Regional Latinoamericana
Unión Internacional de Trabajadores de la Alimentación,
Agrícolas, Hoteles, Restaurantes, Tabaco y Afines (Rel-UITA)

Comité
Ejecutivo
Latinoamericano:


Presidente
Argentino Geneiro
UTHGRA
Argentina

Vicepresidenta
Neuza Barbosa
CNTA
Brasil

Carolina Llanos
UATRE
Argentina

Héctor Ponce
ATILRA
Argentina

Silvia Villaverde
FAOPCHPYA
Argentina

Alberto Broch
CONTAG
Brasil

Siderlei de Oliveira
CONTAC
Brasil

Luis A. Pedraza
UNAC
Colombia

Guillermo Rivera
SINTRAINAGRO
Colombia

Edwin Ranchos
FESTRAS
Guatemala

Gerardo Iglesias
Secretario Regional

Montevideo, July 30, 2009

Secretary General of the

Organization of American States

Mr. José Miguel Insulza

Dear Sir,

We are urgently writing to you to express our deepest concern over the savage repression unleashed today by the de facto government of Honduras on its people, and to categorically denounce and condemn such violence.

It is with outrage that we report that our fellow unionist Carlos H. Reyes, general secretary of the Union of Beverage and Related Industry Workers (STIBYS) and member of the IUF’s International Executive Committee, was arrested and brutally beaten, suffering head injuries and a broken arm.

Other members and leaders of STIBYS and other trade unions and social organizations were also repressed and arrested as they protested in a peaceful rally in Tegucigalpa.

Demonstrators were massively repressed, with many wounded by gunshot, some of which are still delicate.

On behalf of our 375 affiliates from 120 countries, we ask you to urgently intervene before the de facto authorities who currently hold power in Honduras, and are therefore responsible for this heinous attack against peaceful and unarmed protesters. We ask you to appeal to them and demand that they immediately stop repressing and persecuting the people, who are only seeking the restoration of the democratic order trampled in the coup.

Sincerely yours,

Gerardo Iglesias

IUF Latin American Regional Secretary