US revokes visas for Honduran officials

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

US revokes visas for Honduran officials

The Associated Press

Published: July 28th, 2009 09:33 AM
Last Modified: July 28th, 2009 09:34 AM

WASHINGTON - The State Department says it has revoked the diplomatic visas for four Honduran officials working in its interim government.

The announcement comes as the United States has been pressing for Honduras to allow the return of exiled President Manuel Zelaya.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not specify Tuesday the names of the four officials, who he said are not in the United States. Kelly said that the department is reviewing the visas of all members of the interim government.

He said the revocations was in keeping with the U.S. policy of not recognizing the interim government.


Read more: http://www.adn.com/uspolitics/story/879157.html

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So it's a month late. Who's countin'?

[formercia]

1. Better late than never.

I guess someone had a reality check.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Rep. Grijalva Urges U.S. Pressure on Coup Regime in Honduras (petition available)

Rep. Grijalva Urges U.S. Pressure on Coup Regime in Honduras
Submitted by Robert_Naiman on Tue, 2009-07-28 15:48.

It's been a month since Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was deposed in a military coup. Negotiations on restoring democracy supported by the United States broke down when the coup regime refused to accept a compromise that would allow President Zelaya to return.

The Obama Administration still says it is working for President Zelaya's return, but so far it has not responded to the call from Hondurans for increased U.S. pressure on the coup regime.

Indeed, when President Zelaya tried to increase pressure on the coup regime by threatening to return to Honduras without an agreement, Secretary of State Clinton attacked President Zelaya as "reckless," instead of expressing any concern about repression by the coup regime against President Zelaya's supporters.

Now Rep. Raul Grijalva is leading a Congressional effort to urge the Obama Administration to increase U.S. pressure on the coup regime by canceling U.S. visas and freezing bank accounts of coup leaders. Representatives McGovern, Conyers, and Serrano have signed on to Rep. Grijalva's letter to President Obama.

This isn't just about one man. It's about whether the 60% of Hondurans who live in poverty have a path to reform and redress of their grievances. President Zelaya was exiled for seeking reform of Honduras' constitution - a longstanding demand of social movements in Honduras.

More:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/44797

[Judi Lynn]

3. Human rights court denounces press censorship in Honduras

Human rights court denounces press censorship in Honduras


Catalina Botero, the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), said there are “permanent forms of exclusion and censorship” in the wake of the coup that overthrew Manuel Zelaya, Telesur reports.

Botero reported receiving 12 complaints of media shut-downs and information about at least 25 journalists currently at risk. “Public media outlets which had favored president Zelaya were taken over, and the workers were fired,” she added.

She said the IACHR is monitoring the Honduran situation and is gathering the necessary information to process the complaints.

The Honduran crisis has also generated a “media war.” Claudia Parsons of Reuters says the tug of war between Zelaya and the de facto government has taken place on TV. The ousted president had to resort to networks like CNN en Español to broadcast live footage of his return to Honduras. Micheletti’s government, on the other hand, has used the state media to spread messages against the deposed president. (Juana Casas, also from Reuters, wrote a piece in Spanish on media in Honduras since the coup.)

http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/?q=en/node/4716

[Judi Lynn]

4. Reuters: U.S. revokes four visas of de facto Honduras government

U.S. revokes four visas of de facto Honduras government
By Sue Pleming Sue Pleming – 35 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States revoked diplomatic visas of four members of Honduras' de facto government on Tuesday, trying to force it to back down and allow the return to power of ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Washington has refused to recognize the government of de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, which took over when Zelaya was toppled in a June 28 coup, and it had already cut $16.5 million in U.S. military aid to the country.

"We don't recognize Roberto Micheletti as the president of Honduras, we recognize Manuel Zelaya, and so in keeping with that policy of nonrecognition, we have decided to revoke official diplomatic visas, or A visas, of four individuals who are members of that regime," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

He did not name the individuals but said the said the diplomatic visas of other members of the government were also being reviewed.

"It is part of our overall policy to the de facto regime," he said, adding that the measure was taken to support mediation efforts to end Central America's worst crisis since the end of the Cold War.

More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090728/wl_nm/us_honduras

[Zorra]

5. Blockade the ports and push for a UN sanctioned trade embargo.

Whatever it takes to drive the fascist thugs out.

[Vidar]

6. It's just window dressing--but greatly preferable to W's blundering bombast.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Argentine FM calls for more international pressure on Honduras

Argentine FM calls for more international pressure on Honduras
2009-07-31 15:44:30

BUENOS AIRES, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The Argentine foreign minister on Thursday called for more international pressure on the Honduran de facto government to force it into a deal with ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana, speaking at a conference of political parties from Latin America and the Asia-Pacific, said most Latin-American countries agree that more punitive steps should be taken against the post-coup government and that Zelaya must be returned to office.

Taiana reiterated that Argentina would continue to support Zelaya's reinstatement and the restitution of constitutional order in Honduras.

He said the Argentine government refuses to recognize any government formed through a coup.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/31/content_11804865.htm