Protest against charter cities proposal in Honduras. Banner reads: Model Cities: Expulsion of Garifuna People from Honduras. Photo G. Trucchi. A plan to build a series of 'model cities' designed to cater to foreign investors through the privatization of development, municipal services and legal systems within autonomous zones was struck down in Honduras' Supreme Court on Wednesday. Legislation that had approved the privatized cities was passed in January 2011 in a bid to draw foreign investors into the country. The move was championed by Honduran President Porfirio Lobo—who came to power in a military coup in 2009. The legislation faced immediate opposition from civil rights and indigenous groups, saying the "charter cities" would allow unprecedented civil rights abuses through exempting foreign corporations from government control and regulation in the territories. The law also empowered the private companies to take over indigenous land, sign their own international trade and investment agreements, and set their own immigration policies within the cities. In the subsequent Supreme Court hearing the justices voted 13-2, stating that the legislation was unconstitutional because it exempted the privatized cities from Honduran law. Prior to the ruling a US investment group was poised to dump $15 million into the infrastructure of the first model city near Puerto Castilla. Source: Common Dreams Editor's Note: Now take a look (below) at how the corporate media (Associated Press) pitches "Privatized Cities" in Honduras, claiming that "The project's aim was to strengthen Honduras' weak government and failing infrastructure, overwhelmed by corruption, drug-related crime and lingering political instability after a 2009 coup." "Privatized Cities" sounds like only one step away from "Privatized Countries" and as public schools, prisons, retirement funds, health care and the military become privatized bit by bit, the United States corporate government is becoming just that. - Les Blough in Venezuela October 18, 2012 Honduran supreme court rejects 'model cities' idea By Alberto Arce, Associated Press TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' Supreme Court has struck down a plan to build a series of model cities with their own independent tax and justice systems, a proposal that was meant to spur economic growth in this Central American country struggling with corruption and crime. Court spokesman Daniel Aguirre said the justices voted 13-2 Wednesday evening that legislation permitting the creation of special development zones outside the jurisdiction of ordinary Honduran law was unconstitutional, partly because it placed Honduran territory out of government control. Proponents of the model cities project said Thursday that the court decision was a blow to Honduran efforts to attract more international investment. Opponents said they were happy with the decision, which was expected to put an end to the model cities idea. Authorization for the private cities was passed by the Honduran Congress in January 2011 amid controversy that included objections to handing over control of Honduran territory. A U.S.-based investment group had been expected to put up $15 million to begin building basic infrastructure for the first model city near Puerto Castilla on the Caribbean coast. An international group of investors and government representatives had promoted the project as a way to bring badly needed economic growth. The project's aim was to strengthen Honduras' weak government and failing infrastructure, overwhelmed by corruption, drug-related crime and lingering political instability after a 2009 coup. The "model cities" would have had their own judiciary, laws, governments and police forces. They also would have been empowered to sign international agreements on trade and investment and set their own immigration policy. The project was opposed by civic groups as well as the indigenous Garifuna people, who said they didn't want their land near Puerto Castilla used in the project. Living along Central America's Caribbean coast, the Garifuna are descendants of the Amazon's Arawak Indians, the Caribbean's Caribes and escaped West African slaves. Oscar Cruz, a former constitutional prosecutor, filed a motion with the Supreme Court last year challenging the project as unconstitutional and calling it "a catastrophe for Honduras." "The cities involve the creation of a state within the state, a commercial entity with state powers outside the jurisdiction of the government," Cruz said. The investors had envisioned textile manufacturing, small-product assembly and outsourced businesses like call centers or data processing as possible industries in the model cities. They said workers would have been able to live in the cities, and the Honduran laws setting up the private areas guaranteed that any citizen of the country could also live there. Source: Associated Press