Honduras Now Podcast

Many are thinking about and watching what is going on in Gaza and Israel. The parallels of North American support for a dictatorship in Honduras and the strategies of transnational resistance provide hope and inspire action from all of us to stop the bombing of Gaza and the murder of innocent people.

This episode announces an upcoming campaign as ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández's trial in New York is set to start in four months. Then Karen shares a panel presentation she participated in mid-September called Nonviolent Resistance to Overthrow Dictatorships & Occupations organized by World Beyond War as part of their #NoWar2023 conference. The presentation shares some of the ways that people can act to change global issues and abuses from their own cities and towns around the world. #FreePalestine #AnotherWorldIsPossible

For the full panel presentation, World Beyond War's #NoWarConference, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlGdq6s8HmZoqi6T1YEftxGtnaxjBKq1G

Coming soon. 'US and Canada-backed Narco-State on Trial in New York' campaign: A campaign to hold the U.S., Canada & the “international community” accountable for 12 years of support and legitimization of Honduras’ drug-trafficking President and Narco-State.

Campaign launch January 2024. Trial in New York currently scheduled for February 5, 2024. More information and to donate to support the trial campaign, go to hondurasnow.org.

IG: @HondurasNow

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In the last few weeks, Honduras has hit the international press, and not for good reasons. Host Karen Spring discusses violence, trauma, and Honduran culture and challenges with Faridd Sierra, a Honduran that grew up in the U.S. but has since moved back to live in Honduras. Since returning, Faridd has been closely following the human rights, political, and social situation in Honduras and tweets regularly at @AllThingsHonduras

The resources mentioned by Faridd in this episode:

• The Long Honduran Night: Resistance, Terror, and the United States in the Aftermath of the Coup by Dana Frank
• Ottawa and Empire: Canada and the military coup in Honduras by Tyler Shipley
• Cipotes, by Ramón Amaya Amador
• Prisión Verde, by Ramón Amaya Amador (the last two may be difficult to find in the U.S. and Canada).
• Song: La Huelga, by Mario de Mezapa (or any song by him)

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Twitter: @HondurasNow

Instagram: HondurasNow

For show notes, monthly news summaries, and to read the U.S. Intervention Monitor, go to hondurasnow.org. Thank you to our listeners and donors.

It's almost been one year since President Xiomara Castro took power in Honduras. As President Castro has tried to fulfill her campaign promises, her government has been met by opposition from the U.S.

This episode shares a presentation given by Karen Spring to the Rochester Committee on Latin America (ROCLA). Karen describes important reforms that the Castro government has implemented and describes the U.S. opposition to each.

To watch the full presentation, go to ROCLA's website: https://rocla.org/events/reform-in-honduras-and-us-opposition/

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Check out the show notes at: hondurasnow.org

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for listening.

This is part three of a three-part series, the Drug War Cover-up series that describes the incidents surrounding the DEA-led drug interdiction operation known as the Ahuas massacre on May 11, 2012.

In Part three, host Karen Spring speaks with journalist and researcher, Dawn Marie Paley about the effects of the drug war in the Americas. Paley talks about how people going about their daily life are affected by the drug war, and what accountability may look like.

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Read Dawn's book, Drug War Capitalism: https://www.akpress.org/drug-war-capitalism.html

Find Dawn's work at: https://www.dawnpaley.ca/

Follow Honduras Now on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hondurasnow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HondurasNow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HondurasNow

Check out the show notes at: hondurasnow.org

Thank you to our listeners and to the people that donate to this podcast. We can't do it without you!

This is Part II (Ep. 35) of the three part Drug War Cover-Up series that describes the incidents surrounding the DEA-led drug interdiction operation known as the Ahuas massacre on May 11, 2012.

In Part II, host Karen Spring describes what happened in the weeks and years following the massacre including whether the DEA was held accountable, what happened in Washington, DC in the incident's aftermath, and 10 years later, how the victims feel about the justice process or lack thereof.

