Hondurans Play the Waiting Game

Barging through the front door failed to bring a triumphant homecoming, so, for now, Manuel Zelaya has opted to try diplomatic channels in order to return to his post as the democratically-elected leader of his nation.

Zelaya claimed Wednesday that the de facto regime has sabotaged mediation before it began by restricting the movement of Zelaya's ministers, some of whom are still in hiding. However he has reiterated, "We are not holding a negotiation. There are things that are non-negotiable—the restitution of constitutional order in Honduras." On top of that mediator Oscar Arias expressed personal doubt with regards to his mediation, "The situation has to be solved from inside Honduras." Amid such speculation what talks will accomplish remains to be seen.

At a press conference on Monday, Zelaya gave the de facto government mere hours before its collapse and defended his actions before the coup, "All I did was to propose a fourth ballot. I have never talked about re-election because it does not exist in Honduras. I ask them to respect the voice of the people because it is this voice that will save us."

Despite the coup, Zelaya has not ruled out the possibility of moving forward with general elections originally slated for November 29, "They [those in the de facto regime] have nullified all the work that the government has accomplished. Those candidates should be very worried because they are isolated. The world is not with them."

The deposed Honduran leader promised that he could return at any moment. However, this time will be more inconspicuous, possibly ruling out another flight on the private CITGO jet that was diverted to Nicaragua last Sunday after military personnel barricaded the blacktop at Tegucigalpa's international airport.

After letting Zelaya supporters ring the airport compound the military expelled them by force, with snipers from the terminal leaving one dead and at least seven hit by gunfire.

The de facto government detained more than 800 demonstrators Sunday for breaking an imposed curfew. Hector*, a human rights lawyer from San Pedro Sula captured the mood of Zelaya's supporters, who are exhausted after marching daily for more than a week and a half and are frustrated with the current impasse:

"The Honduran people are outraged at the constant violation of their human rights. Yesterday [Sunday], at 6pm, after we had showed up expecting to welcome our president, we were informed by the traitors who stole power that there would be a 6:30 pm curfew. They captured at least 800 compañeros who weren't able to return to their homes during that short time period. Today [Monday] they extended the curfew for another 48 hours, once again cutting off our rights to free association, free movement etc. "

Meanwhile, differing viewpoints on the conflict continue to represent themselves in the language used by the international media. The major Spanish-language media label Roberto Michelleti's government de facto, with the lone exception being CNN en Espanol; whilst English media outlets on the whole refer it as an "interim government."

Within Honduras, pro-coup dailies are finding it increasingly harder to justify the actions of Michelleti's government to citizens. As Al Giordano of NarcoNews broke in the English media, Honduran newspaper La Prensa airbrushed out the blood in a picture of the dying demonstrator Isis Obed Murillo being carried out of Tegucigalpa airport Sunday. Giordano also points out the crackdown on independent and international media by the coup regime silences critisicm of these egregious journalistic sins being committed by the pro-coup media.

*Name changed.