MADURO ADMINISTRATION SHARPLY CRITICIZED BY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000793 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/CEN, AND WHA/PPC STATE FOR DRL, DRL/MLA, IO, AND INR/AN/IAA E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2014 TAGS: PHUM PREL PINR KDEM CU HO CHR SUBJECT: MADURO ADMINISTRATION SHARPLY CRITICIZED BY POLITICAL OPPONENTS FOR TABLING UNCHR CUBA RESOLUTION REF: A. ALMAGUER E-MAIL 04/05 ¶B. STATE 74060 ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 787 ¶D. TEGUCIGALPA 766 ¶E. TEGUCIGALPA 759 ¶F. TEGUCIGALPA 741 ¶G. TEGUCIGALPA 738 ¶H. GENEVA 885 ¶I. STATE 68031 ¶J. STATE 65652 ¶K. STATE 62815 ¶L. TEGUCIGALPA 595 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: President Ricardo Maduro and his Administration have come under tough criticism from political opponents and left-leaning nongovernmental organizations since the GOH publicly announced that it had drafted a UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) resolution on Cuba. Much of this criticism was to be expected and the GOH's delay in announcing the resolution did not help matters. Post expects this criticism to die down somewhat with the start of the Holy Week holidays. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) President Ricardo Maduro and his Administration have come under tough criticism from political opponents and left-leaning nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) since the GOH publicly announced April 1 that it had drafted a UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) resolution on Cuba. Critics have included opposition Liberal Party congressmen such as Ramon Villeda Bermudez and Omar Cerna, Liberal presidential candidate Mel Zelaya, and Nationalist "Dark Side" congressman Oswaldo Ramos Soto. NGOs such as the Committee of the Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras (COFADEH),the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH),the Association of Nongovernmental Organizations (ASONOG - which despite the name is not a large organization),as well as the Honduran medical students in Cuba, have all issued statements criticizing the GOH. ¶3. (U) A common argument made by critics is that the GOH is in no position to criticize another country due to the serious human rights problems in Honduras, especially extrajudicial killings. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez made a veiled statement along these lines with respect to the GOH action when he criticized the GOH for looking at the speck in an another's eye while overlooking the plank in the their own eye. The one-year anniversary of the April 5, 2003 violent incident at El Porvenir prison near La Ceiba when 68 persons, 61 of them gang members, were killed and the lack of action to hold the 51 people (including police and military) found responsible by the Public Ministry has given opponents further ammunition. Other arguments made by critics include castigating the GOH for criticizing a country that has been helpful since Hurricane Mitch hit in 1998 by providing doctors and educating medical students, calling the GOH as a U.S. lackey, arguing that the GOH sold out for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funds, and has faulting the resolution for not criticizing the U.S. detention of foreign citizens at Guatanamo Bay. ¶4. (U) Honduran Foreign Minister Leonidas Rosa Bautista has been the main GOH spokesman defending the Maduro Administration, with Minister of Government and Justice Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro also giving a particularly strong defense (in a TV interview). President of Congress Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo publicly supported the Administration and said he did not see why the resolution should cause a problem. First Lady Aguas Ocana de Maduro, who returned from Cuba April 1, told reporters April 2 that Honduras was thankful for the assistance Honduras has received from Cuba. She declined to comment on the UNCHR Cuba resolution issue, other than to say that she did not discuss political issues during her visit. A group of Hondurans in Miami (Hondurans United) supported the GOH's move and called for a tougher resolution. ¶5. (C) Comment: Much of the criticism of the GOH's action was to be expected given the ideological points of view and/or political interests of those criticizing the GOH. The GOH's delay in announcing the resolution did not help matters, as it allowed the GOC to paint the GOH as being manipulated by the USG. Post expects domestic criticism to die down somewhat with the start of the Holy Week holidays April 5. End Comment. PALMER