Enrique Ortez

Enrique Ortez Colindres is a Honduran politician and member of the Liberal Party who came to prominence during his time as Foreign Minister in the interim government of Roberto Micheletti in 2009.

Racial comments concerning Obama

During a television interview on June 29, 2009, Ortez commented that U.S. president Barack Obama, who refused to back the coup or to recognize the interim government as legitimate, was "un negrito que no sabe nada de nada[1]" (English: a little black man who knows nothing about nothing[2]); he also referred to Obama as "el negrito del batey"[3] (translated as a black plantation worker). The US ambassador to Honduras, Hugo Llorens, expressed outrage regarding Ortez's comments, and the anti-coup movement both in and outside of Honduras used Ortez's comments against the government. Ortez sent a letter of apology to the White House[4] and was reassigned to the office of minister for justice on July 10.

References

  1. ↑ Nuevo canciller de Honduras menosprecia a El Salvador
  2. ↑ Honduras's de facto chancellor: "Obama is a little black man who knows nothing."
  3. ↑ Cisma por haber llamado a Obama “negrito del batey”
  4. ↑ Honduran official apologizes to Obama for remark
Political offices
Preceded by
Patricia Rodas		 Foreign Minister of Honduras
(Acting)
2009 		Succeeded by
Carlos López Contreras
(Acting)
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