LatinWeek

Honduras: On April 26 US President Barack Obama telephoned President Porfirio Lobo of Honduras. It was the first time the two have spoke directly. According to a White House communiqué, President Obama commended Lobo for his “leadership in his first months in office promoting national reconciliation and restoring democratic and constitutional order in Honduras". Obama noted the new Truth Commission that from 4 May will investigate the June 2009 coup d'etat against the former president Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) and pledged support for the estimated 70,000 Honduran migrants in the US that have recently benefitted from the extension of the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) assigned to vulnerable migrant groups. The two also discussed the reinsertion of Honduras into the Organization of American States (OAS), which suspended the country after the coup. Notably, Obama also expressed concern over human rights issues in Honduras following a recent spate of killings of journalists and political activists. Six journalists have been murdered to date in 2010, five alone in the month of March, prompting several high-profile statements of concern by international organizations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Local opposition and civic grassroots groups claim that political violence, which worsened after the coup, has been allowed to fester under the Lobo administration. Police say there is no firm evidence that the violence is politically motivated, but Lobo is under growing pressure to deal with the situation.