|
Under pressure, Honduras shuts pro-Zelaya media
2009-09-29
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras' de facto government sent troops on Monday to shut down two media stations loyal to ousted President Manuel Zelaya, drawing fresh condemnation of its increasingly heavy-handed rule. The early morning raids on Radio Globo and the Cholusat Sur television station -- both critical of the government headed by Roberto Micheletti -- followed a decree late on Sunday suspending some civil rights and media freedoms. The U.S. government told Micheletti's government to immediately reverse the measures. "The freedoms inherent in the suspended rights are inalienable and cannot be limited or restricted without seriously damaging the democratic aspirations of the Honduran people," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. Zelaya was forced into exile by a June 28 military coup but he returned secretly last week and was given refuge in Brazil's embassy, fueling a standoff with the civilian government that took over after he was toppled and has vowed to arrest him. Soldiers and riot police have surrounded the embassy for the past week, while the leftist Zelaya urges his followers to take to the streets. The crisis is the first serious test for U.S. President Barack Obama in Latin America. He has called for Zelaya's reinstatement and cut some aid to Honduras but has also been criticized by Zelaya and other regional leaders for not doing more to restore democracy in the Central American country. "Honduras is being subjected to fascist rule," Zelaya said on Monday in an unusual speech delivered over a cell phone from the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "I call on the United Nations to help reverse this coup d'etat." Brazil, which was thrust to the forefront of the crisis when Zelaya slipped back into Honduras and entered its embassy, urged more international pressure on the de facto government. The U.S. government's more ambiguous stance was highlighted in a speech on Monday by Lewis Anselem, its ambassador to the Organization of American States, or OAS. While Anselem described the Honduran government's actions as "deplorable and foolish," he also told Zelaya to "desist from making wild allegations and from acting as though he were starring in an old movie." NO DEAL IN SIGHT A negotiated accord seems distant with Micheletti rejecting all demands that Zelaya be returned to power until his term ends in January, and instead vowing to arrest him. Responding to sharp international criticism, Micheletti indicated he might soon restore civil liberties and said an OAS mission was welcome to visit Honduras, but not until October 7. Micheletti has given Brazil 10 days to grant Zelaya asylum and take him out of the country or hand him over for prosecution, but Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says he will ignore the deadline and is leading the diplomatic push against the de facto government. Both of the media stations shut down on Monday had been taken off the air several times since the coup that toppled Zelaya, a logging magnate who irked the conservative opposition and business groups by allying himself with Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez. "Troops assaulted the radio, took over the station and took it off the air," Radio Globo director David Romero said. A few hundred pro-Zelaya protesters squared off with police on Monday but they dispersed peacefully after a few hours and the capital was generally calm. The government's tough stance sent a clear message that it does not intend to allow Zelaya to return to power and is determined to hold out until presidential elections are held on November 29 and a new leader takes power in January. But several countries, including the United States, have suggested they might not recognize the vote. The media crackdown and the ultimatum to Brazil have raised international pressure on Honduras, which has already suffered cuts in foreign funding. Soldiers toppled Zelaya at gunpoint and sent him into exile in his pajamas after the Supreme Court ordered his arrest. His critics say he broke the law by pushing for constitutional reforms they saw as a bid to change presidential term limits and extend his rule. Zelaya denies wanting to stay in power. (Additional reporting by Sean Mattson in Tegucigalpa, Deborah Charles in Washington, and Fernando Exman in Brasilia; Editing by Kieran Murray and Vicki Allen)
| 
