Killing of environmental defender highlights ongoing violence against HRD

Introduction

Organisations urge government to protect civic space

Ahead of the third periodic review of Honduras’ obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), human rights organisations CIVICUS and Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos (BJP) urged the government to take effective measures to prevent violence against journalists and HRDs and ensure that such acts are thoroughly investigated, with perpetrators held accountable. In a joint submission, CIVICUS and BJP noted that the civic space in Honduras is marked by severe restrictions stemming from structural challenges and institutional practices, worsened by a prolonged state of emergency.

The organisations raised concerns that despite accepting recommendations on protecting civic space, the government has failed to address existing restrictions. The groups called on the government to protect human rights defenders, respect fundamental freedoms and to lift the state of emergency and restore constitutional guarantees.

IACHR report highlights systemic human rights challenges amid violence and inequality

In May 2024, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) published its report, Situation of Human Rights in Honduras, following an on-site visit in April 2023. The report highlights structural challenges, including poverty, inequality, environmental disputes and widespread violence, which undermine human rights. It acknowledged the government of President Xiomara Castro for prioritising human rights but stressed the need for comprehensive policies to address systemic issues.

Honduras remains the most violent country in Central America, despite a decline in urban homicide rates. Violence persists in rural areas, driven by land disputes, criminal organisations and inadequate state control. The extended state of emergency and the use of military forces for law enforcement raise concerns about demilitarisation commitments. Violence disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTQI+ people, indigenous and Afro-descendant communities and human rights defenders. Forced displacement and risks to journalists further compound the human rights crisis.

High levels of impunity and institutional mistrust persist, hindering access to justice and the fight against corruption. While progress has been made in appointing new Supreme Court members, controversies remain regarding the Attorney General’s Office and judicial reforms. The IACHR urged Honduras to strengthen state institutions, enhance resource allocation and ensure independence across government branches to rebuild public trust. The IACHR reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the implementation of its recommendations.

Association

Killing of human rights defenders

Honduras remains one of the most dangerous countries globally for human rights defenders, particularly those protecting and defending land and environmental rights from extractive projects. Some of the cases documented during this period are summarised below:

On 14th September 2024, an assailant wearing a helmet and face mask gunned down environmental defender Juan López in Tocoa, Colón Department. The attacker confronted López as he entered his vehicle after leaving the Catholic church in the Fabio Ochoa neighbourhood, where he actively participated in community activities. Efforts to assist López failed, and he died at the scene.

He was a member of the Municipal Committee in Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT), led opposition to the extractive megaproject by Emco Holdings/Los Pinares/Ecotek, which affects the Botaderos Mountain National Park and nearby communities. For years, López and his colleagues endured escalating threats, particularly after the murders of defenders Oqueli Domínguez, Aly Domínguez and Jairo Bonilla in 2023. López filed numerous complaints with authorities, including the Public Prosecutor’s Office, but officials ignored these warnings, enabling ongoing threats and fostering an environment of impunity.

According to civil society, tensions increased in December 2023 when Tocoa’s Mayor organised a public assembly to advance the mining project using falsified documents for licensing requirements. In June 2024, Tocoa’s Mayor approved a thermoelectric plant without quorum, ignoring widespread community opposition and a Supreme Court resolution prohibiting the meeting. Local organisations, including CMDBCPT, denounced the abuse of power, environmental harm and exclusion of activists from the process.

López publicly denounced these irregularities and, in September 2024, joined other Libre party coordinators in Colón to demand the Mayor’s resignation after a video implicated him in drug trafficking. On 11th September, López and his colleagues called for accountability, and three days later, the attacker killed López. Honduran authorities repeatedly refused to implement protective measures issued by the IACHR, increasing López’s vulnerability.

Several civil society organisations condemned the killing of López, including CIVICUS: “CIVICUS mourns the assassination of environmental defender and community leader Juan López […] We stand in solidarity with his family, colleagues and community, and condemn his brutal murder.”

On 24th September, UN Independent Experts and the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises condemned the killing of López and urged an independent investigation into his death, including the potential involvement of businesses and politicians. They called for justice, protection for his family and colleagues, and accountability measures for companies linked to reprisals against defenders.

