Hondurans to rally after protest ban lifted

Supporters of ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya are expected to take to the streets Tuesday after the country's interim government withdrew a decree suspending civil liberties on Monday.

Zelaya's supporters are expected to march in the capital of Tegucigalpa on Tuesday, a day before an Organization of American States summit of regional foreign ministers is to arrive in an effort to end the impasse between Zelaya and the interim government.

Interim president Roberto Micheletti said Monday the decree "has been completely revoked" and was no longer needed because "we have peace in the country."

"We want to go back to normalcy," Micheletti said.

The decree was issued on Sept. 27 after deposed president Manuel Zelaya made what Micheletti's government said were "calls for an insurrection."

The decree barred unauthorized gatherings and gave police the right to make arrests without warrants.

Honduran soldiers ousted the left-leaning Zelaya in a June 28 coup amid a dispute over modifying the constitution. His opponents feared he wanted to modify the constitution to allow him to stay in office longer than the current one-term limit. Zelaya has denied that was his intention.

Canada should condemn interim government: Zelaya

Zelaya slipped back into Honduras last week and took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy with about 40 family members and supporters.

Zelaya expressed doubts the lifting of the decree meant a return to civil liberties.

"Let's see if they free the campesinos and end the oppression of the people, or if this is one more trick," he said to Venezuela-based television network Telesur.

Countries such as the United States, Brazil and Venezuela have called on Micheletti to reinstate Zelaya and let him finish his term, but have so far met with resistance from the interim government.

Zelaya, speaking to CBC's The Current, said Canada and the international community need to put more pressure on the country's interim government.

Zelaya said Canada could do more to condemn both the closure of media outlets and human rights violations occurring in Honduras. He also told the CBC that Canada could put more pressure on the interim government if it classified the type of coup that took place in Honduras as a military coup d'état.