Thousands protest against Lugo coup

[Judi Lynn]

Thousands protest against Lugo coup
Sunday 24 June 2012
by Our Foreign Desk

Deposed Paraguay president Fernando Lugo emerged early today to denounce his removal as a "parliamentary coup" and a "fore-ordained sentence" that was not based proper evidence.

~snip~

Crowds of pro-Lugo protesters took to the streets condemning the impeachment trial and expressed support for the president chanting "we will not recognise any other president." Police in riot gear used horses and water cannons to drive them back.

~snip~

Chile said Mr Lugo's removal "did not comply with the minimum standards of due process" and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said "legal procedures shouldn't be used to abuse."

~snip~

Paraguay's powerful landed elite, accustomed to getting their way during 61 years of Colorado single-party rule, fought his attempts to raise taxes and redistribute farmland to the poor majority.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/120611

[Judi Lynn]

1. British trade unions join backlash against Lugo coup

British trade unions join backlash against Lugo coup
Sunday 24 June 2012

Trade unionists in Britain today condemned the "coup d'etat" in Paraguay after President Fernando Lugo was impeached last week.

The centre-left president who was elected promising land reform for the poorest in the country was ousted by right-wing politicians sitting in the lower house.

~snip~

Leading British figures with an interest in Latin America have joined the governments of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic in condemning the coup.

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke added: "Reports of human rights violations against Lugo supporters, trade unionists, campesinos and others are deeply concerning.

More:
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/120624

[Judi Lynn]

2. Lugo denounces ouster as president – ‘parliamentary coup not based on proper evidence’

Lugo denounces ouster as president – ‘parliamentary coup not based on proper evidence’
Sunday, June 24, 2012

ASUNCION: Fernando Lugo emerged early yesterday to denounce his ouster as Paraguay’s president as a “parliamentary coup” and a “foreordained sentence” that was not based on proper evidence. Lugo said his truncated presidency was targeted because he tried to help the South American nation’s poor majority. Asked whether he had any hope of retaking office, Lugo exhorted his followers to remain peaceful but suggested that national and international clamor could lead Paraguayan lawmakers to reverse his impeachment.

“In politics, anything is possible,” said Lugo, who termed the Senate’s sudden vote to remove him a coup by political trial.” He also said that Roman Catholic bishops visited him before Friday’s Senate trial for alleged poor performance of duties, and he agreed to accept the outcome of a process he considered illegitimate only to avoid bloodshed.

Lugo spoke in a pre-dawn special televised “open microphone” program hosted by a state- funded public television channel that was created by his government. As Saturday turned into yesterday, a long line of speakers queued up in front of the station’s headquarters to vent their frustration over what they called an institutional coup, calling for strikes and protests to demand his return. “We will not recognize any other president,” chanted the crowd of at least 200 people, waving Paraguayan flags and bundled up against the Southern Hemisphere winter.

The nighttime protest followed an otherwise sleepy day, when many shops were closed and streets were largely empty. Some alleged that the public station was being censored by the nascent government of Federico Franco. Franco was sworn in after Lugo’s ouster on Friday and set about forming his new government as he promised to honor foreign commitments, respect private property and reach out to Latin American leaders to minimize diplomatic fallout and keep his country from becoming a regional pariah.

More:
http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/06/24/lugo-denounces-ouster-as-president-parliamentary-coup-not-based-on-proper-evidence/
(Associated Press)