On 4th August 2024, assailants fatally shot Olman García Ortiz, coordinator of the Campesino Movement of Ceibita Way, while he rode his motorcycle in Ceibita Way, Esparta, Atlántida Department. García Ortiz was a land defender advocating for equitable access to land and secure land tenure for small farmers. His work was affiliated with the National Union of Rural Workers (CNTC), an organisation representing small-scale farmers and promoting fair land redistribution.

García Ortiz’s work addressed entrenched land distribution inequalities in Honduras, where less than 5 percent of landowners control 60 per cent of arable land. His efforts directly challenged the interests of powerful landowners and agricultural corporations. According to civil society, despite facing threats linked to his work, the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders denied García Ortiz’s request for protective measures.

On 14th July 2024, assailants killed human rights defender Erlin Asbiel Blandín Álvarez in the Los Laureles community, Danlí, El Paraíso Department. While Blandín Álvarez worked on a shed outside his family home, attackers on a motorcycle shot him multiple times, striking his chest, shoulder and back. Despite efforts to assist him, Álvarez succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

Blandín Álvarez was a respected community leader, openly gay and an environmental defender. As president of the Los Laureles community board (patronato), he led a municipal water project aimed at ensuring equitable access to water resources. His work opposed local actors with economic interests in privatising the water system. Beyond his environmental work, Blandín Álvarez investigated human migration trafficking networks. On the weekend of his assassination, he interviewed migrants passing through eastern Honduras to document exploitation within these networks.

Days before his murder, Blandín Álvarez sought protective measures from national security agencies and the Public Ministry after filing complaints against Franklin Eduardo Alvarado Medina, whom he accused of threats, extortion, and arson. Authorities released Alvarado Medina from detention shortly before the killing, and Blandín Álvarez’s requests for protection went unanswered, according to civil society sources.

Ongoing threats and violence against Garífuna communities defending ancestral lands

On 10th May 2024, the National Black Fraternal Organization (OFRANEH) reported a wave of threats targeting its leaders. These threats came less than a month after the establishment of a High-Level Commission to implement the 2015 Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) rulings concerning the Garífuna communities of Triunfo de la Cruz, Punta Piedra and San Juan.

Audio recordings and messages disseminated by individuals unlawfully occupying Garífuna lands in Triunfo de la Cruz contained explicit threats against community leaders and members defending their territories. OFRANEH attributed these threats to the state’s failure to uphold the Court’s orders, including relocating third parties from Garífuna territories and restoring their ancestral lands.

In June 2024, police forces in Trujillo, Colón Department, launched a series of attacks against Garífuna residents reclaiming their lands, which were allegedly expropriated illegally by Canadian investor Randy Jorgensen. These incidents involved threats, physical aggression and the use of force to intimidate community members.

The Garífuna community has long faced persecution, including forced disappearances, due to their resistance to land expropriation. The IACtHR’s 2015 rulings held Honduras responsible for violating the collective ownership rights of the Garífuna communities and mandated measures to ensure the full enjoyment of their territorial rights. The Court ordered the state to adopt measures to ensure the effective enjoyment of their territories and to remove obstacles preventing full realisation of their property rights.

Persecution of union leader

Since April 2024, Rodsman Saadik Molina Ortez, a Honduran union leader and his family, have faced continuous threats, abduction, violent attacks and surveillance, allegedly due to his trade union activities. Despite filing formal complaints and requesting protection, the lack of effective measures has left him and his family in persistent danger.

On 2nd April 2024, the leader was abducted by armed men who forced him to drive to a secluded area, robbed him of personal belongings, including critical union documents, and issued death threats. Subsequent incidents included surveillance by unmarked vehicles and an armed robbery on 2nd May by individuals dressed as police officers, during which they stole his phone containing evidence of prior threats.

On 22nd May, a deliberate vehicular assault endangered both him and his child, and unknown individuals began monitoring his home. On 18th June, he was struck head-on by a vehicle while travelling, but his reports to assigned police contacts were met with delayed or absent responses.

As reported by civil society, despite reaching out to the Directorate of Police Investigations (DPI) and the National Commissioner for Human Rights (CONADEH), there has been no significant progress in investigations or consistent implementation of protective measures. His family has resorted to self-protection strategies, but economic limitations prevent relocation and the threats indicate their location is known to the perpetrators. On 26th August, the IACHR issued precautionary measures.

