WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sarah Stephens, executive director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA), released this statement urging the United States government not to ratify the elections in Honduras as 'free and fair.'

"It will be a great mistake if the U.S. government simply ratifies the results of the Honduras election and supports a process that whitewashes the coup and excuses violations of human and political rights that made it impossible for Hondurans to exercise freely their rights to vote.

"No election can be deemed 'free and fair' when a de facto regime presides over a campaign marked by human rights violations, arbitrary arrests, limits on the freedoms of expression and the right to organize, and attacks on the media.

"If the United States blesses this election, and the majority of governments in our hemisphere do not, we will be divided from our allies and our credibility as advocates for democracy will be compromised once again.

"Instead, U.S. policy makers should stand for a restoration of the democratic order, implementation of the San Jose Accord, ending the violations of human rights, and full respect for civil liberties and an independent media. We should also stand in full support of a national dialogue in Honduras so that all citizens can debate their nation's democratic institutions and discuss steps that are needed to reform and improve them without interference from the government.

"Circumstances in Honduras present before the coup - a debate over how marginalized sectors in society could gain political, social, and economic inclusion - are also present in nations across the hemisphere. It is urgent that U.S. policy makers avoid creating the impression that democratic gains obtained at the ballot box can be taken away at the whim of the military or powerful economic interests with the apparent acquiescence of the United States of America."

Ms. Stephens, who visited Honduras with two delegations during the recently concluded campaign, published an article on the elections here.

The Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) is devoted to changing U.S. policy toward the countries of the Americas by basing our relations on mutual respect, fostering dialogue with those governments and movements with which U.S. policy is at odds, and recognizing positive trends in democracy and governance.

SOURCE Center for Democracy in the Americas

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