TFHO1: POLICE AND MILITARY USE FORCE TO BREAK UP

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001100 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM HO PHUM SUBJECT: TFHO1: POLICE AND MILITARY USE FORCE TO BREAK UP ANTI-COUP PROTEST REF: A. TEGUCIGALPA 1077 ¶B. TEGUCIGALPA 1067 ¶C. TEGUCIGALPA 958 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A Honduran National Police spokesperson confirmed that police and military used force during an October 29 anti-coup protest near the national stadium in Tegucigalpa. Local human rights organizations told Poloff that an unconfirmed 25 protestors were injured. A group of American citizens in Honduras on a human rights fact finding mission observed police using tear gas and hitting anti-coup demonstrators with batons as protestors attempted to flee the area. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) A Honduran National Police spokesperson told an Embassy employee on October 29 that the police and military used force and tear gas to break up an anti-coup demonstration of approximately 1,000-5,000 protestors near the national stadium in Tegucigalpa. The spokesperson stated that the measures were in response to alleged vandalism of parked vehicles by protestors. The spokesperson said that police were aware of an unspecified number of injured protestors that were taken to the School Hospital in Tegucigalpa, but there were no known detentions following the break-up of the protest. ¶3. (SBU) Poloff confirmed with local human rights organizations that they had received reports of injured protesters. The Committee for the Family of the Detained and Disappeared (COFADEH) documented approximately 25 injured anti-coup protestors following the clash with police and military on October 29. COFADEH reported that all the injuries they documented were the result of tear gas exposure and beatings from police batons. ¶4. (SBU) Poloff met on October 29 with eleven American citizen representatives of the Chicago-based human rights organization, "The Voice of Those Below," who were present at the anti-coup demonstration on October 29. The group described to Poloff that when they attempted to inform a member of the police of their presence at the protest as human rights observers, a police officer replied that the delegation needed to speak to an Army Captain nearby because "the military are the ones giving the orders." The delegation did not hear any call from security forces that the protest disband and then observed and filmed police and military throw tear gas canisters into the crowd. As protestors attempted to flee the area, the human rights delegation witnessed police hitting protestors as they ran away from police. The human rights delegation told Poloff they did not see any signs of vandalism to property, rock throwing, or provocation of any kind. As the protest broke up, various demonstrators took refuge in nearby homes. The human rights delegation told Poloff they observed and filmed military and police forcibly entering homes and pulling to the streets those protestors that attempted to hide inside. ¶5. (SBU) Various scenes from the break-up of the anti-coup protest by security forces on October 29 were shown on anti-coup television station Channel 36. Esdras Lopez, owner of Channel 36, told Poloff on October 28 that after covering the visit of the US delegation all day on October 28, the station was again experiencing an unknown interference with its satellite uplink that prohibits the transmission of the Channel 36 signal outside of Tegucigalpa (ref C). More details on this incident will be reported septel. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite the abrogation on October 17 of the executive decree that forbade public demonstrations, the police communique that requires advance permission for public gatherings remains in effect (see reftels A & B). The forceful break-up of the anti-coup demonstration on October 29 shows that the de facto regime continued to use disproportionate force against those that protest against the coup d'etat. LLORENS