The June 28 coup in Honduras was carried out by the School of the Americas (SOA) graduates Gen. Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, the head of the of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Honduran military and by Gen. Luis Prince Suazo, the head of the Air Force. The leadership of SOA graduates in the coup follows a pattern of anti-democratic actions by graduates of the SOA (renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, WHINSEC). The Pentagon claim -- that the institute instills respect for democracy and civilian leadership while teaching combat skills to Latin American soldiers -- has once again been disproved by the actions of the institute's graduates.
SOA-trained Honduran Army Attorney Col. Herberth Inestroza justified the military coup and stated in an interview with The Miami Herald “It would be difficult for us, with our training, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible.'' Inestroza also confirmed that the decision for the coup was made by the military. Another SOA graduate, retired General Daniel López Carballo, told CNN that the coup was warranted because Venezuelan President Chávez would be running Honduras by proxy if the military had not acted.
The crisis in Honduras began when the military refused to distribute ballot boxes for a nonbonding opinion poll that was supposed to determine whether or not a majority of Hondurans desire to enter into a process to modify their constitution. President Zelaya fired the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, SOA graduate General Romeo Vasquez Velasquez. The heads of all branches of the Honduran armed forces quit in solidarity with Vasquez. Vasquez, however, refused to step down, bolstered by a Supreme Court ruling that reinstated him. Vasquez remains in control of the armed forces.
Vasquez, along with other military leaders, graduated from the United States' infamous SOA. According to information that SOA Watch obtained from the US government through a Freedom of Information Act request, Vasquez studied in the SOA at least twice: once in 1976 and again in 1984.
The head of the Air Force, General Luis Javier Prince Suazo, studied in the School of the Americas in 1996. The Air Force has been a central protagonist in the Honduran coup. When the military refused to distribute the ballot boxes for the opinion poll, the ballot boxes were stored on an Air Force base until citizens accompanied by Zelaya rescued them. Zelaya reports that after soldiers kidnapped him, they took him to an Air Force base, where he was put on a plane and sent to Costa Rica.
Former Representative Joe Kennedy stated, "The School of the Americas...is a school that has run more dictators than any other school in the history of the world."
The SOA has a long history in Honduras: In 1975, SOA graduate General Juan Melgar Castro became the military dictator of Honduras. From 1980-1982 the dictatorial regime was headed by yet another SOA graduate, Policarpo Paz Garcia, who intensified repression by Battalion 3-16, one of the most feared death squads in the Americas.
Honduran Gen. Humberto Regalado Hernandez, who was inducted into the SOA's Hall of Fame, was a four-time graduate. As head of the armed forces, he refused to take action against soldiers involved in the Battalion 3-16 death squad.
This is not the first time the SOA has been involved in Latin American coups. In April 2002, the democratically elected Chavez government of Venezuela was briefly overthrown, and the SOA-trained soldiers Efrain Vasquez Velasco, ex-army commander, and Gen. Ramirez Poveda, were key players in the coup attempt.
The school graduated at least eleven Latin American dictators, among them are:
- · Argentine Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, who seized power in a bloody coup, bringing down another SOA grad, Gen. Roberto Viola, who came to power during Argentina’s Dirty War.
- · Guatemalan dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt, who seized power in a coup in 1982 and conducted a scorched earth campaign against the Mayan Indians.
- · Panamanian dictators Gen. Omar Torrijos, who overthrew a civilian government in a 1968 coup, and Gen. Manuel Noriega, a five-time SOA graduate, who ruled the country and dealt in drugs while on the CIA payroll.
- · Ecuadoran dictator Gen. Guillermo Rodriguez, who overthrew the elected civilian government in 1972.
- · Bolivian dictators Gen. Hugo Banzer Suarez, who seized power in a violent coup in 1971, and Gen. Guido Vildoso Calderon, who grabbed power in 1982.
- · Peruvian strongman Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado, who in 1968 toppled the elected civilian government.
Over its 58 years, the SOA/WHINSEC has trained over 60,000 Latin American soldiers in counter-insurgency techniques, sniper skills, commando and psychological warfare, military intelligence and interrogation tactics. Human Rights groups are calling for the closure of the institute. Rep. Jim McGovern has introduced H.R. 2567 in the House of Representatives, which calls for the suspension of operation of the school and a Congressional investigation into the connection between human rights abuses in Latin America and U.S. military training.
Comments
Mr. Gist is poorly informed, and clearly sided to a leftist agenda.
