Zelaya Supporter Protests the State of Exception Decree

Presidential candidate Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, of the National Party, has said today that the elections will go forward, but that his party does not support any measure that threatens the freedom of citizens.

“No estoy de acuerdo con algo que restrinja la libertad de expresión, porque pone en precario todo, incluso las elecciones. Ese decreto deja mal parado a Honduras.” … “Estamos en la disposición de apoyar Honduras, pero sin atentar contra las garantías individuales”

“I don’t agree with something that restricts freedom of expression, because it makes everything precarious, even the elections. This decree gives Honduras poor standing.” … “We are disposed to support Honduras, but without threatening individual freedoms.”

In the meantime, the interim government has detained the ambassadors that Manuel Zelaya and OAS president Jose Miguel Insulza had asked to return to Honduras. After being in the country for six hours, they were firmly but politely asked to leave, to which they complied without resistance.

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has called the decision to create the state of exception “lamentable,” and warned that this would mean the November elections would not be able to be held in “normal circumstances.” He renewed his call to both parties to sign the San Jose accord, whose first point is the restitution of Manuel Zelaya to carry out his remaining term in office.

The United States did not comment about the decree yet, but chastised Zelaya as “irresponsible” before the delegates of the emergency OAS meeting being held at this moment. Lewis Anselem, the US representative to the OAS said that his return “does not serve the interests of his people nor those of who would seek the peaceful reestablishment of democratic order in Honduras.” … “Those who facilitated the return of President Zelaya have a special responsibility to prevent violence and the well-being of the Honduran people”. He also called Micheletti’s rejection of the OAS ambassadors a “deplorable act.”

According to a post in the El Heraldo twitter feed, Micheletti is government is considering annulling the decree in the next few days, at the request of the National party congressional deputees. The purpose of the decree, I suppose, was to counter the threat of the “final offensive” that Zelaya and his supporters announced yesterday, and confirmed today. Zelaya’s words: “I call on you to mobilize throughout Honduras, and that everyone who can come to Tegucigalpa to fight in the final offensive.”

Related posts:

1. State of Exception Lifted, but Zelaya Scorns
2. Honduras in State of “Exception”
3. Chávez and Zelaya, Masters of Martyrdom?
4. Treason or Solution?
5. Zelaya and Micheletti to Meet Today