ICC investigates Honduras

While a Honduran truth commission writes up their report on alleged human rights abuses, other investigations are in the works.

International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo told the press that "preliminary examinations" into Honduras and Nigeria are underway. He said that the ICC has received “many communications” about possible crimes in those two countries and that the tribunal was examining if they have sufficient jurisdiction to look into the allegations.

Moreno Ocampo refrained from providing to many details of the ICC’s work though he admitted that one of the court’s investigations pertains to the aftermath of the June 2009 coup/ouster of then-Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.

The probe could lead to indictments for crimes against humanity or war crimes. Honduras isn’t the only Latin American nation under the ICC’s scrutiny:

Honduras and Nigeria join a list of other countries where it is conducting preliminary examinations to determine whether it has the jurisdiction to open formal investigations. The list also includes Afghanistan, Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and the Palestinian territories.

In remarks made to Honduras’ Radio Globo, Zelaya claimed that government plans to bring him back from exile in the Dominican Republic are in reality a “smokescreen”. He accused the government of trying to “distract” attention from civil unrest over land distribution in the Bajo Aguan region.

Image- csmonitor.com (“Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya protest in front of the National Congress in Tegucigalpa” in July 2009.)
Online Sources- ElHeraldo.hn, LAHT, BusinessWeek, The Latin Americanist, Reuters, MSNBC