Honduran coup gov't lifts ban on protests, media

[October 06, 2009]  TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) -- The interim Honduran government has lifted an emergency decree that prohibited protest marches and limited other civil liberties, clearing the way for possible new demonstrations over the political standoff in this Central American country.

Supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya were expected to march on Tuesday in the capital, a day before an Organization of American States summit of regional foreign ministers is due to arrive for talks aimed at ending the impasse over control of the government.

Interim President Roberto Micheletti said Monday that the decree, which resulted in dozens of arrests and the closing of two pro-Zelaya media outlets, "has been completely revoked," but Zelaya expressed doubts.

"Let's see if they free the campesinos and end the oppression of the people, or if this is one more trick," the ousted president, who is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy with dozens of supporters, told Venezuela-based television network Telesur.

Micheletti did not say whether the lifting of the decree would take effect immediately. He had said in a morning television interview that it would be formally repealed Tuesday when the new order is published in the government's official gazette.

Honduras' interim leaders issued the emergency order Sept. 27 in response to "calls for insurrection" by Zelaya as the ousted president sought refuge in the Brazilian Embassy after sneaking back into the country.

The decree empowered police and soldiers to break up public meetings, arrest people without warrants and restrict the news media, with armed troops stationed throughout the capital to enforce the order.

It drew criticism even from judges and congressional leaders who backed Zelaya's ouster in a June 28 military-backed coup that was condemned by much of the rest of the world, including the U.S. government and the United Nations. Many complained the decree would disrupt campaigning for the November presidential election they hope will resolve the crisis.

Human rights groups have complained of unjustified arrests and the persecution of peaceful protesters, but Micheletti defended the measure to reporters as a legitimate response to an organized campaign against the government "led" by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The interim Honduran leader said the step was taken because they had learned that more burnings of vehicles and businesses were planned and "we weren't going to allow it."

The main effect of the order was to close down the two main pro-Zelaya media outlets, Radio Globo and Channel 36, and it was used to block protest marches for several days. Zelaya supporters eventually ventured out to demonstrate, but in much smaller numbers than before.

While the decree was in force, the government also retook control of a government Agrarian Institute building that had been occupied by protesters. They detained about 55 people and lodged sedition charges against 38, who were still in custody over the weekend.

Police spokesman Orlin Cerrato said about 1,000 people were detained for violating a curfew that was imposed before the decree.

Radio Globo has been broadcasting over the Internet. The station's owner, Alejandro Villatoro, said authorities seized his station's equipment and he did not know when it would be able to resume normal operations.

Asked if the stations could now broadcast, Micheletti said they "will have to come to the courts to recover their right to be on the air."

Zelaya was forced from office with the backing of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court for trying to hold a referendum on rewriting the constitution. His opponents charged he wanted to lift the charter's provision limiting presidents to a single term -- an accusation he denies.

With the backing of much of the international community, Zelaya is seeking to be reinstated to serve out his term, which ends in January. The U.S. has suspended millions of dollars in aid to Honduras, and its ambassador has refused to meet with Micheletti, in hopes of pressuring the interim government to relinquish power.

The Organization of American States, local representatives of the Catholic Church and others have been meeting with the competing factions, seeking to negotiate an end to the standoff. But the two sides remain divided over key issues, including whether Zelaya can reassume the presidency before scheduled Nov. 29 elections.

Three U.S. representatives from South Florida who supported the ouster of Zelaya traveled to Honduras Monday to meet with the interim government and to pressure President Barack Obama to sanction the upcoming Honduran elections. The Organization of American States has refused to observe the elections.

It's the second trip there by a Republican delegation in a week and is part of a broader effort to challenge the Obama administration's Latin American policy.

U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart, who say they're on a fact-finding mission, are among Republicans who view Zelaya's ouster as a legitimate response to his calls for a referendum on changing the constitution. Such a change the three Cuban-American lawmakers say could have enabled him to run again and remain president indefinitely, just as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has done.

Ros-Lehtinen criticized the U.S. decision to suspend aid to Honduras and revoke entry visas of officials in the interim government. She said she would urge Obama and other members of Congress to reconsider their decision not to recognize Micheletti.

"He is the president of Honduras," Ros-Lehtinen said. "Some people tell me 'de facto' government, but under the Constitution of the Republic I am seated here with the president of this country and it's a great honor."

[Associated Press; By BEN FOX]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.