Congress Grants
Amnesty To Honduran Interim Leader
TEGUCIGALPA - The Honduran Congress has
approved a decree to grant amnesty to those
involved in last June's military coup that
ousted President Manuel Zelaya, local media
reported Friday. The decree will ensure the
safety of post-coup leader Roberto
Micheletti as well as that of his family.
Seventeen ministers and vice ministers of
the de facto government, the President of
the Supreme Court of Justice, Jorge Aviles,
and General Prosecutor Luis Rubi will also
be amnestied.
The amnesty issue has aroused controversy
among different sectors of Honduran society.
Some believe this is the only solution to
the country's political crisis, which was
triggered by the coup. Others reject it on
the grounds that it will enable those who
committed crimes to go unpunished.
Secretary-General of the Organization of
American States (OAS), Jose Miguel Insulza,
said the OAS would do everything possible so
that Honduras could return to this
organization.
"Everybody would have liked the de facto
government to have left the power earlier
and to have solved the problem of Zelaya,"
Insulza said.
"From Jan. 28, we are going to start the
procedures. We will reestablish contact with
the new government, and we will seek help to
solve the problems in the best way, to
ensure the return of the democracy to
Honduras," Insulza added.
After Zelaya was ousted, the National
Congress appointed Micheletti as interim
president of Honduras. The decision was
strongly condemned by the international
community, which had been demanding Zelaya's
restoration to power. |
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