Land Dispute

Honduras's Supreme Court is renewing invitations to the Garífuna community and Ofraneh to participate in dialogue tables aimed at addressing a criminal case against five San Juan residents and implementing a 2023 Inter-American Court ruling on the community's territorial and collective rights.

Garífuna organizations denounced the Honduran judiciary's offer of dialogue on territorial disputes already ruled on by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, citing government non-compliance with court orders and a hate campaign, while five land-rights defenders from San Juan remain without a judge to hear their case.

Residents of the Paseo Real del Carmen neighborhood in San Pedro Sula say they have endured two weeks of pressure and harassment from developers seeking to evict them for residential construction projects, and are calling on authorities to intervene.

Five Garífuna community defenders accused of usurpation in a July eviction from ancestral San Juan lands remain without a judge after a national court nullified prior proceedings, while their lawyers argue the process violates constitutional protections and Inter-American Court rulings.

OFRANEH, a Garífuna rights organization, set up a permanent encampment at Honduras's Supreme Court to demand the dismissal of criminal charges against five San Juan residents accused of land occupation, citing a favorable Inter-American Court ruling and alleging a conflict of interest involving the court president and a wealthy family claiming the same land.

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.

Honduran police are investigating a possible connection between a land sale and the killing of retired teacher Mercedes Martina Turcios in El Rosario, Comayagua, based on evidence gathered at the crime scene.

Police say the shooting death of retired teacher Mercedes Martina Turcios, 62, killed Wednesday in El Rosario, Comayagua, may be connected to a dispute over land sale, with investigators reviewing surveillance footage and working with protected witnesses.