Campesino Rights

Eighty-six families evicted from El Tulito, Choluteca, in August under a new agroindustrial law now face ongoing criminal prosecutions for land occupation dating back to 2019, with some jailed for years and others under arrest warrants or court-ordered restrictions.

The farming community of El Tulito in Choluteca faces a second eviction as a cattle company backed by police attempted to seize remaining land on September 1, following a previous eviction on August 6 that destroyed valeriana crops, prompting human-rights lawyers to demand an investigation and legal safeguards.

About 86 farming families in El Tulito, Choluteca, were evicted under Honduras's new Agro-Industry Protection Law at the request of sugar companies, despite legal challenges and six prior failed eviction attempts before the law took effect.

Congress on June 4 passed a law declaring agribusiness lands exempt from expropriation and land-reform programs, and ordering police to act immediately against occupations or protests, while peasant groups say it criminalizes rural organizing in the conflict-torn Bajo Aguán region where 20 people were killed on May 21.