Photo: PAUL RATJE / AFP / Getty Images
This article was originally published in English in Newsweek magazine
Every day more than 200 Honduran families cross the southern border of the United States seeking asylum – more than any other nation in the world … Forced to flee oppression, violence, and weather-related disasters, even the youngest and most college-educated Hondurans do not They see a future for themselves in their country of origin.
We live under an apparent democracy, but there is no separation of powers. Widespread corruption permeates the ruling elite, as recently demonstrated by the ruling of brother from President Juan Orlando Hernández earlier this year. President Hernández himself has been identified in the US courts as a co-conspirator in a drug conspiracy case . Democratic institutions designed to investigate public officials linked to organized crime have been largely disabled.
There have been dozens of human rights violations, including killings of political candidates, journalists, lawyers and judges. Honduras has been called “ the deadliest place to be an environmentalist Exemplified by the high-profile murder of Goldman Environmental Prize winner Berta Cáceres in 2009 for organizing indigenous communities to fight displacement.
The impacts of the pandemic and two Consecutive hurricanes in 2020 have devastated an already dire economic situation . According to the World Bank , almost half of the population of Honduras lives on less than $ 5. 50 US dollars per day, making Honduras the second poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Still all this can change in just a couple of weeks in the next elections in Honduras. With a new president and many other officials on the ballot, the 29 November is our best hope to escape this authoritarian regime and restore democracy.
However, there are concerns about recent scare tactics aimed at intimidating voters. More of 30 People were killed in this year alone for political reasons, including four political leaders last weekend.
Yet thousands of Hondurans and dozens of international observers are preparing to monitor this election. But we can not do it alone. We need the US State Department to join us in ensuring that human rights are not violated and in speaking out strongly against any act of censorship or repression.
This week, 29 members of Congress sent a letter to the Secretary of State of the United States Blinken urging him to “strong monitoring of the State Department and public criticism of authoritarian practices to maximize the possibilities of an inclusive and transparent electoral process ”in Honduras. Clearly, the outcome of this election is in the interest of the United States.
After the elections of 2017 in Honduras, the U.S. State Department averted its gaze when Hernández was declared the winner, despite blatant fraud and a call for repeat them from the Organization of American States . For months, the Honduran army and police fired on protesters, killing more than 30 persons and detaining more than 1 ,300 for stop dissent . We urge the United States government not to make this mistake again.
Our country has been in crisis since the coup of 2009, which overthrew the democratically elected government of Manuel Zelaya Rosales. The mixture of oligarchs and drug traffickers with state actors has deepened. Human security has deteriorated and critical issues such as drought, gang violence and extreme poverty have not been addressed. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported that journalists face targeted killings , arbitrary arrests, destruction of equipment and other obstacles that have impeded their ability to operate independently.
Despite the difficult Honduran situation, I am optimistic. For the first time, there is widespread opposition to the current regime that even has the support of some in the private sector who are fed up and want more opportunities for economic growth. There is a level of organization and unity in Honduras that echoes the dynamics in Chile prior to the overthrow of the Pinochet dictatorship in 1990.
Honduras is a largely marginalized and forgotten country. This election is an opportunity to change that and open a new chapter. It could solve many of the essential problems we face. A free, fair and peaceful electoral process represents an important opportunity for Honduran citizens to restore the rule of law.
It is important that the United States act as a neutral, credible and impartial observer, and who supports an outcome in Honduras that is genuinely democratic. We need the international community to support transparent, authentic, clear and peaceful elections, and the end of 11 years of crisis.
Hondurans want to stay in the country they love. Right now, migration is not an option for many, but a means of survival. This choice could improve our quality of life, allow everyone to feel safer, make our voices heard and stop the mass exodus.
We are ready to usher in a new was.
Gustavo Irías, Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy ( CESPAD ) in Honduras