Democracy News

Honduras Coup Officials Charged; Zelaya Exit Deal; Lobo Takes Office
January 27, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

On January 14, a Honduran judge charged top members of the country’s military for their role in the June 2009 coup against exiled President Manuel Zelaya.  Honduran Supreme Court President Jorge Rivera ordered the country’s six Joint Chiefs of Staff to remain in the country to testify in court.  Chief prosecutor, Luis Alberto Rubi, asked the Honduran Supreme Court to issue warrants for the Joint Chiefs’ arrests in order to determine if their actions during the coup were an abuse of power – not to question the need for the coup itself, the Washington Post reports. 

According to an article by The New York Times, on January 20, President-elect Porfirio Lobo signed an accord to allow Zelaya to safely leave the country for the Dominican Republic.  Since sneaking back into the country in September 2009, Zelaya has taken refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.  In addition to granting him safe passage, the accord also stipulates that he will be granted full rights, including the ability to travel and speak publicly after Lobo officially takes office on January 27.  This accord comes after months of the country’s de facto government calling for his arrest.  This is the second time since being exiled that Zelaya has been presented with a deal that would allow him to leave the country, his deal to leave for Mexico collapsed after he refused to consent to the de facto government’s demands.  Despite Zelaya’s planned exit, Honduran chief prosecutor Luis Alberto Rubi maintains that he still needs to be brought to justice.

The Associated Press reports that interim President Roberto Micheletti stated that he would leave the presidential palace six days prior to the inauguration.  Although he left, he did not resign.  Micheletti stated that his public absence was to ensure a smooth transition of power to Lobo.  Micheletti was named president by the Honduran Congress after Zelaya was removed from office.  In addition, this is not the first time Micheletti has announced an absence, he also announced the he would temporarily disappear during the November 2009 election.  According to the Honduran constitution, the president can be absent up to fifteen days at a time.

On January 27, the Honduran Supreme Court announced that all six Joint Chiefs of Staff had been cleared of the charges brought against them, BBC News reports.  Following the ruling, the Supreme Court also decided to grant amnesty to Zelaya and members of the military who were accused of treason.  In a statement, Supreme Court President Jorge Rivera expressed that “prosecutors failed to prove the military chiefs acted with malice,” and that their actions were done in order to maintain peace within the country.

Lobo, who was elected in November 2009, stated that he supported granting amnesty to Zelaya and other individuals who were involved in the coup.  If the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been convicted, they would have faced sentences of three to six years in prison.  Despite initials calls from the international community to reinstate Zelaya, the United States has since stated that it now recognizes the results of the election.

Sources:

The Washington Post - Honduran judge charges top military chiefs in coup

The New York Times - Accord Reached to Let Honduran President Depart

Associated Press via The Washington Post - Honduras interim leader leaves, cabinet in charge