Honduras: A Suicide Mission

HONDURAS

A Suicide Mission

When activists in Honduras speak up, it’s more than an act of bravery.

That’s because Honduran society is so corrupt that politicians, industry executives and the criminals lining their pockets have no fear of repercussions when they silence protestors by violent means, the Guardian reported.

Violence in Honduras has been widespread since the 1980’s amid various regime changes and regional conflicts. The country is notorious for having the world’s highest murder rate per capita, the BBC reported.

Still, since 2009, when the nation’s military overthrew the government of President Manuel Zelaya, violence has increased as successive rightwing regimes have sought to silence opposition to environmentally destructive mining and energy projects pivotal to the nation’s economic strategy.

According to a January report by UK-based watchdog Global Witness, Honduras has become the deadliest place on earth for environmental activism, with some 120 activists murdered since 2010, Voice of America reported.

The vast majority of cases are not prosecuted.

“Our investigations reveal how Honduras’ political and business elites are using corrupt and criminal means to cash in on the country’s natural wealth, and are enlisting the support of state forces to murder and terrorize the communities who dare to stand in their way,” said Global Witness’ Billy Kyte in the group’s report.

Even when high-profile cases – such as the brutal March 2016 murder of internationally acclaimed environmentalist Berta Caceres– draw global headlines and reveal highly organized assassination plots, attorneys and human rights advocates concede that justice will likely never be served.

The United States has historically propped up democratic governments in Honduras and has attempted to combat corruption in the country.

But with civil society crippled, the investigations often rely on high-level gang members and drug cartels ratting out the politicians they used to bribe into complacency, raising ethical issues.

Through recent cooperation with one drug lord responsible for 78 murders, the American authorities uncovered state-sponsored drug trafficking at the highest levels of the Honduran government, including the presidency, the New York Times reported.

But such insights only go so far: There still hasn’t been an official probe into ties between current President Juan Orlando Hernandez and criminal organizations, writes Jose Miguel Cruz, director of research at Florida International University, in the Conversation.

Meanwhile, a new law recently approved by the government brands protestors as criminals and threatens organizers with up to 20 years in prison, the Wire reported.

And even when activists manage to flee the country to the US, their fate is left up to the whim of a single judge. A recent Reutersinvestigation uncovered huge discrepancies in deportation rates based on region – even in asylum cases involving activists.

Civil society in Honduras is desperately needed. But the powers that be are winning the war against its members – at home and abroad.