Defend Democracy in Honduras! Against the Military Coup -- Reinstate President Zelaya

Brothers and Sisters: The Latin American Solidarity Network calls on Toronto's progressive organizations and individuals to participate in a rally that will take place at:

Thursday, July 2^nd, 2009 at 12:00 p.m.
In front of the office of MP Bob Rae, (Foreign Affairs Critic for the Liberal Party)
514 Parliament Street (just north of Carlton)

Our goal is to demonstrate our repudiation of the coup d'etat that took place in Honduras last Sunday and present our demands to the Canadian government for the return of President Manuel Zelaya to his country and the restoration of his democratically elected government.

We are certain that we can count on the solidarity and participation of many organizations and individuals who believe in democracy.

The Latin American Solidarity Network- Toronto

A public letter:

The Latin American Solidarity Network--Toronto, in consideration of the news that the President of Honduras, Manuel, Zelaya, removed from his position by a military coup, will return to his country on Thursday, July 2, has the duty to demand that the Canadian government do the following:

Refuse to recognize the illegitimate "government" of Roberto Michelletti or any other government of a similar character.

Demand that coupist leaders recognize President Zelaya as the constitutional president of Honduras and accept his return. If this does not occur, Canada should withdraw its ambassador, following the example set by Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua.

Demand the immediate lifting of the State of Emergency and the end to all acts of repression again the Honduran people. Canada should demand the liberty of all the democratic leaders that have been detained illegally.

In the case of the return of President Manuel Zelaya, the government of Canada should pay strict attention to the following points:

The personal security of President Zelaya should be guaranteed at all times.

President Zelaya should continue with his democratizing project in the country that was interrupted by the coup.

There should be punishment for those responsible for the coup, who have blocked the democratic process in Honduras, assassinated and repressed those who resisted, and cowardly abused the Foreign Minister of Honduras and the ambassadors from Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

The Armed Forces of Honduras should be democratized so that they can never again usurp the sovereignty of the people.

The Latin American Solidarity Network declares that the defeat of this military coup will demonstrate how much has changed in Latin America this past decade. Today there is no room for the oligarchy and military leaders to dictate the destiny of the people. There is no room for another Pinochet or for any coups like the one that occurred in Haiti.

In our opinion, the eventual return of President Zelaya will be product of the strong repudiation of the coup leaders by the international community and, in particular, the decisive action and solidarity of the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, the member countries of ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the peoples of Our America), the Rio Group, and the heroic resistance of the Honduran people.

The Latin American Solidarity Network strongly appreciates the timely response to the coup by the various Latin American and progressive organizations in Toronto and the country.

In our opinion, with the return of constitutional president of Honduras, we must remain vigilant regarding further events and remain coordinated so that with short notice we can raise our voices to denounce any attempts at repression in Honduras.

The Latin American Solidarity Network: Casa Salvador Allende; Grupo Cultural Victor Jara; Coalicion Venezuela Estamos Contigo; Comite de Solidaridad con Bolivia-Toronto; Frente Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional -- Toronto (FMLN-Toronto); Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance (CASA); Toronto Forum on Cuba; Barrio Nuevo; Frente Amplio-Uruguay; Grupo Cultural Orlando Letelier.