Original: Spanish

 

The Council of the Socialist International, meeting today in Budva, Montenegro, condemns in the strongest terms the coup d’état against the government of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales in Honduras, as well as his detention and forced expulsion from the country, demanding the immediate re-establishment of democratic and institutional normality in that Central American nation.

 

The Council also demands the immediate reinstatement of President Zelaya, joining voices with all the democratic organizations and international bodies such as the Organization of American States, OAS, and declares that it will not accept the recognition of any government which pretends to replace the one which was legitimately constituted.

 

At the same time, the Council repudiates any attempt to justify this unacceptable rupture in the democratic life of Honduras under any pretext or argument.

 

The Council emphatically condemns the violence, including the arbitrary detention of the Secretary for International Relations who was expelled to Mexico, as well as the detention of other figures, demanding that their freedom and physical integrity be respected.

 

Democracy is the only way possible for free people to conduct their affairs of State and to respond to the expectations of citizens for greater wellbeing, progress and security.

 

The Council of the Socialist International resolves to remain committed and alert to developments in Honduras, watching for the fulfilment of this urgent democratic demand by the international community.