National elections in Honduras were held on Nov. 24, 2013. I went with a delegation from the National Lawyers Guild invited by the government. In 2009, a military coup kicked out the president and took over the country with a fraudulent election. Unfortunately the same ruling party of the coup has now also stolen this election.
Hondurans live in a militarized state where they cannot trust their police force or their government. The entire country is well aware of the stolen election, but most are afraid to stand up.
Students are unafraid and march everyday. On the first day of their rally, municipal police assaulted them with tear gas for over an hour. The students were undeterred and have marched against fraud every day since.
On Sunday, Xiomara Zelaya, of the Libre party and whom the election was stolen from, marched with supporters. She demanded a recount. This rally, which was planned since Nov. 29, was overshadowed with grief because of the assassination of a prominent and well-loved Libre party member Jose Antonio Ardon. He was shot multiple times by four gunmen the night before while preparing for the march. This was the fourth political assassination of a Libre party member in the last week. The message is clear: speak out against fraud and your life is in danger.
The students of Honduras continue to march. Please keep your eye on them and show them your support. You can find out more at jessicatarena.com, facebook.com/pages/Camisas-Negras/1432736630278767 and Twitter #JOHNoEsMiPresidende.
Jessica Arena
UC Davis King Hall student
Member, National Lawyers Guild
