Honduras: Military chiefs face 'abuse of power' charges

As the Honduran Congress prepares to vote next week on an amnesty for both sides in the conflict triggered by the Jun. 28 coup in which President Manuel Zelaya was overthrown, the country's top military chiefs have been charged with "abuse of power" for their role in the ouster. Attorney General Luís Rubí filed arrest warrants Wednesday for armed forces chief of staff Gen. Romeo Vásquez, Air Force commander Venancio Cervantes, Navy chief Luis Javier Priand and two other top generals for having Zelaya removed from his home at gunpoint and put on a plane to Costa Rica, still in his pajamas. They also face charges of illegal expatriation of a Honduran citizen. The Supreme Court has three days to decide whether to accept the charges and initiate a case against the generals. Although Zelaya's removal was widely condemned by the international community, including the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union and the United States, the coup government headed by de facto President Roberto Micheletti - who was next in line for the presidency, as head of Congress - argue that it was part of a constitutional transfer of power.