An LA Times op-ed by Miguel A. Estrada, “Honduras’ non-coup,” is the latest in a barrage of legalistic sophistries in defense of the Honduran putsch being assembled by the political right.
4,000 supporters of ousted President Mel Zelaya blocked the main road through Honduras—while in Venezuela, Hugo Chávez warned the dialogue underway in Costa Rica is a “trap for democracy.”
Both Mel Zelaya and Roberto Micheletti, arriving in Costa Rica for talks on the Honduran impasse, denied there is anything to discuss—as more repression of pro-Zelaya protesters is reported.
Hillary Clinton announced that Costa Rican President Oscar Arias will mediate in the Honduran crisis—while Zelaya-loyal chancellor Patricia Rodas told TeleSur the US has withdrawn recognition.
Father JosĂ© AndrĂ©s Tamayo, recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work defending the forests of Honduras, has been forced into hiding after leading protests against the coup d’etat.
Deposed Honduran President Mel Zelaya, speaking from exile to his own armed forces, said: “In the name of God, soldiers of Honduras… I beg and command you: do not repress the Honduran people!”
Popular organizations in Honduras charge that ex-US under-secretary of state Otto Reich masterminded a campaign of “sabotage and disinformation” in the prelude to the coup d’etat.
Guatemala’s special anti-corruption Court for High Risk Crimes sentenced former vice president Roxana Baldetti to prison for 15 years and six months for her role in the so-called "Magic Water" scandal. The case concerned the awarding of an $18 million dollar contract to decontaminate Lake Amatitlán, an important water source for peasant communities. The contract went to Israeli firm M. Tarcic Engineering Ltd, which claimed it had a "special formula" that could clean the lake within months. An investigation revealed that the "formula" consisted of water, salt and chlorine. The Authority for the Sustainable Management of Lake Amatitlán (AMSA), establsihed to oversee the clean-up, documented illegal dumping of agricultural and municipal waste into the Río Villalobos, which empties into the lake. The UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) supported Guatemalan prosecutors in the conspiracy case against Baldetti. (Photo via EmisorasUnidas)
The Honduran army placed military vehicles on the airstrip in Tegucigalpa to prevent President Mel Zelaya from landing—but the army’s top lawyer admitted that the military coup was illegal.
Honduras’ new foreign minister Enrique Ortez dissed world leaders who reject his coup-installed regime in contemptuous terms—calling Barack Obama a “little black man who knows nothing.”
Meeting in Washington, the OAS again demanded the immediate return of Mel Zelaya to power in Honduras—while Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega said the Honduran military is preparing a “blood-bath.”
Social organizations in El Salvador denounced the disappearance of Gustavo Marcelo Rivera, an anti-mining leader from the town of San Isidro, fearing a political motive.
