PC(USA) stated clerk letter to Secretary of State Clinton

August 19, 2009

Dear Secretary Clinton:

I am the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the elected leader of the 2.2 million-member Protestant denomination which has roots in this country dating back to 1706.

I write regarding the crisis in Honduras, where our church has been engaged in mission for almost 100 years. Many of our local church members were engaged in working for peace and justice and in defense of human rights in Central America and particularly Honduras during the political upheavals of the 1980’s.

We are grateful for the role you and the United States are playing, along with the Organization of American States and others, to find a peaceful solution to the impasse in Honduras over the presidency. We urge you to continue to press forward with those efforts.

In the meantime, it is clear from reports of Amnesty International and other partners who are in Honduras that human rights violations at the hands of those in control of the country are growing in their frequency and scope. It is particularly unfortunate to hear reports of violence and intimidation against human rights workers there. We are especially concerned about the military takeover of radio and television stations, excessive use of force in quelling demonstrations, while acknowledging that some demonstrators have resorted to acts of violence, and extensive detentions for protesting and violating curfew. We urge the State Department to raise these issues with the Micheletti government even as it works to resolve the institutional crisis. 

While the circumstances in Honduras are not analogous to those which obtained in the mid-1980s, it would be a tragedy if Honduras or any other country in the regions were to return to those dark days, when impunity by those in power created conditions, especially for the poor, in which genuine democracy could not flower.

Again, know that our prayers are with you and all those who assist you in your immense task as Secretary of State. You may be sure that if our own constituency can be of help to you in this situation or any other where the church might have a role in supporting a process of national dialogue and reconciliation, we stand ready to be of assistance in the interest of peace and justice.

Yours in Christ,

Gradye M. Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly