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Honduras president pardons military leaders, former president

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Wednesday granted amnesty to both former president Manuel Zelaya and military leaders accused of participation in a June 2009 coup against Zelaya. Making the decree during his inaugural address, Lobo said that it would allow the country to move past the conflict. He also said that he would appoint a special commission to investigate the circumstances of the coup, even though no prosecutions would result. Commentators suspect that Lobo may face trouble legitimizing his presidency, though the US sent a delegation to his inauguration as a sign of support for the leader. Also Wednesday, Zelaya left the country to go into exile in the Dominican Republic. The amnesty decree was approved by the Honduran National Congress on Tuesday. Also Tuesday, the Honduran Supreme Court exonerated six military leaders accused of abuse of power for their alleged role in the coup. Last month, the Honduran Congress voted 111-14 not to reinstate Zelaya. His ouster was the result of a judicial order that asserted that Zelaya had broken Honduran law by attempting to conduct a controversial referendum on constitutional reform, contrary to a Supreme Court ruling. Zelaya, along with the UN, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the European Union, maintain that his removal was a coup.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 28, 2010 (boomark / email).