The Honduran State of Exception: To be Continued

The Honduran state of exception: to be continued

On December 6, 2022, the government of Xiomara Castro declared a state of exception following growing concern over extensions and organized crime. After three months of the order, the results are uncertain, with the government celebrating thousands of arrests, while human rights officials condemning wrongful apprehensions and excessive use of power.

The real results of the state of exception in Honduras are blurry. The government has recorded around 8,000 arrests during these three months, with 3,954 just in these past two months. However, within the context of the figures, a different story can be found.

According to Honduran Human Rights Commission (CONADEH), 60% of the arrests happened in areas where the state of exception was active, in other words, not in Tegucigalpa, Comayaguela and San Pedro Sula.

It was also reported that out of 652 arrests related to gang membership, only 159 detainees were able to be confirmed as gang members and many had to be released after 24 hours due to the lack of evidence. In the first 19 days of the state of exception, CONADEH also discovered that only 25 out of 1,348 detentions were actually related to extortion and organized crime.

The circuit courts in charge of cases related to extortion have also reported that the number of cases has not changed. The apprehensions related to extortion have not been substantially higher than before the state of exception.

The reality of the state of exception is not as clear as the government portrays, yet it seems as if it will continue to be part of the Honduran and Central American lifestyle.

Read the full investigation on the three months of the Honduran state of exception here 🌎 (In Spanish)

Displaced by violence, ignored by the state

Despite safety being at the center of the Xiomara Castro administration, thousands of Hondurans have been displaced due to internal violence. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there are about 250,000 people internally displaced in Honduras due to violence and other factors.

For the internally displaced, the options for settling are limited, with the United States being a risky option and their communities of origin being out of the question. Elias, a Honduran who was forced to abandon his house at the age of 14, remembers how he used to be harassed by the local gangs. He explains that he stopped going to school by 5th grade because gang members did not allow kids from his neighborhood to go to the only school located in the neighboring area. He was forced to move out of his room after he was shot multiple times. He was not a member of any gang and that day two other kids died.

According to the UNHRC in 2021, 942 people were displaced and 1587 at risk of being displaced due to violence. According to the report, there were reports of death threats (56.1%), murder of family members (14.4%), extortion (10.6%), attempted homicide (5.9%), gender violence (4.3%), and forced recruitment of children and adolescents by organized crime gangs (2.7%).

In December 2022, the Honduran Congress introduced a bill for the prevention of internally displaced people. The bill aims to provide humanitarian aid to victims of internal displacement and guarantee the safe return to their properties. The bill has not been signed by the President house, thus still has not been officially declared.

To read more about the experiences of Elias and the internally displaced community in Honduras check out this story here 🌎 (In Spanish)

The Other Side Of Migration: A decade of Maduro

🚌 The Biden Administration proposed a new plan that would disqualify migrants that passed through other countries and did not seek asylum there first before getting to the U.S. This plan has sparked controversy, especially among Democrats who are divided in support of this proposed plan. This plan comes after an increase in Title 42-related restrictions. The policy is expected to end on May 11.

🚌 This month marks ten years of President Nicolas Maduro ascended to power after the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. In the past decade, the situation in Venezuela has become very complicated, with political and economic unrest being at the center of it. Since 2013, 7 million people have left the country, and the number of Venezuelan migrants continues to increase.

Check out this report by the Associated Press detailing the experiences of various Venezuelan during the past decade.

Central America News Roundup 🌎

🇬🇹 Guatemala- This past Tuesday, a Guatemalan judge ordered the investigation of journalists from El Periodico newspaper. The newspaper is known for investigating top officials and is considered a prominent government critic. The judge in charge of the investigation claims that the order stems from the suspicion of malicious intent from the journalists.

🇳🇮Nicaragua - The Group of Human Rights Experts from the United States Human Rights Council concluded that the Ortega Government has committed a number of human rights violations that can be considered crimes against humanity. From testimonies and other records, the experts were able to conclude that a number of extrajudicial executions have been carried out by the National Police and pro-government groups.

🇧🇿Belize- On January 31, a group of scientists published Belize’s first national carbon stock estimate for mangrove ecosystems. This research was focused specifically on understanding the role of Belize’s Mangroves ecosystems in the national battle against climate change. The report highlighted the importance of Mangroves for carbon storage and encouraged the Belizean government to strengthen their protection of these ecosystems.

🇨🇷Costa Rica- The Costa Rican government declared a state of emergency in the northern part of the country following the contamination of drinking water by mercury. The contamination came as a result of illegal mining in a nearby area. The project was from a Canadian company called Infinito Gold and it was blocked by a court due to its environmental impact.

🇵🇦Panama- On March 2-3, various world leaders, activists, and business people met in Panama for the Annual Our Ocean Conference. At the conference, the United States pledged to dedicate 6 billion dollars to the protection of oceans. Panama was also recognized for its great efforts to preserve their aquatic biodiversity.

🇸🇻El Salvador- This week, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Colombian President Gustavo Petro engaged in an exchange of tweets regarding their respective security approach.

The exchange began when President Bukele responded with a tweet to a video where President Petro called El Salvador’s mega-prison a concentration camp. The two exchanged some tweets where they questioned the results of their security approaches. President Petro claimed that instead of building prisons to combat crime, he built universities. While President Bukele questioned the actual results and stood by his mano dura approach.

In other news:
Happy Birthday, Berta ❤️

On March 4, Berta Caceres would have celebrated her 52nd Birthday. On March 3, 2016, she was assassinated by hitmen linked to top officials of a dam project. Caceres was internationally recognized for her efforts to protect her Lenca community and after her death, her environmental efforts were even more recognized. Her spirit continues to inspire thousands of activists across the globe and is an excellent example of the Honduran spirit of resistance.

Happy belated birthday Berta!

Check out @COPINHONDURAS, an organizing group of the Lenca people co-founded by Berta Caceres.

Also, check out @Centam_Beauty on Twitter to see some of their art memorializing Berta Caceres and other content about Central American beauty.

On today's El Boletin:

The Honduran state of exception: to be continued

Displaced by violence, ignored by the state

The Other Side Of Migration: A decade of Maduro

Central America News Roundup 🌎

In other news:
Happy Birthday, Berta ❤️

Message from the editor!