2nd meeting for the National Assembly Constituent Assembly held on August 5 established an open committee to coordinate with organizations across the country to organize a First National Meeting for the Constituent Assembly and immediately the demand that the leadership of the CGTP take the helm of this task. Dozens of organizations and thousands of workers demand this. ******************************
Message to the First Twungurunani Congress from the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France Paris, August 6, 2009 Dear comrades, We have just learned that the first congress of the Democratic Workers' Party of Burundi will be held on August 12 and 13. We learned earlier of the success of the legalization of the party. Please note that we receive your publication, the Open Forum of workers, which provides much information about the class struggle in your country, which we have used many times in articles published by Labor News. We share in the framework of the ILC the common struggle for aid to the empowerment of workers and peoples. We appreciate the fact that in a country like yours, ravaged by bloody wars organized by imperialism and growing conflicts, under extremely difficult conditions, there continues the struggle of workers organized against privatization, for the renationalization of companies and public services, to defend the demands of workers and national sovereignty. Obviously, in different conditions, of course, we are fighting in France around the same issues. You probably know our central campaign is for the Prohibition of Layoffs. We hope that your conference will be an important vehicle to assist the resistance of workers and the people of Burundi, and beyond, in the struggle for peace and for the union of sovereign nations of Africa. We are part of the preparation committee for the Open World Conference Against war and Exploitation to be held in Germany in May. We will have the opportunity in this context to continue the struggle led by the class independence, international solidarity, and the defense of sovereignty against imperialism and its institutions. Rest assured, comrades, of our solidarity in the common struggle. The permanent secretariat of the POI
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