Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Honduras)

On the morning of June 28, 2009, military troops in Honduras stormed the house of president Manuel Zelaya, who had been in power since November 2005. These troops surrounded his residence, disarmed and beat his security guards, before arresting him and sending him on a plane to Costa Rica to live in exile. What sparked this event had been a disagreement in response to president Zelaya’s proposed changes to the constitution. One of the most controversial was a proposed removal of the presidential term limit, which many critics saw as a self-serving move to extend his own rule. When congress voted against this measure and tried to intervene, Zelaya refused to cancel the referendum, leading to congress ordering the removal of Zelaya from office. The new military government also committed a range of crimes in the period succeeding including the killing of opposition activists. == Commission ==

Establishment On October 30, 2009, the San Jose accords were agreed upon by representatives from each of Micheletti and Zelaya’s camps, in response to the military coup that had occurred, with the aim of ending the political turmoil and restoring a level of peace to the country. One of the key mandates was the creation of the CVR, or the Honduras Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Whilst both parties would later go against the terms of the accord, essentially voiding it, the new president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, was elected shortly after on 29 November 2009, and he supported the contents of the accord with the backing of international actors such as the United States. The work of the new commission began in May 2010. Mandate and structure The commission was set to run for at least 8 months, with a likely end date of early 2011, but was later delayed until July. The commission was funded by countries such as the United States and Spain.'''''' President Lobo selected five members for the commission, which included two Hondurans, and three foreigners. The mandate of the commission was to “Clarify the events that occurred prior to and after June 28, 2009 in Honduras, with the goal of identifying the acts that led to the crisis situation and providing the people of Honduras with elements to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future". • pursuing, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators of human rights abuses committed during the interim government; • establishing a national plan of reparations for those having legitimate and verifiable human rights grievances; • providing sufficient resources and independence to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, in order that it may respond promptly to human rights complaints; • conducting an independent review of the actions of the human rights commissioner during the interim government; • reviewing legislation to ensure that Honduran law is compatible with international norms and standards, particularly in relation to personal security related to freedom of expression – especially that of journalists – and freedom of association; • guaranteeing that tribal and indigenous people have access to justice in their own language; and • ensuring compliance with the International Labour Organization convention regarding the duty to consult about the use and exploitation of natural resources in aboriginal territories. Criticism There has been a mixed response to the commission. Much criticism has been levelled at the fact that there was no mandate to investigate human rights violations or abuses during or following the coup. and into the large role that the international community played in forming the truth commission. The distrust towards President Lobo also manifested itself into a general distrust towards the commission. == Aftermath ==

The report itself had limited impact on society in Honduras, due to factors such as the distrust for President Lobo, however, some groups welcomed the information presented and admittance of wrongdoing, As of October 2013, Honduras has reported to have complied with 32 of the recommendations, be in the process with complying with 37 more, and are yet to implement the final 17. Honduras, however, also reported that they had failed to prosecute and investigate those responsible for the violations during the coup. An alternative truth commission, the Comisión de Verdad (CDV) was set up by human rights groups due to many of the criticisms. == References ==