- Title: HONDURAS: OAS human rights commisson visits
- Date: 18th August 2009
- Summary: TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS (AUGUST 17, 2009) (REUTERS) (CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY) EXTERIOR OF INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL IN TEGUCIGALPA VARIOUS OF INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MEMBERS AT MEETING CAMERAMAN MORE OF MEETING VARIOUS OF END OF MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, LUZ PATRICIA MEJIA, SAYING: "The commission will not meet with Micheletti because the commission has reiterated that it does not recognise Mr. Micheletti as the president. We recognise President Manuel Zelaya as the constitutional president, and because of this we will not have any meetings." CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PRESIDENT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, LUZ PATRICIA MEJIA, SAYING "Since the coup, the Inter-American commission has received an important number of complaints and violations of human rights, they come from representatives of the unions, social leaders, human rights campaigners, from the feminist movement, and many complaints concern the impossibility of of carrying out their functions in a free way." COMMISSION LEAVING HOTEL LOUNGE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VICE-INTERIM HONDURAN FOREIGN MINISTER MARTA LORENA ALVARADO, SAYING "It's an initiative of theirs and the government is open to visits by any human rights commission or any other friend who wants to come and see what the situation is like in Honduras. However, this commission did not engage with the foreign ministry as is the normal procedure but instead went directly to the supreme court." VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF HUNDURAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
- Embargoed: 2nd September 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Honduras
- Country: Honduras
- Topics: International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVA1Q3V9H59J99ZTQZPZ2ZJD5LO1
- Story Text: The Inter-American Human Rights Commission arrived in the Honduran Tegucigalpa on Monday (August 17) on a visit aimed at assessing the human rights situation in the country following the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in a military coup.
The commission, which is an organism of the Organization of America States (OAS), met with local Honduran human rights groups but refused to meet with the interim government.
"The commission will not meet with Micheletti because the commission has reiterated that it does not recognise Mr. Micheletti as the president. We recognise President Manuel Zelaya as the constitutional president, and because of this we will not have any meetings," said Luz Patricia Mejia, the head of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission.
"Since the coup, the Inter-American commission has received an important number of complaints and violations of human rights, they come from representatives of the unions, social leaders, human rights campaigners, from the feminist movement, and many complaints concern the impossibility of of carrying out their functions in a free way," she added.
Zelaya was ousted after he angered many in Honduras by veering to the left and allying with Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez. The Supreme Court, Congress, the army and a tight-knit group of economic power brokers lined up against him after he pushed for a public vote on changing the constitution to allow presidents to seek re-election.
The Honduran interim deputy foreign minister Marta Lorena Alvarado said the human rights commission had not made contact with the foreign ministry.
"It's an initiative of theirs and the government is open to visits by any human rights commission or any other friend who wants to come and see what the situation is like in Honduras. However, this commission did not engage with the foreign ministry as is the normal procedure but instead went directly to the supreme court," she said.
The United States, Honduras' longtime ally and top trading partner, has cut $16.5 million in military aid and withdrawn diplomatic visas from key members of the de facto government in a bid to force Zelaya's reinstatement.
Washington has refused to recognize the government led by Roberto Micheletti, who took over when Zelaya was toppled in a June 28 coup. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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