August 26, 2010 letter from Vera Leone, Witness for Peace Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizer:

I just returned late last week from an urgent delegation to Honduras to learn about the human rights crisis that continues worsening, more than a year after the June 28 military coup. I am honored to share with you the news of this fall's Mid-Atlantic speakers tour:

JUSTICE IN HONDURAS: Witness for Peace Mid-Atlantic Fall Speakers Tour will be November 1 - 22 with Nectali Rodezno, Co-Coordinator of National Front of Lawyers in Resistance Against the Coup in Honduras.

The lawyer's front is directly involved with the front lines of the struggle for justice in Honduras. Nectali and the other lawyers defend those who are beaten and illegally detained by state forces, in efforts to stop human rights abuses in their tracks before they get any worse. For those who oppose the coup and the regime, lives are on the line every day.

The United States plays a big role in covering up the crimes of the coup and the illegitimate regime the coup installed. Which means that you and your university, union, faith community or organization can play a role in getting out the truth!

I will be putting together Nectali's tour from Washington, DC November 1 to the gates of Ft. Benning, where the School of the Americas is located, November 21. Contact me as soon as possible if your area wants to host an event! The talks will focus primarily on the context of the coup -- why it happened, its importance -- and what's happening right now in terms of the human rights situation in Honduras, and where we go from here.

As hard as it is -- and seeing teachers we met with beaten by police this week, and campesinos in Zacate Grande also attacked in their land struggle with one of the country's tiny elite landowners, it's clear that for many that the struggle for justice is costly and difficult -- the Honduran resistance is strong and inspiring, and we have much to learn from it. As we come together from different issues and backgrounds and experiences, and build common ground, our work will be stronger for it and I look forward to working with you towards this common ground this fall!

Yours in the struggle,

Vera Leone
WFPMA Regional Organizer