Honduras: Demand justice for murdered water defender

On Saturday, September 14, Juan López, an environmental defender and coordinator of the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Assets, was shot and killed. He was leaving his duties as a community and religious leader at the San Isidro Labrador parish in Tocoa, Colón, northern Honduras, when an unidentified person on a motorcycle attacked him.

Following public pressure and calls for justice, the Attorney General of Honduras reported on Friday, October 4 that two individuals were arrested—one as the alleged perpetrator and the other as an accomplice in López’s murder. On October 6, a lawyer working on the case confirmed that the Public Prosecutor’s Office ratified the indictment against three people for their involvement.

While this progress is encouraging, we call on the Honduran authorities to continue the investigation thoroughly and impartially. The authorities must also address other attacks on environmental defenders in the region and stop using the justice system to harass them. Additionally, it is essential to provide protection for those close to Juan López and other defenders of the Guapinol River.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the Attorney General of Honduras urging the authorities to:

• Guarantee the right of Juan López’s family to justice, truth, and reparation. Authorities must ensure that the family’s rights are respected throughout the investigation process.
• Consider Juan López’s human rights work as a possible motive for his murder, in accordance with international human rights standards. This angle must be fully explored as part of the investigation.
• Ensure that the justice system is not used to harass defenders of the Guapinol River and take immediate steps to provide appropriate protection for these environmental activists.

Opposition to mining in Tocoa

Since 2015, communities in Tocoa, Colón, led by the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Assets (CMDBCP), have opposed the operating license granted to the mining company Inversiones Los Pinares. The license allows mining in the Carlos Escalera National Park (formerly Montaña de Botaderos), a protected area that supplies vital water sources. In response, local residents set up the “Guapinol Camp” on August 1, 2018, to peacefully protest against the license and the mining exploitation. They have also filed multiple criminal complaints in local courts, which remain unresolved.

Criminal proceedings against activists

Members of the CMDBCP have faced at least two criminal cases since 2018 for defending the Guapinol and San Pedro Rivers from the mining project. Activists including Juan López, Leonel George, Marco Tulio Ramos, Eugenio Esquivel, Adaly Cedillo, and brothers Aly and Reynaldo Domínguez were imprisoned in 2019. In a widely condemned case, eight Guapinol River defenders were unjustly detained for more than two years for peacefully defending their right to clean water. Amnesty International declared them prisoners of conscience, identifying multiple flaws in the investigation. Following a Supreme Court ruling, the eight defenders were released in February 2021, citing violations of their right to due process.

Ongoing threats and violence

On January 7, 2023, armed assailants intercepted and killed Aly Magdaleno Domínguez Ramos and Jairo Bonilla Ayala as they returned home from work. Aly, the brother of Reynaldo Domínguez, had been criminalized along with 32 other activists, including Juan López, for defending the Carlos Escalera National Park. Just one month later, on February 7, 2023, lawyers of the Guapinol defenders were notified that the prosecutor’s office in Tocoa had appealed a Supreme Court ruling that annulled the baseless criminal charges against five Guapinol defenders, including Juan López and Reynaldo Domínguez. Despite a favorable court decision, the legal harassment against these defenders persists.

Honduras: A dangerous place for environmental defenders

Over the past five years, Amnesty International has raised alarms about numerous deaths and attacks on activists in Honduras, one of the most dangerous countries for human rights defenders. Environmental defenders are particularly at risk. Despite the ongoing violence, Honduras has not signed the Escazú Agreement, a treaty aimed at protecting environmental defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. This agreement, which entered into force on April 22, 2021, holds signatory states accountable for safeguarding the rights of environmental activists.

Please take action as soon as possible until November 14, 2024! The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.