By Grahame Russell, Rights Action
In a profoundly deceitful statement, Antony Blinken, head of U.S. State Department, said: "Corrupt acts of former Honduran President Lobo undermined democracy in Honduras. … We stand #UnitedAgainstCorruption with our partners in Honduras."
With not even a whisper of acknowledgement, the U.S. governments stands firmly by the current corrupt, military-backed President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who personally, and whose family are even more deeply involved in drug-trafficking cocaine through Honduras to the U.S. than even former President Lobo.
"The United States is designating former Honduran President Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo Sosa (Lobo) and former First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla Avila (Rosa Lobo) due to their involvement in significant corruption. While in office, President Lobo accepted bribes from the narco-trafficking organization Los Cachiros. As First Lady, Rosa Lobo engaged in significant corruption through fraud and misappropriation of public funds for her personal benefit. Their corrupt acts undermined the stability of Honduras’ democratic institutions. Former President Lobo has not yet been convicted and Rosa Lobo has been released from prison awaiting a retrial."
(https://www.state.gov/designations-of-former-honduran-president-porfirio-pepe-lobo-sosa-and-former-first-lady-rosa-elena-bonilla-avila-for-involvement-in-significant-corruption/)
U.S. and Canadian complicity and impunity
It was principally the U.S. and Canadian governments that undermined democracy in Honduras, supporting the June 28, 2009 military coup that ousted the last elected government of President Mel Zelaya. Porfirio Lobo Sosa was a member of the Nationalist Party that, together with the military, carried out the coup.
Five months after the coup, the U.S. and Canada were the only two governments in the world to recognize the bogus November 2009 elections, marred by violence, repression and fraud, that brought Porfirio Lobo Sosa to the presidency.
The bogus 2009 elections “consolidated” the coup, and ushered in 12 years (and counting) of military backed, Nationalist Party governments headed first by Porfirio Lobo Sosa, then by Juan Orlando Hernandez. Both presidents and their families are deeply involved in drug trafficking and other organized crime activities.
To date, there has been no investigatory oversight into, let alone accountability or justice in Washington and Ottawa for policies and actions that are directly responsible for Honduras’ on-going nightmare of corruption, military repression, ever increasing exploitation, poverty and desperation.
Background
‘Juan Orlando Hernandez & Pepe Lobo are our narco-trafficking sons ‘a’ bitches’
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt is reported to have said that "Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch", referring to the ruthless military-backed dictator of Nicaragua that the US government was propping up. One can imagine US and Canadian leaders saying: ‘Porfirio Lobo Sosa & Juan Orlando Hernandez are narco-trafficking sons ‘a’ bitches, but they are our narco-trafficking sons ‘a’ bitches’.
Will the US & Canada continue to treat Honduras and Guatemala like “shithole countries”, creating ever more forced migrants and refugees?
By Grahame Russell, Rights Action, February 9, 2021
https://mailchi.mp/rightsaction/us-government-promises-pathway-to-citizenship-for-11-million-people
