A new research brief submitted by CIVICUS and Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos (BJP) to the UN Human Rights Committee outlines serious concerns about the civic space situation in Honduras. It highlights ongoing challenges despite legal frameworks intended to protect fundamental civic freedoms. The submission is part of the third periodic review of Honduras’ obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) at the Committee’s 141st session.
Key Concerns
The submission raises serious concerns about the violence and harassment faced by journalists, human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society organisations (CSOs). Despite national protection mechanisms, these groups remain at significant risks.
The 2015 Law on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Journalists, Social Communicators, and Justice Operators, along with the National Protection System established in 2016, is designed to protect these professions. However, the National Protection System suffers from critical deficiencies, including inadequate funding, staffing and coordination.
In 2023, at least 13 HRDs were killed, with most of these deadly attacks linked to land and environmental conflicts. Notably, HRDs such as Óscar Oquelí Domínguez and Juana María Martínez were murdered amidst ongoing violence and threats. The criminalisation of HRDs, particularly through charges of ‘usurpation,’ has intensified evictions and legal actions against those defending land rights. Additionally, attacks on the Garífuna community and OFRANEH members illustrate the systemic violence and impunity faced by HRDs.
Although the Honduran Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, journalists operate in a hostile environment with widespread impunity for human rights violations. Recent incidents, including the killings of journalists and media workers, threats and smear campaigns, underscore severe challenges to press freedom.
The situation is further exacerbated by the ongoing state of emergency declared by President Xiomara Castro in November 2022, which has been persistently renewed. Initially aimed at addressing gang violence, this state of emergency has led to the suspension of fundamental rights, such as freedoms of association and assembly, and allows for arrests and raids without warrants. In this context, authorities have failed to uphold these freedoms, as evidenced by reported cases of intimidation and surveillance targeting HRDs during protests.
Additionally, the state of emergency has been used as a tool for repression, particularly against rural communities and HRDs. For example, the submission details how the police and military have used the emergency powers to harass the peasant farming and fishing community of Tulito in Choluteca. These actions have led to a state of perpetual distress and criminalisation of HRDs, with many facing charges such as ‘usurpation.’
Recommendations
The brief concludes with several recommendations for the Honduran government:
- Prevention and Accountability: The government should take effective measures to prevent violence against journalists and HRDs and ensure that such acts are thoroughly investigated, with perpetrators held accountable.
- Strengthening Protection Mechanisms: The National Protection System should be strengthened to better safeguard journalists and HRDs.
- Lifting of Emergency Measures: The government should lift the state of emergency and restore constitutional guarantees, ensuring that any measures taken for public security do not infringe on human rights.
The submission underscores the urgent need for Honduras to address these human rights challenges to comply with its international obligations under the ICCPR.
Civic space in Honduras is rated Repressed by the CIVICUS Monitor.
About the CIVICUS Monitor
Over twenty organisations collaborate on the CIVICUS Monitor to provide an evidence base for action to improve civic space on all continents. Civic freedoms in 198 countries and territories are categorised as either ‘closed,’ ‘repressed ,’ ‘obstructed ,’ ‘narrowed ’ or ‘open ,’ based on a methodology that combines several data sources on the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression.
