Honduras crisis: wife of deposed president leads protest

[Judi Lynn]

Honduras crisis: wife of deposed president leads protest
The wife of the deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya has emerged from hiding to lead the daily protest by his supporters on the streets of the capital Tegucigalpa.

By Philip Sherwell in Tegucigalpa
Published: 6:22PM BST 07 Jul 2009

http://www.telegraph.co.uk.nyud.net:8090/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01438/Tegucigalpa_1438782c.jpg

Honduras' First Lady Xiomara de Zelaya (C), wife of ousted President
Manuel Zelaya, joins a march demanding the restitution in power of
her husband Photo: AFP/GETTY

Xiomara Castro de Zelaya made her first public appearance, along with one of her daughters, since slipping clandestinely back into the city from the family's country home and taking refuge at the US ambassador's residence after her husband was overthrown on June 28.

"The eyes of the world are on Honduras," she said. "President Zelaya will return. He is the president and nobody can take that away from him."

Mrs Zelaya, 49, maintained a low profile as first lady, focusing on charity and educational projects, but she joined the march by her husband's supporters as her he met US secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Washington.

~snip~
When violent clashes broke out as protestors awaited her husband at the airport, Mrs Zelaya revealed that she picked up the phone and called Gen Romeo Vasquez, the army chief who ordered his troops to depose her husband.

"I asked him to stop the army shooting and said 'don't stain your hands with blood'. But the phone went dead," she said.

Asked how she felt when her husband's plane was just a few hundred feet overhead above the capital, tears welled. "You can only imagine," she said.

More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/honduras/5770195/Honduras-crisis-wife-of-deposed-president-leads-protest.html

[EFerrari]

1. Wow. That's one brave lady.

She reminds me of someone I know who had no problem calling up generals and scolding them in similar situations. lol

[rabs]

2. "Emerged from hiding?"

What about all those reports last week that said she was under the protection of Llorens at his official resident? Was that a lie?

[EFerrari]

4. Or, a misdirection? It tells you something about the free floating

danger in Honduras right now. :(

[Bacchus39]

3. I gue3s she wasn't a hostage or was "rescued" n/t

s

[Judi Lynn]

5. Zelaya’s Wife Calls Upon People to Continue Protests in Honduras

Zelaya’s Wife Calls Upon People to Continue Protests in Honduras

The First Lady of Honduras called the crowd not to fear the usurpers and to continue demanding the reinstatement of the constitutional president, who on June 28th was kidnapped, beaten and expelled from the country by Honduran military forces, reported Telesur regional network.

Xiomara Castro pointed out that the coup perpetrators will not be able to keep the social programs boosted by Zelaya’s government.She added that the elimination of the programs to combat poverty can not be permitted, nor the adoption of repressive measures in this country of over seven million inhabitants, the second poorest in the West Hemisphere.

Meanwhile, international media outlets echo statements by Miguel D´Escoto, president of the United Nations General Assembly, who exhorted this Tuesday the US Government to be consistent with its support of the UN resolution passed against the Honduran coup perpetrators.

This text, which was cosponsored by Washington, clearly states that what took place in Honduras was a coup d’état, pointed out D’Escoto, to whom this resolution brings legal consequences for the member countries of the United Nations.

I believe Zelaya’s return won’t take long, added D’Escoto, who condemned the brutal repression carried out by the de facto authorities against the unarmed people who demand the return of their constitutional president.

http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2009/0707ESPOSA.htm

[Judi Lynn]

6. Glad to learn in magbana's Eva Golinger article the protests continue. n/t