See the Youtube video published by the New York Times narrated at the beginning of the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96iR0ICpQZY

Read the report "Collateral Damage of a Drug War The May 11 Killings in Ahuas and the Impact of the U.S. War on Drugs in La Moskitia, Honduras": https://cepr.net/documents/publications/honduras-2012-08.pdf

Watch U.S. Congressional representative Ilhan Omar questioning the State Department about the massacre: https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1489378251558555649

Follow Honduras Now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hondurasnow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HondurasNow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HondurasNow

Check out the show notes at: hondurasnow.org

Thank you to our listeners and to the people that donate to this podcast. We can't do it without you!

On May 11, 2012, a passenger boat was traveling on the Patuca river in a remote region in eastern Honduras. The 16 passengers were headed to the village of Ahuas. Right as they were about to dock, they were attacked by DEA agents & Honduran police that were involved in an alleged drug interdiction operation.

This episode describes what happened that night and shares extensive testimony from the survivors and eyewitnesses themselves.

This episode is Part One of a three episode series: The Drug War Cover Up.

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter (@HondurasNow), and Facebook for daily news and analysis from Honduras, as well as images and videos related to all episodes. Thank you to our loyal donors and listeners!

Just as US President Biden and VP Harris are launching yet another plan to address migration from Central America, U.S. Congress representatives traveled to the region to hear from those most affected by U.S. policy in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

The delegation, "Unearthing the Real Root Causes of Mass Migration from Central America" was led by Congress Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was joined by her colleagues, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jamal Bowman, and Rep. Chuy Garcia. Accompanied by U.S. solidarity organizations and activists, the Congressional delegation traveled throughout Honduras and Guatemala to speak with grassroots, community-based organizations, and some government officials about the role of U.S. policy in the region. 

The episode features a report back organized by U.S.-based activists that are part of the Central American diaspora and that were key players in coordinating the delegation. They discuss the Biden-Harris plan, share experiences from the trip, and reflect on U.S. policy in Central America. 

Check out our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page for more information & details about this issue and everything Honduras related.

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On May 10th, 2022, ex-President Juan Orlando Hernández (JOH) faced U.S. Judge Kevin Castel. Since his extradition from Honduras, JOH's family has launched a PR strategy claiming that he will return (#volvera). His defense team is also proposing an odd defense, which includes hiring a private detective and claiming they will call high-level U.S. officials to testify in JOH's trial. Hear an interview by the defense team after the May 10th hearing and the bizarre defense they are proposing.

Check out Honduras Now's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page. Show notes are posted at hondurasnow.org. Thank you so much to our subscribers and donors. We appreciate you and your continued support.

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Tomas Andino is a Honduran political analyst and sociologist. In a presentation he gave in mid-March, Tomas describes the US position under Obama and Trump over the years of the narco-dictatorship. He answers some of the common questions that many ask about Xiomara's election: How, after so many electoral frauds, did a progressive government win the 2021 elections? How is President Xiomara's government doing in power so far and how is it that the new government has support from the United States? Tomas also discusses the role of US citizens in this next context in Honduras.

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Read Tomas Andino's article titled in Spanish titled "Gobierno de Xiomara Castro debe iniciar la salida de la misión militar norteamericana en Honduras". Find that article here

Check out our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page for more information & details about this issue and everything Honduras related.

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On February 16, ex-President Juan Orlando Hernandez was arrested by Honduran police. Since then, his extradition process to the United States to stand trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges, has been unfolding in Honduras. His arrest has sparked debates about whether his rights are being violated; the future of Honduran institutions involved in the narco-state; and how his supporters, including the US and Canadian governments, should be held accountable for supporting a violent, narco-regime.

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To read Karen Spring's article about the U.S. indictment against ex-Director of the Honduran National Police Juan Carlos "El Tigre" Bonilla, go to: https://www.aquiabajo.com/blog/2020/4/30/us-indictment-of-el-tigre-bonilla-just-the-tip-of-the-impunity-iceberg

Check out our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page for more information & details about this issue and everything Honduras related.

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