US cites human rights concerns, withholds funds to Honduran National Police
US cites human rights concerns, withholds funds to Honduran National Police
By Associated Press, Published: August 11
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The U.S. government is withholding funds to Honduran law enforcement units directly supervised by their new national police chief until the U.S. can investigate allegations that he ran a death squad a decade ago, according to a State Department report released this week.
The report says the State Department “is aware of allegations of human rights violations related to Police Chief Juan Carlos Bonilla’s service” and that the U.S. government has established a working group to investigate.
The U.S. had pledged $56 million in bilateral security and development assistance for 2012 in Honduras, where tons of drugs pass through each year on their way to the United States. Under the new guidelines, the U.S. is limiting assistance so that it only goes to special Honduran law enforcement units, staffed by Honduran personnel “who receive training, guidance, and advice directly from U.S. law enforcement and are not under Bonilla’s direct supervision,” according to the report.
Foreign operations law requires that 20 percent of assistance to Honduras be withheld until the Secretary of State certifies that Honduras is taking steps to improve human rights conditions and investigate allegations of abuses. In an unusual twist, the report certifies the Honduran government is meeting human rights requirements, but nonetheless says the U.S. government is withholding aid to agents working under Bonilla.
More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-cites-human-rights-concerns-withholds-funds-to-honduran-national-police/2012/08/11/901e028a-e3fd-11e1-89f7-76e23a982d06_print.html
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It would be laughable if it were not so disgusting. But, anyway, sometimes you gotta laugh...
The U.S. government and its "human rights concerns":
