President Obama has claimed that the removal of Honduran president Mel Zelaya was “illegal.” Miguel Estrada explains that President Obama has it wrong:
Something clearly has gone awry with the rule of law in Honduras — but it is not necessarily what you think. Begin with Zelaya’s arrest. The Supreme Court of Honduras, as it turns out, had ordered the military to arrest Zelaya two days earlier. A second order (issued on the same day) authorized the military to enter Zelaya’s home to execute the arrest. These orders were issued at the urgent request of the country’s attorney general. All the relevant legal documents can be accessed (in Spanish) on the Supreme Court’s website. They make for interesting reading.
Estrada explains why the characterization of the removal of Zelaya as a coup is mistaken and why Zelaya should not be returned to office, President Obama (unfortunately) to the contrary nowithstanding.
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