Honduras has lodged legal proceedings against Brazil at the UN court in The Hague seeking an end to Brazil allowing ousted President Manuel Zelaya to take refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa. Zelaya has been holed up at the heavily guarded Brazilian embassy since he snuck back into the country last month.
The leftist leader was toppled in a military coup after he angered business leaders, the military and political rivals by moving Honduras closer to Venezuela's socialist president, Hugo Chavez. In its filing at the ICJ, or world court, Honduras says Zelaya and others are using the embassy as a platform for political propaganda, "threatening the peace and internal public order of Honduras".
Honduras requested the court declare that Brazil does not have the right to allow its embassy to be used to promote "manifestly illegal activities" by Honduran citizens. It wants the court to order Brazil to stop providing refuge.
In its filing, lodged with the court on Wednesday but made public on Thursday, Honduras said it reserves the right to claim reparation for any damage resulting from the actions of Brazil, its embassy and the Honduran persons taking refuge there. Honduras said it might also file a request for the "indication of provisional measures" if Brazil does not immediately end the disturbance.