Tegucigalpa, December 21 (RHC)-- In Honduras, a brutal military crackdown against protesters supporting the opposition party continues, with multiple people killed and dozens more wounded in recent days amid the ongoing political crisis.

On Wednesday, the United States signaled its support for the incumbent U.S.-backed President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was declared the winner of the November 26 election late Sunday night -- three weeks after the vote -- by the government-controlled election board.

The opposition party, the Alliance Against the Dictatorship, as well as the Organization of American States have called for new elections, amid reports of widespread fraud and vote rigging.  A senior State Department official said the U.S. has no credible evidence to dispute Hernández’s victory.

Across Honduras, protests continue against what many are calling an electoral coup.  There are reports the military has assassinated and beaten protesters, including attacking protesters in the hospital; shooting tear gas into peoples homes, including where there are children and pregnant women; and launching a violent crackdown against Afro-indigenous Garifuna protesters.