Press Release by the Embassy of the United States of America on International Human Rights Day

December 10, 2009

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the U.S. Embassy commends the work of all human rights organizations and defenders in Honduras, especially their valiant efforts to protect the human rights of Hondurans since the coup d’état.  We call on all sectors of society to make respect for human rights at the forefront as Honduras takes steps to achieve national reconciliation and restore its democratic order.

The U.S. Embassy would like to echo the concern about freedom of the press in Honduras expressed on December 9th by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.  In particular, we again express our concern to the de facto regime about the unexplained interference of television Channel 36.  We recall that article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights affirms the right to freedom of opinion and expression without interference.  We call on the authorities to guarantee this right in the case of television Channel 36.

International Human Rights Day, which is celebrated annually on December 10, was instituted in 1950 to commemorate the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948.