TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – As many as 1,000 protesters showed up at the Radio Globo station here Wednesday morning only to run for cover when military officers chased them up the street, threw tear gas at them, beat them with batons and arrested at least 30 people, according to witnesses.
The protest, the largest to date, followed an executive order issued Monday by de facto President Roberto Micheletti limiting freedom of speech, communication and assembly.
The turnout at protests by sympathizers of ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya shrank drastically during the past week – from thousands of people to at most 500 following the decree.
Protesters blocked one lane of traffic outside Radio Globo, but they insisted they weren't disturbing the peace when military officers moved in.
David Romero, director of Radio Globo – which officials took off the air Monday following an interview with Zelaya in which he asked sympathizers to flock to Tegucigalpa for “one final struggle” – said the military herded the protesters like sheep, surrounded them, then began their assault.
“They attacked without warning,” Romero said. “The protesters didn't want to fight.”
Cesar Caceres, spokesman for Micheletti, said he didn't know enough about the incident to comment. Caceres said the protest had not been given previous approval by the national police.
Under the executive order limiting freedom of assembly, protests of 20 or more participants must be given previous approval by the national police. Caceres said protesters at Radio Globo had not notified police about the rally.
See the Oct. 2 print or digital edition of The Tico Times for more on this story. |
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