Venenzula, September 22: The de facto government of Honduras has imposed a nationwide curfew over the deposed President Manuel Zelaya’s secret return to the Latin American state.
Head of the Honduran interim government, Roberto Micheletti, announced the general curfew on Monday after revelations that the ousted Zelaya had sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy in the capital Tegucigalpa.
“The government has declared the curfew for the entire country from 4 in the afternoon until 6 a.m. to conserve calm in the country,” Reuter quoted the government spokesperson Rene Zepeda as saying.
Meanwhile, police in riot gear have surrounded the Brazilian embassy as Zelaya fans try to overwhelm the security forces.
Micheletti has demanded the Brazilian authorities to hand Zelaya over to Honduran officials and said, “I call on the Brazilian government to respect the judicial order handed down against Mr. Zelaya and deliver him to the competent authorities of Honduras.”
“The nation of Honduras is committed to respect the rights of Mr. Zelaya to due process,” he went on to say.
Zelaya was arrested and sent into exile late in June after a military-brokered coup brought former rival Micheletti into power.
The country has been grappling with political turmoil ever since Zelaya’s ouster.
In the event of his detention, Zelaya would go on trial on charges of treason for seeking yet another term in office in the Hispanic nation’s 2010 elections.
The late June Honduran coup has prompted international condemnation, with many countries demanding the reinstatement of Zelaya as president.
—–Agencies