CLASS

While most international news organizations took obedient dictation of the Honduras coup regime’s claims of more than 62 percent voter participation in the November 29 “elections,” authentic journalist Jesse Freeston did what real reporters are supposed to do: He went directly to the source, asked questions, took notes, and videotaped the evidence.

Freeston today publishes this bombshell report, above, on The Real News that documents definitively that Honduras electoral officials knowingly lied about their claims of more than 60 percent voter turnout. The hard results in possession of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE, in its Spanish initials) demonstrate only 49.2 percent turnout: That means that a majority - more than 50 percent - of Honduran citizens abstained in the “elections” that the National Front Against the Coup d’Etat had called unfair, unfree and placed under boycott. Continue reading Exclusive: Honduran elections exposed

On the night of October 11, six thousand soldiers and militarized police took over the offices of Luz y Fuerza del Centro, the State owned corporation that provides power to Mexico City and some states in Central Mexico; the entity was liquidated by an executive order issued by Mexico′s president Felipe Calderón. Since then, the corporate media has been slandering the workers and particularly their union, the Mexican electrical Trade Union SME (Sindicato Mexicano de Electricistas), one of the most militant and anti-neoliberal unions, which has been fighting against the government’s attempts to privatise the energy industry. The occupation of the buildings prior to announcing the closure was an illegal preventative strike, with the objective of preventing industrial action or any other form of protest on behalf of the sacked workers.

With the closure of the entity 44 thousand employers lost their jobs and 12 thousand retired workers saw their pensions disappear by “presidential decree”, in the context of massive unemployment in Mexico (reaching officially three million unemployed and 12 million in the informal economy). The government argued that LyFC was inefficient and was too expensive to support, however, the reality is that the company was shut down to destroy its union SME. This government action is also anti-constitutional, as this violated the labour law and the Mexican constitution, which declares that the State has the exclusive right to produce and provide electrical service. Continue reading The Mexican people respond to union busting with national strike

On September 2, 2009, Liliany Obando was visited by David Nelson of the Australian Federal Police (AFP),together with Oscar Leonel Ochoa and Diana Marlene Plaza, both employees of Colombian National Intelligence Agency (DAS). Obando was arrested and jailed on August 8, 2008, charged with two counts of rebellion and managing funds for a terrorist organization

Liliany Obando is a representative of FENSUAGRO, the largest Colombian union of farmers and farm workers, and visited Australia in 2005 and 2007 as part of a solidarity tour which highlighted the human rights abuses that have been perpetrated by the Colombian government. On the day of the visit, the three people mentioned had at first asked to see Obando on the grounds that they were from social services. Once in the interview room, Obando was informed that the interview would be with personnel from the Colombian General Prosecutor’s office.

Obando’s visitors attempted to intimidate her and gather information about individuals and organisations she had met with while visiting Australia during her solidarity tours.

It is well documented that the Colombian government and its military are engaged in human rights abuses, including widespread jailing of human rights activists and trade unionists.

This action by AFP employee David Nelson clearly shows that the Australian government is more than willing to cooperate in the attempted intimidation of political prisoners held by the Colombian government. Further, this attempt to criminalise international solidarity in Australia is an action that must be condemned.

The Australia–Venezuela Solidarity Network (AVSN), which has worked hard to build solidarity with the Venezuelan revolution in Latin America is outraged by the actions of the AFP, which are an attack on all solidarity activists and organisations. Campaigning to defend human rights and organising international solidarity is not a crime and should not be subject to “investigation”.

The AVSN demands that:

* the AFP explain the basis for its cooperation with Colombia’s Uribe administration and its national intelligence agency ;

* the Australian government and the AFP investigate and take action against David Nelson for breaches of international conventions;

* the Australian government suspends its involvement with the Uribe regime until such time as human and trade union rights are protected in Colombia.

For media comment, please contact Roberto Jorquera 0425 182994 or Lisa Macdonald 0413 031108.

Calderon Uses 6,000 Federal Agents to Fire Over 44,000 Luz y Fuerza Workers

From NarcoNews

FMexican Electrical Workers Union members protest the summary firing of 44,000 members. Photo: La Jornada

In the middle of the night last Saturday, President Felipe Calderon sent six thousand soldiers and militarized Federal Police to take over state power company Luz y Fuerza installations in Mexico City and the states of Mexico, Puebla, Morelos, and Hidalgo.  Immediately following the takeover, Calderon issued an executive order closing Luz y Fuerza.  Because no law or decree can go into effect until it is published in the federal government’s Official Diary of the Federation, the government published the executive order in a special edition of the Official Diary of the Federation to coincide with the military and police raids that closed Luz y Fuerza. Continue reading Military, Federal Police Bust Mexican Electrical Workers Union

In the early hours of Sep 21 the legitimate President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya returned to the capital Tegucigalpa after nearly 3 months in political exile. He is within the grounds of the Brazilian Embassy whilst tens of thousands of supporters have gathered outside to welcome his return. The defacto regime of Roberto Micheletti has imposed a curfew and sent in the military to repress the population. It is estimated that thousands have been arrested and or injured in violent confrontations. Show your support for the people of Honduras and attend the protest.

We call on the Australian government to immediately condemn the defacto government of Roberto Micheletti and work closely with other countries to ensure the restoration of the legitimate President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya.

“The coup regime is defying the world…The international community wants a negotiated peaceful settlement but the answer has been violence and repression against the people’’. Manuel Zelaya

Sponsored by: Centre for latin America Solidarity & Studies, Peace and Justice for Colombia, Australia-Venezuela Solidarity Network, FMLN (Melbourne), Chilean Communist Party (Melbourne), Guatemalan Human Rights Committee, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Socialist Alliance, Communist Party of Australia, Resistance

Report from Honduras: Ousted President Manuel Zelaya Returns to Honduras in Defiance of Coup Government
We go live to the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, where Manuel Zelaya has sought refuge. After Zelayas dramatic return, the coup government ordered a curfew, but thousands of Zelaya supporters defied the ban and rallied outside the Brazilian embassy. Earlier this morning police fired tear gas outside the embassy to disburse the crowd. We hear Zelaya speak from inside the embassy and speak to Andres Conteris and Mark Weisbrot.

LA PAZ – The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Rev. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, on Saturday declared Bolivian President Evo Morales as “World Hero of Mother Earth” in a ceremony at the presidential palace in this capital.

With a medal and a parchment scroll, the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization named Morales “the maximum exponent and paradigm of love for Mother Earth” in the resolution for his decoration that was read during the ceremony. Continue reading Morales Named “World Hero of Mother Earth” and Fidel Castro “World Hero of Solidarity” by UN General Assembly

Telesur, September 13, 2009 - Bolivian president Evo Morales said this Sunday in Spain that wherever US military bases exists, so do coups. He asked the social movements of Europe and the world to help put an end to foreign military bases in Latin America.

“In Latin America, wherever a US base exists, there are coups… they do not guarantee peace or democracy” assured Morales, which is why he asked the social movements of Europe and the world to support an end to foreign intervention in Latin America.

In front of 5 thousand Bolivians and citizens of other nationalities, the head of state recalled that the constitution of his country “does not allow any foreign military base, less so one belonging to the US.” Continue reading Evo Morales: “Wherever a US base exists, there are military coups”