In a significant appeal to the Honduran government, a coalition of United Nations experts has urgently called for an immediate halt to the eviction of peasant, Indigenous, and Afro-descendant communities in Honduras. This call addresses the enactment and enforcement of Decree No. 107-2026, also known as the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-Industrial Sector, Energy Projects, Tourism, Livestock, and Small Agricultural Producers. The experts emphasized that this decree significantly hampers the ability of these communities to contest land dispossession through legal channels. The decree has been criticized for prioritizing national interest projects, expediting administrative actions against occupations, and potentially overriding Indigenous territorial claims, despite assurances that it excludes recognized Indigenous territories without informed community consultation. More details on the experts’ statement are available from JURIST.
Critically, the experts also warned about potential violations of Honduras’ obligations to uphold the right to food. By evicting communities from lands crucial for their food security, the decree undermines their access to necessary resources. This challenge is further amplified by instances like the eviction operation conducted by Honduran authorities on July 6, which included actions against the Garífuna community in San Juan, Tela. Following an Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruling in 2023, which found Honduras responsible for not ensuring collective property rights of the San Juan community, the operation led to the arrest of five members of the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras. These individuals face charges related to their defense of the community’s ancestral claims, highlighting the tense confrontation between local communities and state-backed projects.
The UN experts have consequently urged the Honduran government to pause further evictions until comprehensive consultations with affected communities are conducted. They insist on the necessity for business enterprises in Honduras to adopt human rights due diligence practices, thereby mitigating risks to local populations and defenders of human rights. This plea for governmental accountability joins a broader context of international concern about rights violations linked to land disputes in Honduras, as chronicled by entities such as UN News.
The situation in Honduras underscores the intricate balance between developmental ambitions and the protection of vulnerable communities. As international voices grow louder in their insistence on equity and justice, Honduras stands at a crossroads, where the implementation of human rights norms could significantly influence both its domestic peace and international reputation.