CCR files FOIA suit Re: Honduras coup and US role.

Pro Zelaya protesters

The Freedom of Information Act is a wonderful tool that shines a bright light in the beady little eyes of our federal government and provides us w/the truth. Sadly, the feds fight these requests tooth and nail which of course isn't a surprise, right? From Jurist:

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a complaint on Thursday to compel the release of documents related to the 2009 Honduras coup. The complaint names the US Department of Defense (DOD) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as defendants alleging the agencies withheld documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) [5 USC § 552; JURIST news archive] regarding if and how the US government and its interests affected the coup. The complaint details the events of the 2009 coup where the Honduran military kidnapped then-president Manual Zelaya from his home and put him on a plane to Costa Rica. The complaint refers to the coup as "one of the most significant recent political events in the region" and states that the US continues to have a close relationship with Honduras, including training members of Honduran military and security forces.

In light of the close relationship between the United States an Honduras, it is probable that little goes on in Honduras without the knowledge of, and/or consultation with, the U.S. Government. ... Despite public information regarding the U.S. Government's knowledge of the coup and its perpetrators, before and during the actual commission of the act, Defendants refuse to release and continue to unlawfully withhold documents responsive to Plaintiff's requests. 

In addition to the complaint, the CCR also filed several more FOIA requests with the DOD and CIA on behalf of the Honduras Commission for Truth, an organization tasked with investigating and establishing human rights violations that occurred during the coup.

The US State Department admits contact and interaction with the military group that overthrew the democratically elected President in June 2009, but that is as far as they will go. Zelaya, the deposed President, raised the minimum wage, gave out free school lunches, provided milk for the babies and pensions for the elderly, distributed energy-saving light bulbs, decreased the price of public transportation, made more scholarships available for students, and passed legislation to protect forests from logging.

So, if he did all those good things, why was he deposed? Why would our federal government support a coup against Zelaya? Why does Obama continue to support the current head of the country? Why does Obama continue to send our tax dollars to a country that deposed a legitimately elected President, when, as GlobalResearch states: Under the Foreign Assistance Act, no US aid can be given to a country whose elected head of government is removed by a military coup. The US is providing Honduras with $43 million in aid this year and maintains a major military presence in the country, including a base staffed by 600 US troops located 50 miles from the capital, Tegucigalpa. The US has also refrained from recalling its ambassador to Honduras.

A great read on this issue and the US history in the country and region, can be found at GlobalResearch here. CCR is a wonderful advocate for truth and justice.

Lots of questions, so few answers coming from a man that said he would have a transparent government if we elected him. We are still waiting for that transparency, President Obama.