Honduran Authorities Detain U.S. Human Rights Observer 11 Hours
By Staff of Grassroots Global Justice Alliance - WASHINGTON - With just hours to go before the Honduran elections, an international human rights observer from the United States was detained for 11hours at the airport in San Pedro Sula. Irene Rodriguez is part of the delegation of observers organized by La Voz de los de Abajoin partership with CODEPINK. La Voz is a Chicago-based all-volunteer international solidarity organization that has been accompanying social movements in Honduras for two decades. Both organizations are members of the Honduras Solidarity Network of North America. “I came to observe any possible human rights violations and I was detained in the airport in San Pedro Sula for 11 hours, mostly being asked the same five questions by different people over and over again. They were denying that there are human rights violations happening in the country by doing that, they are concerned about their image. I think it is important for people in the U.S. and throughout the world to realize that we are not getting information outside of the country about what is really happening here… very serious human rights violations, assassinations, disappearances and it is up to us to relay that information,” explains Irene.