Radio Globo ordered shutdown.

[Downwinder]

Today at 12 and the afternoon peak, Radio Globo reported that this radio station had received delivery of a document CONATEL (National Telecommunications Commission of Honduras) ordering the closure of their stations for sedition against the fatherland. La orden fue ejecutado por un juzgado militar segun la documentación enseñada en la emisora de Radio Globo. The warrant was executed by a military court according to the documentation taught in the radio station Globo. Lo que el director declaró como irregular. What the director declared irregular.

http://chiapas.indymedia.org/index.php?category=9

[Peace Patriot]

1. No way fair elections can happen in Honduras this year.

There needs to be a time-line--six months at least, I'd think--for the full exercise of civil rights by all citizens, release of all political prisoners, and re-opening of all of the leftist opposition and neutral news/opinion outlets--in addition to outside election monitoring groups--before any elections. It will otherwise be a rigged election. And I can't believe that any self-respecting international election monitoring group would participate in setting up, monitoring or certifying elections in the current circumstances. They need time, for one thing. They can't--and don't--just pop into a country and monitor things on election day. They need to understand (and in some cases help set up) the election system. And they can't--and don't--do this, and monitor on election day (and post-election), without being invited by the government and having their cooperation, and without the presence of basic democratic rights in the country.

I don't think three months is enough time. Perhaps with vigorous government cooperation--and, of course, in Honduras, the return of the elected President to his office--it could be. But there are no signs that normal conditions will be restored in time for everything to be done, that must be done, to have an honest election this November.

The coupsters are heading the other way--to military dictatorship. They can't just suddenly call up Arias tomorrow, or a month from now, and say, "okay, you win--NOW we can have the election." Arias would be a fraud to agree to that. They are making an honest election impossible any time soon.

[Judi Lynn]

2. I'm sure they'll try it, however. Clearly it would be a total mockery of democracy.

Hadn't taken time to think about this, and you are so right.

They need a country with NO CURFEWS, so people can get out and around and feel free to meet and talk, and research their candidates, attend meetings. That's the LAST thing possible in this environment, with death squad leader Billy Joya breathing down the country's neck after being returned to public service by Micheletti.

If they're going to have terrified people going to the polls, they might as well be Colombia.

Thanks for pointing out the screaming problem their democracy is facing beyond the coup itself, and the violent loss of their elected president.