Ousted Honduran President still banned from country

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras-THE deposed President of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya, was denied from returning to the country yesterday (July 5) by the nation’s military. 

Military vehicles were scattered about the runway of Honduras’ national airport yesterday afternoon as Zelaya’s plane circled and asked for permission to land. After several failed attempts, the craft was rerouted to El Salvador. 

Reports on the ground in Honduras by the Red Cross indicate that thousands of protesters circled the airport and attempted to remove barriers from the runway as they awaited the return of Zelaya. 

It was further reported that at least one of these individuals was killed and several others injured as the military opened fire on the crowd and dispersed them with tear gas. Organisers of the protest were reported by CNN as saying that as many as three people were killed in the confrontation. 
As soon as he landed in El Salvador, Zelaya held a press conference and condemned the actions of the military.
“I call on the Honduran armed forces to lower their weapons against the people. I want to express my sincere solidarity to the families that made sacrifices during a peaceful march,” he said. 

He went on to call the appointed government of Roberto Micheletti a group of ‘fascists’ who are affronting democracy in Latin America. 

“What we see is a return of the right in Latin America -- a more reactionary right, more prone to killing, more fascist than in the past. They're regrouping. It's almost a conspiracy, a plot,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Micheletti said that protests from both sides of the divide have been rampant in the country since Zelaya was forcibly deposed from office on June 28. He added that he had no desire to see “a single drop of blood to be spilled” over the dispute.
Zelaya was removed from office after the Honduras Supreme Court and Congress deemed a referendum he was attempting to pass illegal. 

Since Micheletti was appointed as the new President of Honduras, the nation has come under very heavy criticism from the international community, including the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the United Nations (UN). 

Both the OAS and UN have demanded that Zelaya be reinstated. Additionally, the United States and World Bank have removed some aid programmes and many European Union members have removed their ambassadors to the country. 

While Micheletti has said his government would continue to hold talks with the OAS, including Zelaya’s strongest supporters of Venezuela and Nicaragua, he has no intention of relinquishing power “until the country becomes calm”.