Zelaya's statements and actions to extend his presidential term (read Chavez proud claims to export revolution to Honduras)triggerred an automatic removal clause (read the Honduran constitution)..that the army was heavy handed to put him on a plane bound for CR, perhaps..but why would the army symphatize with a man that has close ties to Chavez and other leftists thugs?
The press willingly regurgitates leftist propaganda, while it fails to research Zelaya's bold moves towards a communist dictatorship, or Venezuelan intervention in Honduran affairs
This situation did not start with a non-binding opinion poll. Even when it was changed to a non-binding poll, it was still illegal. There are many areas of the constitution that can be amended. Zelaya's intent was to change the foundation of the constitution, the untouchable. This author is telling half-truths by leaving out vital information. If the military had only taken Zelaya to jail instead of illegally deporting him, this mess would be much less complicated.
Zelaya was a idiot.
I take it Mr. Gist that you studied under the editor of Pravda, for this article is a fine example of communist propaganda and slanted journalism. Mr. Gist, you make much of the SOA, but say nothing of Comrade Chavez's interference in Honduran politics. In your view is it ok to allow communist interference in Central America? Do you prefer communism over democracy and capitalism? You should take your talents to North Korea and see how well you do?
Have you ever read the Honduran constitution and what it states regarding terms limits for the president? I am sure you are keenly aware that the ballots for the infamous vote came from communist Venezuela. At present Honduras is being governed by a democratically elected member of congress and of the same party as former president Zelaya. It was not a perfect transition, but it is a civilian government that was democratically elected.
So this 'examiner' thinks any attendance at US training for any length of time and at any time is 'proof' that it led to criminal activity? Wow, do you really think the US military is that good at training? Just look at the absurdity of telling you people were trained at the SOA--no reference to when, what they studied, what its relevance to the subject at hand. The commander of the Hunduran Army's last association with the School of the Americas was about four weeks a quarter-century ago, and he learned how to train the small units he was responsible for at the time, when he was a captain.
If you have a case, you should make it, but don't try to do so by making moral libels of the US Soldiers who taught at the SOA, with no evidence they did anything immoral, illegal, or unethical, and about 60,000 indicators they did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Sincerely,
Lee A. Rials
Public Affairs Officer
WHINSEC (created in public law by Pres Clinton, opened Jan 17, 01)
To all those who left comments - try reading Jerry Meldon's article in Consortium News "The ghosts of Tegucigalpa" if you are genuinely interested in the relationship between the SOA and current events in Honduras...and how about that tired old premise of democracy - majority rule - if the majority of the Honduran people want a socialist system, it's their right (or should I say, left...)
What's the matter with you supposed upholders of the 'rule of law' and 'democracy'? Scared of losing your privilege?
Exploiting people has a limited shelf-life, as the United States is finally finding out, and a lot of people in the world still consider ballot boxes the appropriate way to install governments, not the barrels of guns.
Stop defending the indefensible, and start using your brains and your ethical capacity, if you have any.
We were at the soa when it was at Homestead AFB,Fl. You did not have to train these goons, they were that way when they arrived.
Response (below) to Lee A. Rials comment (above)
“It would be difficult for us, WITH OUR TRAINING, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible.''
~Honduran Army Attorney Col. Herberth Inestroza SOA-trained
Response (below) to Lee A. Rials (above):
“It would be difficult for us, WITH OUR TRAINING, to have a relationship with a leftist government. That's impossible.''
~Col. Herberth Inestroza: SOA-trained Honduran Army Attorney
Ifvenezuela is anything it is capitilist, the only difference is that they seek to produce rather then simply consume. Velaya was an idiot, simply because he developed no supporters within in the military as Chavez, the again he was militry. However a list of eleven major dictators produced bythe soa was provided. Do you believe that to be mere coincidence. Never mind countries such as Saudia Arabia, ruled by u.s backed dictators for decades. Angola, south Africa. Why would south america be any different? It is after all a key component of NEo-liberalism.
just about all the criminal gangeters and torturers are trained in this school. this is hoe the empire has been keeping up ythe repression and the dicatatorship against the peoples of the latin america. the bankrupt ampire will come crashing down. and their antihuman torture stooges will be properly dealt with.
just about all the criminal gangsters and torturers are trained in this school. this is hoe the empire has been keeping up the repression and the dictatorship against the peoples of the latin america. the bankrupt empire will come crashing down. and their anti human torture stooges will be properly dealt with.
I encourage all to read 'Ortega Follows Zelaya' in this weeks The Weekly Standard. I find it interesting that there were prestuffed ballot boxes found in Zelaya's referendum headquarters - 450 out of 480 votes supporting the constitutional convention Zelaya was seeking. How is that when the election hadn't yet occurred?
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