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<h1 id="reader-title">Honduras Marks 8 Years Since US-Backed
Coup Against Zelaya<br>
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<div id="reader-estimated-time">June 28, 2017<br>
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<p>Wednesday marked eight years since the coup against
former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. His removal,
supported by the administration of former U.S. President
Barack Obama, was carried out by the Honduran military
and oligarchy.</p>
<p>In 2009, Zelaya arranged plans to hold a popular
consultation to convene a national constituent assembly
with the intention of amending the constitution of 1981.
The move was intended to empower
historically-marginalized groups — like Black,
Indigenous and LGBT people — and workers.</p>
<p>However, conservative elements within the Supreme Court
of Justice, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the
National Congress opposed the move. Honduras’ business
elites, aligned with the aforementioned groups, also
opposed the national constituent assembly.</p>
<p>Zelaya also began forging ties with progressive Latin
American governments — like Venezuela, Ecuador,
Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia — while joining the
Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America,
ALBA.</p>
<p>“The elites were threatened,” Honduran activist Raymond
Sanchez told teleSUR during a recent interview.</p>
<p>“What they saw was an ascension of a revolutionary left
movement in Latin America and Zelaya getting closer to
them. Under Zelaya, Honduras was marching toward
reducing poverty and eliminating foreign debt.”</p>
<p>By June 28, high ranking army officials received orders
issued by the Supreme Court to detain Zelaya. The
military complied with the measure and transferred him,
by force, to Costa Rica.</p>
<p>Zelaya's removal was condemned by many in the
international community, especially by ALBA member
states. Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was one
of the fiercest critics of the coup, calling on world
leaders to cut relations with the unelected government.</p>
<p>In 2010, Zelaya was allowed to return to Honduras, a
country that plunged into rampant violence following the
coup. Since then, hundreds of social activists and
dozens of journalists have been killed by suspected
right-wing death squads.</p>
<p>The coup also gave birth to the National Popular
Resistance Front and the Liberty and Refoundation Party,
leftist organizations which continue to fight the
right-wing government and participate in national
politics.</p>
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