Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup last June, emerged from months spent in a Brazilian embassy compound and flew into exile in the Dominican Republic. He was accompanied by his wife, two children, and Dominican President Leonel Fernández. Zelaya’s exit marks the closure of seven months of political chaos in the impoverished nation of 7 million people after the leftist was toppled in a dawn military operation in June and flown out of the country, before returning in September and taking refuge in the Brazilian embassy.
The United States and Latin American governments slammed the coup and many countries denounced Porfirio Lobo’s election on November 29 under a de facto government as illegitimate, but months of mediation and talks failed to overturn the coup and restore Zelaya. His departure marks a failure of regional diplomacy to push the de facto leaders to step down. De facto leader Roberto Micheletti, appointed by Congress the day of the coup, held on to office even after the United States cut military aid and multinational banks froze loans. Meanwhile, US Congresswomen Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican, is calling for a full restoration of aid for Lobo’s government.
Human rights groups have documented serious abuses, including deaths, as security forces cracked down on pro-Zelaya protesters and media outlets in the weeks following the coup. However, as a sign that Honduras is trying to erase memories of the coup, a Supreme Court judge cleared military leaders on Tuesday of charges of abuses of power on the day of the coup.
Zelaya is accused of violating the constitution and of treason after he refused to drop plans for a referendum that had been ruled illegal and that foes said was aimed at helping him stay in power beyond the one-term limit. Although he denies the charges, there is still an order out for his arrest. Under the deal struck with Lobo ensuring his departure to the Dominican Republic, he can avoid prosecution. The toppled president, a wealthy timber man, became a hero to the poor but a pariah to the country’s ultraconservative elite when he shifted to the left once in office. According to the articles, he appears to have little chance of making a political comeback in Honduras.
For full article (in English), see http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-honduras28-2010jan28,0,5113072.story
Photo and article (in Spanish) from http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/01/27/int_ava_zelaya-llega-a-repub_27A3351813.shtml
