Honduras: Citizen Videos from a Country Under Curfew

Three months after Honduran President Mel Zelaya was ousted in a coup that some Hondurans claim was justified and others insist was illegal, he returned to Honduras on September 21 seeking refuge in the Brazilian Embassy in the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Zelaya's return has led to an escalation of the political tension and division in the streets of Honduras, leaving citizens frightened, and lacking food as a compulsory nationwide curfew was imposed by Roberto Micheletti's interim government

In cities across the country, Zelaya supporters ignored the curfews and staged protests, in spite of the warnings of the interim government and police. As a result, police and Zelaya supporters clashed and there have been reports of casualties, as well as approximately 100 arrests [es]. The curfew was temporarily halted between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm on September 23 and allowed Hondurans to replenish supplies. Aaron Ortiz of Pensieve writes:

Most people were at work when Zelaya announced his return and were unable to prepare for a days-long curfew.

Expect incredibly long lines, “venta loca” (mad sales) at the markets and bare counters at supermarkets everywhere, as millions of Hondurans rush to stockpile on food, candles, diesel, and other goods

Since the time Zelaya returned to the country, Hondurans have been using citizen media to show some of the scenes from around the country. Many are taking videos and uploading them to YouTube. One user, Daniel recorded a video in the area near the Brazilian Embassy showing crowds of police assembled around the building. This was taken on September 23, and he says “yesterday, it was chaos here.”

YouTube user Mirtria1 uploaded videos taken on his mobile phone from his vantage point in San Pedro Sula, near the city's Cathedral.

Habla Honduras [es] is a collaborative citizen journalism site that accepts contributions via the web, email and mobile phones. Its YouTube channel posts a video of a man being taken away in the Morazan neighborhood of Tegucigalpa on September 22.

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