Robbery at Barracón Digital

On 18th May 2024, unknown individuals broke into the facilities of Barracón Digital in La Esperanza, Intibucá. The perpetrators stole essential equipment and resources critical for the organisation’s digital rights work and its support for local organisations and activists, such as photographic cameras, computers and accessories, mobile phones, recording and computing equipment, bicycles and cash.

This robbery has severely disrupted Barracón Digital’s operations, jeopardising its ability to promote digital rights and provide technical support to local communities and activists. Years of effort and investment have been undone, putting ongoing projects and initiatives at significant risk. The incident highlights the vulnerabilities faced by grassroots organisations working in challenging contexts to advocate for social and digital rights.

El Barracón Digital is a grassroot techno-cultural hacklab, organised by assembly. It provides workshops, co-working spaces, and activities focusing on feminism, free software, digital protection, permaculture, and creative commons.

Expression

Cameramen killed in Choluteca

On 3rd June 2024, armed assailants fatally shot cameraman Douglas Enrique Arce Castro in Barrio El Estadio, Choluteca. The attack occurred while Arce was celebrating his birthday inside a vehicle with a friend. The assailants approached the vehicle and opened fire, killing him at the scene. Arce was transported to the Hospital General del Sur, where he succumbed to his injuries.

He was a cameraman for Choluvisión Canal 27, specialising in sports coverage and news reporting. Local authorities have launched an investigation, but no arrests have been made, and the motive for the attack remains unclear. This murder underscores the extreme risks faced by journalists and media personnel in Honduras, a country with a troubling record of violence against the press, according to Reporters Without Borders.

Journalists attacked during forced eviction coverage

On 5th June 2024, during the forced eviction of the campesino community of La Guacamaya, Radio Progreso journalists Erick Pineda and César Obando Flores were attacked by police attempting to prevent coverage of the incident. Pineda was grabbed by the neck, pushed and forcibly removed from the area.

Obando faced verbal harassment and physical obstruction while trying to report on the destruction of homes and livelihoods of 300 families by the Honduran National Police and the Commission of Agrarian Security and Access to Land (CSA).

The eviction, carried out using heavy machinery owned by AZUNOSA (a sugar company), involved violence against residents, children and the elderly, and destroyed their homes and food crops.

Threats against journalist

Dagoberto Rodríguez, a seasoned journalist and the Director of News at Radio Cadena Voces, received death threats via the social media platform X in September 2024. The threats appear to be linked to his critical reporting on government actions and his public solidarity with other journalists. The first threat occurred after Rodríguez expressed solidarity with journalists from Interpretando la Noticia, whose programme on Radio Globo was reportedly cancelled due to government pressure. A user named “Killian” (@Caupolican357) posted: “For ‘Salaried Throat,’ Dagoberto "must be given bullets for therapy”.

On 26th September, following Rodríguez’s publication of statements by the Bishop of Trujillo criticising judicial actions against the killing of environmentalist Juan López, the same account posted: “And the evidence VAGOBERTO? That’s why we have to send you to St. Peter’s, you leave no other choice”.

Rodríguez attributed these threats to his critical reporting and the intolerance of groups linked to the government. He has highlighted the systematic use of fake social media accounts and troll farms to intimidate journalists and control public narratives.

In a separate case, on 6th June 2024, Thelma Mejía, a journalist and news coordinator for Canal 5 in Tegucigalpa, reported receiving repeated threats, which she partially attributed to activists affiliated with the ruling party, Libertad y Refundación (Libre). She reported receiving graphic and intimidating messages on the social media platform X, including threats to “hack her account,” misogynistic comments about “removing her ovaries,” and attempts to silence her criticism.

Minister of the Presidency Rodolfo Pastor de María y Campos condemned the threats, asserting that the ruling party opposes violence and supports freedom of expression. Similarly, Minister of Human Rights Angélica Álvarez invited Mejía to file complaints with the National Protection Mechanism for Journalists.

Peaceful Assembly

New anti-protest policy raises alarm

On 17th October 2024, the Honduran National Police and the Secretary of Security (SEDS) announced (SEDS 71-2024) stringent measures that would criminalise demonstrations involving street or road blockades. These actions, justified by authorities as essential for “maintaining public order” and “protecting economic stability,” permit law enforcement to detain protesters under broad interpretations of public safety and disruption. By criminalising roadblocks and portraying protests as threats to economic stability, these policies risk infringing upon the freedom to peaceful assembly.