Crofton man calls attention to atrocities in Honduras

Caught in upheaval during recent fact-finding trip

By RYAN JUSTIN FOX Staff Writer

Capital Gazette Communications

Published 10/02/09

Just a few days ago, Nick Carroll was aiding poor and badly beaten residents in detention camps in Honduras, victims of the fallout from the military overthrow of its democratically elected president.

Courtesy photos TOP: Crofton resident Nick Carroll, left, rests his feet during a rally outside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. The de facto military government suspended the country’s constitution and locked down the city following Zelaya’s return.
BOTTOM: Honduran citizens pour onto the streets of Tegucigalpa, the capital city, on their way to a rally supporting the return of deposed Honduran President Juan Manuel Zelaya. Carroll took the photo last month while on a fact-finding humanitarian mission.

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In stark contrast, he now sits comfortably in his serene Crofton home, where he can leave his front door open while he works to raise awareness about the human rights atrocities that have been largely ignored outside Latin America. "We need to get the word out," Carroll said. "I turned on CNN, Fox News. They had nothing, just the most trivial stuff."

Carroll, 86, spent last week carefully navigating the...

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Zelaya - 2009-10-03 11:39:34

The military coup that removed Zelaya from power in Honduras harkens back to the days when the military and it's facsist, elite allies in the business sector removed popularly-elected Presidents with total impunity, usually with the support of Washington. This cannot stand. Gone are the days when US big business and national security interests dominated the politics of Latin America. The Organization of American States (OAS) including the US is to be commended for demanding that Zelaya, the constitutionally elected leader of Honduras be reinstated as President. For far too long a small, entrenched elites have dominated Latin American polities with nthe support of the military who act as their personal henchmen. No more. Now, what do you think will be the result of this coup when national elections are finally held? Do you think the people will support the right-wing candidates who supported this debacle. I think not. Honduras will likely end up with a much more populist government that will try to put the traditional elites in their place after all is said and done.

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Pasquale Z. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Excellent

Zelaya's removal. - 2009-10-02 18:07:00

This was not a military coup as our press likes to report, which either shows their ignorance or their desire to see a leftist remain in power despite his willingness to violate the Constitution. Zelaya was removed from office by the Legislature and the Supreme Court. The military simply carried out the task, because he violated article 239 of the Honduran Constitution - Any citizen who has already served as head of the Executive Branch cannot be President or Vice-President again. Whoever violates this law or proposes its reform, as well as those who support such violation directly or indirectly, must immediately cease in their functions and will be unable to hold any public office for a period of 10 years.
Members of Zelaya's own party voted to remove him from office, then voted on his replacement. The Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for him for his violations. What more does our leftist press and President need to see nothing was done illegally in removing him from office.

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David Kyle - Pasadena, MD - Karma: Good

The Capital gets it wrong yet again - 2009-10-02 13:31:59

There are two different stories here. One is the removal of Zelaya, the other is what has happened in the aftermath of that removal. Zelaya's attempt to amend the Constitution by constitutional assembly was contrary to the law (Article 374 of the Honduran Constitution). Zelaya told the military to enforce his decree anyway. They refused, as it was an unlawful order. He threatened to remove the officials who did not carry out his orders. He continued to press the issue, against a Court decree and the Constitution itself. So, he was removed from office by the military, as they were the only force capable of doing so.

This was done with the agreement of the legislature, the courts, and the military (note that the military plays a very different role in their governance than ours). The article makes it sound as if it were just the military making an attempt to seize power. Also related to this, the article fails to mention that the military never took control of the country but rather that the President of the National Congrees, a member of Zelaya's own party, took Zelaya's position. Would it have been better to go through an impeachment process? Absolutely. Would that have happened eventually? Almost certainly according to every review. But in the time that it would have taken, it is very possible that Zelaya could have torn down those Constitutional mandates and installed himself as leader for life or anything else he chose. The people of Honduras saw this happen in Venezuela and did not want it to happen in their own country.

The human rights abuses are a totally separate issue, but the backdrop of the Zelaya's removal due to his involvement in illegal activities is of the utmost importance when putting the series of events into perspective. I wonder if the Capital would have failed to report that illegality if it had been a friend of George Bush engaging in the behavior rather than an extreme leftist.

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Ben H. - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Good