Honduran leader, judges lose U.S. visas

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. visa of Honduran leader Robert Micheletti has been revoked amid pressure to restore ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya to office, officials said.

Fourteen Honduran supreme court judges and Foreign Minister Carlos Lopez also lost their U.S. visas, CNN en Espanol reported Sunday.

Micheletti replaced Zelaya as president June 28 when Zelaya was seized by the Honduran military in his pajamas and sent into exile.

Last week, the U.S. Millennium Challenge Account cut $11 million in aid to Honduras. The program was started under the Bush administration to reward good governance.

U.S. State Department officials recently announced all non-humanitarian aid to Honduras would be cut until Zelaya was returned to power.

Micheletti and his backers, including the 14 supreme court judges, have said Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not an illegal coup.