Jennifer Moore: Lawyers Question Basis of Zelaya Ouster

[Downwinder]

http://hondurassolidarity.wordpress.com/

[Peace Patriot]

1. VERY important article!

HONDURAS: LAWYERS QUESTION BASIS OF ZELAYA OUSTER

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2132/1/

Written by Jennifer Moore
Friday, 25 September 2009

Since June 28 when the Honduran military shot their way through the backdoor of President Zelaya’s private residence, kidnapping and forcibly expatriating him to Costa Rica, the de facto regime has maintained that Zelaya’s removal was a constitutional transfer of power. For its part, the Obama Administration has condemned the ouster, but stopped short of defining the events as a military coup. By US law, this would require the suspension of the majority of aid to the Central American country.

However, a preliminary report by an international delegation of lawyers that visited Honduras in late August affirms that a military coup is what took place. The report considers the lack of an independent judiciary in Honduras as part of the context in which this occurred and points to powerful economic and political groups opposed to social advances promoted by President Zelaya as the driving force behind the coup.

The report, drafted by members of the American Association of Jurists, the National Lawyers Guild, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the International Association Against Torture, further states that the military overthrow was a clear violation of Honduras’ 1982 Political Constitution. Among various constitutional articles that the report claims were violated includes Article 102, which states: “No Honduran may be expatriated nor delivered by the authorities to a foreign state.” <1>

Building upon observations pertaining to human rights violations detailed in the report, the National Lawyers Guild released a press bulletin on Tuesday concerning the de facto government’s most recent abuses since Zelaya arrived at the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa on Monday. Coup leader Roberto Micheletti used Zelaya’s reutrn as a pretext to unleash a new wave of aggression by his security forces against Hondurans opposed to the coup. The Guild also expressed special concern for threats to the life of the democratically-elected president.

(MORE--MUCH MORE!)

http://hondurassolidarity.wordpress.com/

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This prestigious lawyers' delegation simply demolishes everything the coupsters have said, citing chapter and verse of Honduran law, and they in particular demolish the judiciary which acted so hastily--heavily influenced by powerful business interests--to indict, try and convict Zelaya in absentia, without his knowledge or any chance to defend himself, and then prompted the military to violently throw him out of the country, while this same judiciary has failed to respond to murders and other violent assaults, committed by the coup military and policy over the last few months. Quick to hold a kangaroo court for Zelaya; slow as snails to redress atrocities committed on behalf of the rich.

Wow! This is a brief for the Hague!

[Wilms]

2. Permalink

Jennifer Moore: Lawyers Question Basis of Zelaya Ouster
http://hondurassolidarity.wordpress.com/2009/09/27/jennifer-moore-lawyers-question-basis-of-zelaya-ouster/

[Braulio]

3. Very Nice but....

Presidential elections are being held in 2 months, Zelaya can't run, isn't running, and the major candidates are steering away from Zelaya as if he had the plague. This is a point many forget, that Zelaya, with his ill-timed intransigence and inmature behaviour, only managed to make change a lot harder to come by - drawing the country into violence, economic hardship, and not much else.

[EFerrari]

4. What a bunch of cr@p. No one, including the US as has already been announced,

will recognize the results of that election if they are run by the Pinochettis.

And you are wasting your time here blaming Zelaya for the corruption of the Honduran right wing.

[Bacchus39]

6. the new leadership will be decided by the Honduran people

not Zelaya, Chavez, Obama or anyone else.

[Downwinder]

7. Looking at some of the other threads---You may be very right.

[Bacchus39]

9. what more is there??? the Honduran people will make the call

it doesn't matter if the US or Chavez "recognizes" the vote. The worst thing that could happen is NOT to have elections. the interim government has no interest in retaining power. they are desperate to move past Zelaya.

[Downwinder]

10. I think you ought to put "people" in quotes.

[Braulio]

12. I bet most will recognize the new government after the elections

Some countries already said they would recognize the newly elected government after it takes over. The US can do whatever it wants. It'll look kinda funny if it refuses to recognize the Honduran government while recognizing Saudi Arabia's.

[Downwinder]

13. How much?

[EFerrari]

14. I think it will go the other way around. Obama just recognized

the patently fraudulent election in his Viet Nam. He may recognize equally fraudulent ones in Honduras. The rest of the region, not so much.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Poor thing. You're not aware they ALL have been in the embassy to see Zelaya already?

Why attempt to discuss the subject when you are not informed?

[Judi Lynn]

8. Tremendously helpful. An article to keep for reference. Thanks. n/t

[Downwinder]

11. This is all rhetorical, we have been advised that the

President may suspend any constitutional provision he desires.

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/3465/honduras-coup-leader-micheletti-decrees-45-day-suspension-constitution