The Honduran government has officially announced the launch of a truth commission to investigate the military overthrow last year of then-President Manuel Zelaya. The commission includes Guatemalan former vice president Eduardo Stein, Canadian diplomat Michael Kergin, and Julieta Castellanos, head of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, and was a key campaign promise of current President Porfirio Lobo.
The government’s hope is that the commission will help restore the country’s international standing and allow it to move beyond last year’s events. President Lobo says the commission, “exemplifies our resolve to heal wounds, learn from our mistakes and build together the future of this country.”
There is support for the initiative at the UN and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, said in El Salvador today that Lobo’s government had now taken the “necessary steps” to return to the international community. Critics contend the commissions findings will be biased and will not report abuses committed by government troops during and after the coup.
The commission will deliver its findings in 6 to 8 months, according to reports.
