Honduras' First Full Day Under Coup Rule

Foreign TV Channels Blocked, Violence Outside Presidential Palace

Honduras' Radio Globo reports that today Honduras' coup president Roberto Micheletti entered the Presidential Palace from which Honduras' legitimate President Manuel "Mel" Zelaya was kidnapped early yesterday morning.  Micheletti will hold a press conference from the President's office later today. 

TeleSUR reports that hundreds of soldiers remain deployed outside the palace, facing off with protesters that have the palace surrounded.  Yesterday the demonstrators set up barricades of burning tires in the streets in an effort to impede further military movements around the palace, and to prevent re-enforcements from arriving.

TeleSUR published the following photo of soldiers standing guard outside the palace today:



Meanwhile, the coup government is already going about restricting Hondurans' freedom.  One of the interim government's first official acts (that is, after imposing a 9pm-6am mandatory curfew) has been to inform Honduran cable providers that they are now prohibited from transmitting international television channels in Honduras.  TeleSUR reports that Honduras' National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) sent a memo to Honduran cable operators with a list of prohibited international channels.  The list includes the US' CNN, Venezuela's TeleSUR, and Cubavision Internacional.

CNN, TeleSUR, and Cubavision Internacional are strange bedfellows.  This marks the second time in 24 hours that Honduras' coup government has lashed out against the US and Bolivarian Aliance (ALBA) member countries at the same time.  The first time was last night, when coup president Micheletti told press that "he's not afraid of international isolation after different countries and international organisms demonstrated their discontent with the expulsion of Manuel Zelaya Rosales.  Micheletti, who a few hours ago was the Speaker of the House, said that neither US President Barack Obama nor Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would decide what should be done in Honduras." 

Al Giordano, commenting on Micheletti's statements in The Field, wrote, "It takes a special kind of moron to unite Obama and Chávez against him in the very week that the US and Venezuela reestablished diplomatic relations and active ambassadors."

Likewise, it takes "a special kind of moron" to unite the fourth powers (that is, the media) of both the United States and ALBA countries against him.

The coup government's banning of international stations in Honduras is a sign of desperation.  The Organization of American States, which was originally founded as a United States initiative to counter what it perceived to be communist forces in Latin America, has unanimously condemned the coup that overthrew Zelaya. Zelaya brought Honduras into ALBA, an organization of unabashedly socialist governments.

The Central American Integration System (SICA, the Central American regional coordinating body, of which all Central American countries are members) is meeting today in Nicaragua, reportedly to discuss the option of closing all borders with Honduras.  SICA's closure of Honduras' borders would not be a security measure; rather, it would serve to pressure the coup government to step down and allow Zelaya to retake his position as constitutional president.

Even the United States has condemned the coup and refused to recognize Micheletti as president of Honduras.  (When the last time the US government didn't officially back a coup in Latin America?) 

In the face of total international political isolation, the move to ban international television is the coup government's last-ditch effort to shove Honduran citizens' head in the sand.  Yesterday the coup government cut the power to a large part of Honduras yesterday to prevent communication within the country.  It also took over all of the state television channels and shut them down, along with all radio stations that did not support the coup government.  A few radio stations that don't support the coup, such as Radio Globo, have managed to set up transmissions (often intermittently) from clandestinity.  Not satisfied with cutting off Hondurans from each other, the coup government wants to cut them off from the international community as well.

The coup government's attempts to isolate Hondurans isn't working.  Radio Globo, in addition to transmitting from clandestinity, has sent a little to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding the repression it has suffered at the hands of the coup government.  According to Radio Globo's letter, when the military raided Radio Globo's station, they beat radio workers and threatened to kill them.  One of the workers has several broken bones, including a broken arm and several ribs.  During the raid, the soldiers reportedly told one youngster who worked at the station, "You fucking n****r [racial slur] son of a bitch, we will kill you if you don't tell us where you're transmitting from."

National Strike

TeleSUR reports that the national strike against the coup is in full swing.  Photos and videos from outside the Presidential Palace shows a multitude gathered outside the palace despite the heavy presence of heavily armed soldiers who don't seem to be afraid to stick automatic weapons in ladies' faces.

TeleSUR says that protesters remained outside the palace all night yesterday despite a 9pm-6am curfew imposed by the coup government.

Video from outside the Presidential Palace:

Late-breaking news from TeleSUR and Radio Globo says that soldiers are using "riot control" weapons against protesters outside the Presidential Palace. TeleSUR reports that one of its correspondents was injured by a rubber bullet fired by the military.  TeleSUR and Radio Globo also report the use of tear gas, confirmed by video stills posted on the TeleSUR website.