August 12^th 2009

Last night at 11:23 pm, during curfew which began at 10pm, unknown
individuals driving a cream colour Toyota Turismo with the license plate
PCA1981 fired bullets at the office of Vía Campesina located in the
Alameda neighbourhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras which is coordinated by
Rafael Alegría. The act was a clear attack against our social
organizations and leaders who are part of the National Front Against the
Coup. In addition to the recent attack on Vía Campesina, a bomb capable
of killing 15 people went off in the building of the Beverage Workers
Union (STIBYS, by its Spanish initials) on July 26^th 2009. Both
organizations are part of the National Front Against the Coup.

We condemn this incident given that the activities of Vía Campesina and
the National Front Against the Coup are completely peaceful. It is
important to mention that during curfew only police are permitted to be
in the street.

Vía Campesina of Honduras calls for support from national and
international human rights organizations to remain attentive and to
continue following attacks taking place not only against these
organizations and their leadership, but also against the human rights of
the entire Honduran people and all those who have been protesting in the
streets against the coup for the last 46 days. Rafael Alegría comments,
“People’s rights are being violated and it’s a truly unfortunate
situation at the moment. People have been wounded, jailed and killed.”

According to a preliminary report from lawyers assisting the National
Front Against the Coup today, hundreds of people were wounded and more
than forty people detained following violence occurring after a
peaceful mass mobilization in the capital city on Tuesday. The group of
lawyers is seeking the liberation of those arrested through Habeas
Corpus. The leadership of the Front insists that the disturbances were
carried out by people who were not part of the protest, but rather
infiltrators interested in provoking confrontations and disparaging the
peaceful protests that the Front has been mobilizing. The people
detained are accused of rebellion, terrorism and treason among other
crimes.

Alegría emphasizes that “The National Front Against the Coup is not
responsible for these incidents. On principle the front supports
peaceful marches, peaceful demands and peaceful mobilization. At no
point do we use or call for violent acts. It appears that these
incidents are the responsibility of groups interested in ruining the
social mobilization and they have taken it upon themselves to provoke
this situation for which we categorically deny any responsibility.”

Given what has taken place in the last 24 hours, Vía Campesina of
Honduras calls out to the entire Vía Campesina network, social
movements, as well as national and international human rights
organizations to send messages or delegations in solidarity with the
resistance against the coup and for the defence of human rights in
Honduras, and to assist in bringing about an end to so much injustice
and violence against the Honduran people.

Please send complaints and messages of solidarity to the following
addresses:

State Secretary of Public Security
Coronel Jorge Rodas Gamero
Fax: (504) 237-9070/ 220-55-47
E-mail: sseg.06 hotmail.com

Special Prosecutor for Human Rights in the Attorney General’s Office
Lcda. Sandra Ponce
¨Fiscal Especial de Derechos Humanos
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Fax: (504) 221-3656
E-mail: ponce10s yahoo.com.ar

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CODEH)
President Andrés Pavón
E-mail: andres codeh.hn, codeh codeh.hn

The Committee of Relatives of People Detained-Disappeared in Honduras
(COFADEH)
Coordinadora Bertha Oliva
E-mail: mail cofadeh.org

Vía Campesina of Honduras
E-mail: laviacampesina cablecolor.hn

Comunicaciones Via Campesina en Honduras