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 #AnotherWorldIsPossibleFor the full panel presentation, World Beyond War's #NoWarConference, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlGdq6s8HmZoqi6T1YEftxGtnaxjBKq1GComing 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: @HondurasNowX/Twitter: @HondurasNowThanks for listening!

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/Follow Honduras Now on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hondurasnow/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HondurasNowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HondurasNowCheck out the show notes at: hondurasnow.orgHappy New Year, everyone! Thanks for listening.

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=96iR0ICpQZYRead 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.pdfWatch U.S. Congressional representative Ilhan Omar questioning the State Department about the massacre: https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1489378251558555649Follow Honduras Now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hondurasnow/Twitter: https://twitter.com/HondurasNowFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HondurasNowCheck out the show notes at: hondurasnow.orgThank you to our listeners and to the people that donate to this podcast. We can't do it without you!

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.Thanks for listening!

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. Thanks to our donors for keeping the podcast going!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 hereCheck out our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter page for more information & details about this issue and everything Honduras related.Thanks for listening!

U.S. banana companies have a long history in Honduras. Their historical involvement in providing education has shaped some of the ways in which the Honduran education system developed, particularly along the north coast.Today, we speak with Kate Kedley, a professor and activist about her long relationship with Honduras, including her interesting insights into a range of issues including english education, employment, globalization, the banana campos, and adoption***Thanks for listening. Please check us out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (@HondurasNow) for day-to-day Honduran news, videos, and pictures that complement our episodes.

On November 28, almost 70% of Hondurans eligible to vote went to the polls and elected Xiomara Castro as their next President. The victory represents a slam dunk win for the LIBRE party but also for the Honduran people, who voted in masses to end the 12-year U.S.-backed narco-dictatorship. Host Karen Spring interviews Honduran women in the social movement and human rights organizations about their responses to Xiomara's victory. She gives an overview of election celebrations, the results of the Congressional level, and outlines some of the difficulties facing the new government that takes power on January 27, 2022. Check out our show notes: hondurasnow.orgFind us on IG, Twitter, and Facebook. Thank you to the donors of this podcast. Happy holidays to everyone!

As the COP26 is meeting in Glasgow, UK, Honduran communities maintain their resistance against "clean" energy projects proposed in their communities. These types of projects are often financed in the name of mitigating climate change but create social conflict and environmental destruction in the communities where they are proposed. The Jilamito dam project in Arizona, Atlántida is an example of one of these projects. We learn about this project and put it and others in the context of the global efforts to allegedly combat climate change. Show notes: hondurasnow.orgInstagram: @HondurasNowTwitter: @HondurasNowFacebook: Honduras Now

On Monday, September 13, 2021, political prisoners Edwin Espinal & Raúl Alvarez will stand trial on trumped up charges stemming from the 2017 electoral crisis. Both were released from pre-trial detention in August 2019 but are not fully in the clear. The trial next week will determine whether they will be sent back to prison for 15 to 30 years.Listen to a summary of the case and hear an interview with Edwin Espinal, the day after he was released from a maximum-security prison in 2019. Edwin describes the conditions inside the prison including how the relatively new maximum-security prisons in Honduras are similar to the US prison model.To take action in support of Edwin and Raul, go to:bit.ly/edwinyraul - send a message to your Congressional repbit,ly/edwinyraul2 - send a letter to the Honduran authoritiesFor more information and updates on the case:Twitter: @EdwinLibertadFacebook: Free Edwin Espinal LibertadFind the podcast's social media and the show notes:Twitter: @HondurasNowFacebook: Honduras NowInstagram: Honduras NowShow notes: https://www.hondurasnow.orgThank you so much to all the individuals that have donated to the podcast. You keep us going. Thanks for listening!

The recent news of the 215 children found in graves at Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, has made headlines all over the world. The news raises more questions about Canada's colonial history and causes outrage about the treatment of indigenous peoples in Canada and globally.Host Karen Spring speaks with Dr. Tyler Shipley, a professor, activist, and author of the book "Canada in the World: Settler Capitalism and Colonial Imagination" about Canada's colonial past and present. Shipley discusses and connects colonialism to Canada's foreign policy in Honduras and other parts of the world.Check out our show notes and make a donation to the show: hondurasnow.orgFollow us on Instagram: @hondurasnowBuy Dr. Tyler Shipley's book: Fernwood PublishingFollow 'Canada in the World' on Twitter: @canadainthewrldThanks for listening!

The important trial against David Castillo, one of the accused co-authors of indigenous activist Berta Cáceres' murder, is underway in Honduras. Before her murder, Cáceres faced several attempts to silence her resistance. Many of the same repressive tactics used against Cáceres - criminalization, imprisonment, threats, and murder - are still employed regularly against land defenders, human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, women, and several other targeted groups in the country. Karen provides an overview of what these strategies are and what impact they have on the people that experience them. ** Correction: Berta Cáceres won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015, NOT in 2016 as stated in the podcastCheck out the show notes at: hondurasnow.org and follow us on Instagram: @hondurasnowFor daily summaries about the trial against David Castillo, see: aquiabajo.com/blogThanks for listening!

On March 14th, Hondurans went to the polls to vote in the 2021 primary elections. Host Karen Spring interviews Honduran sociologist and political analyst, Tomas Andino Mencía about the primaries and discusses what they mean in the context of the Honduran narco-state, migration, and the general electoral political reality in the country. If all continues as is, will Honduras see another political crisis this year? For more information about elections in Honduras, see the National Electoral Council (CNE's) website: www.cne.hnFor the show notes from today's episode and links to articles further analyzing the elections, see: hondurasnow.orgFor updates and more stories from Honduras, follow us on Instagram: @HondurasNow

Berta Cáceres is one of the most well-known Honduran activists. She was murdered in her home almost 5 years ago on March 2, 2016. The legal case against David Castillo, one of the accused masterminds of Berta Cáceres’s murder keeps being postponed. To date, no other intellectual authors have been accused or arrested despite sufficient evidence outlining the involvement of powerful Honduran businessmen invested in the Agua Zarca dam, in Berta’s murder. This is “justice” in Honduras, even for cases as emblematic as the cases surrounding the murder of well known indigenous activist, Berta Cáceres. But who is Roberto David Castillo Mejía? How is Castillo’s defense arguing his case? What is the strategy behind all the delay tactics to avoid the trial process against Castillo? We hear from Berta Zúniga Cáceres, Berta’s second oldest daughter and the General Coordinator of the Civic Council for Popular and Indigenous Organizations in Honduras (COPINH) & Victor Fernandez, the lead lawyer representing COPINH & Berta’s family. JUSTICE FOR BERTA CÁCERES! For more information and in-depth examination of David Castillo & his business interests: https://soaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Violence-Corruption-Impunity-A-Profile-of-Roberto-David-Castillo.pdfFor the report from the international team of experts accompanying the case: https://gaipe.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/GAIPE-Report-English.pdfFollow us on Instagram for more stories & updates from Honduras: @hondurasnowShow notes will be posted at: hondurasnow.org