Update:
Al Giordano has the news that the regime has turned to bloody repression:
The ANSA press agency would report that here, in Cuesta de la Virgen, the coup regime’s show of force against the nonviolent blockaders wrought a toll of 156 arrests, including three seriously wounded.
In the same hour, Radio Globo … reported that the violent repression against the pacific demonstrators was not an abberation restricted to Cuesta de la Virgen. Today’s crackdown had been ordered nationwide.
Roger Abraham Vallejo Cerrado, 38, secretary of the San Martín high school, who had participated in a different anti-coup demonstration in Tegucigalpa, received a bullet wound to the head. That is him in the photo. Another 88 arrests and 25 wounded was the body count from the illegitimate state repression on this same road, at El Durazno, five kilometers from the capital. [Cerrado later died.]
Among the arrested today were presidential candidate Carlos Reyes, beaten violently by the coup soldiers, left with a broken arm and a bloodied ear, and also arrested was national union leader Juan Barahona.
The news team of Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) was physically attacked by the police, TeleSur reports.
VTV reports the man’s name as Roger Soriano Vallejo and they call him a teacher.
The New York Times found space for exactly 78 words on this.
TeleSur adds that the people attacked included women and children, who were beaten severely on the head and on the body.
The word is getting out. Adrienne Pine reports there were protests in Philadelphia. They went after the Inkwire. Good for them. It would be nice, though, if we could get the Philadelphia blog consigliere to mention this story.
Before the violence was reported, Chancellor Patricia Rodas insisted that the US had to intensify measures.
Greg Grandin’s asks whether the coup is over [The murders of today make it clear that it’s not.] He says that Zelaya’s return could stimulate growth in the movements in civil society, including an alliance between unions and campesinos to strengthen political movements. He says that potential coup plotters in other countries, notably Guatemala, are probably discouraged. Also, he says that it strengthens the reality-based community in the State Department. He sees this as South America coming to Washington’s rescue. I see the US response as weak, transparently insincere, and inspiring only of contempt by the world. South America will likely
Radio Globo has been interviewing presidential daughter Pichu. In the film above, father and daughter sing.
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Amy Goodman did an interview of Zelaya. He didn’t answer a lot of her questions, but he was very precise in his comment about the role of the Catholic Church:
PRESIDENT MANUEL ZELAYA: [translated] The Church is divided. The cardinal, the only cardinal before the Vatican in Honduras, conspired with the coup leaders. He betrayed the people, the poor. He took off his robes to put on a military uniform. And with his words, he really contributed to the assassinations that have taken place in Honduras.
He also alleged that the coup received strong support from the right wing in the United States.
RAJ has a translation of a blog post that claims to be from military officers and expressing deep dissatisfaction with the coup. I wouldn’t bet on it representing widespread opinion. However, Zelaya points out the obvious, namely that junior officers could handcuff Romeo Vasquez Velasquez any time they want. In the same Telesur article, Zelaya has invoked the martial rhetoric of “a citizen’s army.” The use of this kind of language is dicey, and will be used against him.
Karen Spring of Rights Action says:
After visiting a detaining station in Danli (20 km?? from the border), Dr. Almendares described the experience of fifty-one people that were being detained, including Rafael Alegría, a well-known leader of the resistance movement, “There were almost forty people in a small room. This is another way to torture the people. It’s a horrible thing, forty people, where there is no space, no water, nothing. It was hell in general. They don’t give them legal counsel. They are putting children in prison; women cannot go to the bathroom. This is another way to terrorize the people.”
The Radio Globo appears to be down. In Telesur, Micheletti promises that he will not interfere in the power of the state. The guy who runs Dossier, Walter Martinez is taunting CNN that CNN works at desks, while at Telesur, journalists have an office.
Mercury Rising 鳯女 