RE: “Defienden a estadounidenses detenidos en Honduras.”

Dear Editor,

Please allow me to submit the following letter in response to the June 1 article and ongoing story, “Defienden a estadounidenses detenidos en Honduras.”

The article concerning the six Americans currently being imprisoned in Puerto Lempira, Honduras, presents the Aqua Quest employees as victims of the Central American country’s corrupt justice system. The six accused are being held on charges of carrying illicit weapons into Honduras without permits, but they have claimed the arms were only for self-defense. The incarceration of these employees has caused an uproar amongst American politicians, including House Representative Mike Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who demanded their immediate release. Though the Gracias a Dios region of Honduras is extremely dangerous, American citizens have no right to circumvent laws established by the Honduran government. It is important to remember that Honduras is a sovereign nation with its own laws and regulations that require arms permits, and is very much within its rights to arrest foreigners who enter into its borders without the proper arms documentation, especially in such a volatile region. Even more alarming, however, is the dramatically and quickly deteriorating security and quality of life Honduras which should become an international concern for all states.

Sincerely,

Grace Kranstover, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

In response to El Nuevo Herald article “Defienden a estadounidenses detenidos en Honduras.”

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