Workers Uniting Condemns Honduras Coup; CPI(M) Urges UN To Intervene

Workers Uniting, the world's first global union representing 3.5 million workers in North America, the UK and Ireland, has just issued the following statement on the military coup in Honduras to oust popularly elected President Manuel Zelaya.

Workers Uniting stands in solidarity with our fellow unions in Honduras - including the Unitary Central of Honduran Workers (CUTH), the Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH) and the General Workers Central (CGT) -- as well as with the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA), in condemning the military coup that resulted in the illegal ousting of democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya. President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades of hunger and poverty until he was abruptly thwarted in these efforts by the Honduran military.

This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people at the polls, and we call upon the nations of the world, and especially the U.S., the UK, Canada and Ireland, to officially declare the seizure of power by the military in Honduras a "military coup" and to act accordingly. In the case of the U.S., this means withholding all military assistance unless and until President Zelaya is returned to power.

Meanwhile, the military and coup conspirators are trying, through violence and arrests, to suppress popular demonstrations by unions and other social groups; are illegally shutting down critical news outlets; are establishing a blanket military presence and setting illegal curfews. We condemn these acts as well, and call upon the Honduran military to respect the human rights of all, including those demonstrating for a peaceful return to civilian and constitutional rule.

We join the OAS and UN in condemning the military seizure of power in Honduras as a giant step backward for the Western Hemisphere, and an act which simply cannot be tolerated. We therefore call upon our respective governments to take all peaceful, diplomatic measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional return of President Zelaya to his rightful place as President of Honduras.

We further support the efforts of the OAS, UN and other Latin American leaders to accompany President Zelaya back to Honduras on Thursday, July 2, 2009, and call upon others to join them in this effort.

Meanwhile, The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the coup against the elected President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya and the forcible removal from his country. It expresses its solidarity with the people of Honduras.

It is reported that military forces are acting in collusion with vested interests who opposed the reforms of the country's constitution to bring it in line with people's aspirations, needs and fundamental right. The coup took place on the eve of the proposed national referendum on these issues.

The military has surrounded the houses of important ministers including the Foreign Minister Patricia Rados and other officials. Given the international condemnation of the naked attacks on democratic rights of the people of Honduras, steps should be taken to ensure that President Zelaya is allowed to return to his country and reinstated in his position as President. The United Nations should intervene in the matter.