ACTION ALERT! (sorry for the length of this!) REP. JARID POLIS SIGNED ON TO THE LETTER TO JOHN KERRY RE HUMAN RIGHTS AND RULE OF LAW IN HONDURAS. NOW WE NEED TO GET THE OTHER COLORADO REPS TO JOIN HIM! Contact the Foreign Policy Staffer in Washington, D.C. Office of Your U.S. Rep in Congress! We still need your help! On Monday, April 28, 2014, Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) began circulating a sign-on Dear Colleague letter in the U.S. House of Representatives to Secretary of State John Kerry addressing Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Honduras. The letter states that egregious violations of human rights continue almost 5 years after the coup. It raises concerns about militarization of the police, and the failure to investigate or prosecute human rights abuses, including in the Aguan Valley. The letter also raises concerns about freedom of speech and associations, and questions whether the November 2013 election was not free and fair. The letter asks State Department to: • Pay close attention to these issues and strictly evaluate U.S. support for Honduran security forces, in accordance with conditions placed on the aid in the 2014 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. • Fully enforce the Leahy Law, which prohibits U.S. assistance to any individual or unit that has committed gross human rights abuses and is not being brought to justice. The deadline to sign on is Friday, May 9, 2014 at 5:00 PM eastern time. To sign on to the letter, your Rep’s staffer is asked to contact Andrew Goczkowski [email protected] in Schakowskys office. (Please do not contact Schakowskys staff yourself.) Rep. Jared Polis has signed on the letter! District 2 members, please say thank you! Call or write Eve Lieberman at [email protected] or (202) 225-2161. DJPC thanks you for your work, too! Rep. Diana DeGette has signed a similar letter in the past. Please call to encourage her to do so again. Call or write Tommy Walker at [email protected] or (202) 225-4431. Other Metro area reps: • Rep. Ed Perlmutter: Ryan Collins at [email protected] or (202) 225-2645 • Rep. Mike Coffman: Jonathan Vanderplas at [email protected] or (202) 225-7882 When you call, ask to speak with the staffer for your Rep. If the aide does not recall seeing the letter, ask him or her to request a copy from Andrew in Schakowsky’s office. If the foreign policy staffer is not is not available, ask to leave a message on his voice mail. Sample Script: “My name is _____. I am a constituent from (town / city). I am calling to ask Representative _____ to sign the Schakowsky letter on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Honduras. Has Representative _____ seen this letter? Can I count on him/her to sign on? Please call me this week at (_your phone number_) to let me know if you have seen the letter, and if Representative _____ will sign it. Thank you.” In your phone conversation, you might highlight why this letter is important to you, especially if you have travelled to Honduras or have had personal experiences with Hondurans. THANK YOU FROM DJPCS ADVOCACY COMMITTEE FOR YOUR HELP AND SOLIDARITY!!
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 20:18:28 +0000
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