Two Years of Narco-Dictatorship in Honduras

Two Years of Narco-Dictatorship in Honduras

Statement from Honduras Solidarity Network

On January 27, 2018, in the midst of massive protests and violent repression, President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) was inaugurated for an unconstitutional second term after he stole the November 2017 election. During these two years, the JOH dictatorship has continued to build its neoliberal narco-dictatorship with support from the US and Canadian governments.

What has this meant for the Honduran people?
• more mass caravans of refugees fleeing the country;
• more small farmers and indigenous communities displaced;
• more criminalization/incarceration of those who protest against corruption
and impunity; and
• more journalists, indigenous leaders, human rights and environmental
defenders attacked and assassinated.

The U.S. and Canada have continued business as usual with Honduras while Hernandez and his ruling National Party use the Honduran Congress and courts to perpetuate impunity for crimes committed by government officials and economic oligarchs who benefit from both the drug trade and transnational mega projects like dams.

One month into 2020, and the Honduran dictatorship has already sent the international anti-corruption body, the Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) packing. The results of just one
of the MACCIH’s investigations in 2019, “Pandora”, revealed that 38 government officials had funneled public funds earmarked for social welfare programs into election campaign coffers. JOH’s brother Tony will soon be sentenced to jail by a US federal court after being convicted of running a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in Honduras. JOH was named as a co-conspirator in his brother’s trial, along with other high ranking Honduran politicians and government officials, including the Public Prosecutor. The trial also demonstrated the involvement and complicity of U.S.-funded Honduran security forces in protecting drug trafficking routes, yet US support continues.

While JOH and his cronies continue to loot with impunity, those who oppose them – political prisoners and land and water activists face upcoming trials and, if convicted, years in prison. In addition those who ordered the assassination of Berta Caceres have still not been brought to trial. Only one of these intellectual authors has been charged. The rest remain at large as are the perpetrators of the 2019 murders of Garifuna leaders.

As the Honduran people struggle to survive and save their communities and country, the governments of the US and Canada keep supporting the destruction of Honduras’ environment, local economies, and social fabric. On January 9,
Chad Wolf, the Acting Chief of the US Homeland Security Department visited Honduras and met with JOH for a bilateral meeting on regional migration and security calling Honduras a strong partner in the region and saying the US looks
forward to continuing joint progress in the region.

The on-going obsession of the US to establish Safe Third Country migratory agreements with the Honduran government is one more clear example of its support for a corrupt narco regime that is already incapable of providing basic living conditions and security to its own citizens.

The Honduras Solidarity Network in the US and Canada is building opposition and action against the US and Canadian policies and working to strengthen solidarity and support for the Honduran people and their movements. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more actions and information.

www.hondurassolidarity.org
www.facebook.com/HondurasSolidarityNetwork/