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The Guardian NOVEMBER 27, 2009 - by Brian Eno & others

LETTERS: HONDURAS WARNING FOR LATIN AMERICA

Latin America faces the greatest threat to its democracy in decades. The military coup that overthrew elected president Manual Zelaya and seized power in Honduras in June is now seeking to legitimise its illegal government through the international recognition of elections on November 29. Such recognition would give a green light to opponents of democracy throughout the continent that military coups will be tolerated. Free and fair elections on November 29 are impossible. Human rights, freedom of assembly and of the press have all been under attack in Honduras. Repression under the coup regime has seen at least twenty people killed, more than six hundred people injured and three-thousand-five-hundred people detained.

The legitimate Honduran president, Manual Zelaya, has called for supporters of democracy not to recognise the elections under the military coup regime. Nearly all of Latin America's governments have declared that they will not do so. Worryingly the US has indicated it will recognise these illegitimate elections. We call on all governments, including the Obama administration, to not recognise the elections on November 29 under the military coup regime.

Colin Burgon MP Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Cuba and Venezuela, Jon Cruddas MP, Ken Livingstone, Baroness Gibson Chair APPG on Latin America, Brendan Barber General Secretary, TUC, Jamie Hepburn MSP (SNP), Adam Price MP (Plaid Cymru), Caroline Lucas MEP Leader, Green party, Bruce Kent, David Hare, John Pilger, Lowkey (musician), Brian Eno, Dr J Buxton Centre for International Co-operation and Security, University of Bradford, Tony Lloyd MP Chair, Parliamentary Labour Party, Ann Cryer MP, Colin Challen MP,Clare Short MP, Dave Anderson MP, David Chaytor MP, David Drew MP, David Martin MEP, David Taylor MP, Diane Abbott MP, Gordon Prentice MP, Harry Cohen M, Hywel Williams MP, Ian Davidson MP, Jean Lambert MEP, John Battle MP, John Battle MP, John Hemming MP, John McDonnell MP, Lord Nic Rea, Mark Fisher MP, Martin Caton MP, Neil Gerrard MP, Nigel Griffiths MP, Paul Flynn MP, Paul Holmes MP, Rob Marris MP, Steve Pound MP, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson Joint General Secretaries, Unite the Union, Sally Hunt General Secretary, UCU, Alan Ritchie General Secretary, Ucatt, Luke Crawley Assistant General Secretary, Bectu, Mick Shaw President, FBU, Matt Wrack General Secretary, FBU, Gerry Doherty General Secretary, TSSA, Bob Crow General Secretary, RMT, Steve Hart Regional Secretary, Unite, Chris McLaughlin Editor, Tribune, Sam Tarry National Chair of Young Labour, Chris Weldon Labour Party NEC, Kaveh Moussavi University of Oxford's Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Head of the Public Interest Law Programme, Professor Keith Ewing, Professor Mary Davis, Dr Steve Ludlam Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, Diana Raby Senior fellow, Latin American Studies, University of Liverpool, Barry Cannon Postdoctoral fellow, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University Hazel Marsh School of Politics, Social & International Studies, University of East Anglia, Dr Michael Derham School of Arts and Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Rod Stoneman Director of the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, Dr Stephen Wilkinson Director, Centre for Caribbean and Latin American Research and Consultancy, London Metropolitan University, Professor Ernesto Laclau University of Essex