Military

Unknown persons set fire to the tomb of Blanca Melissa Morales Torres, a former Honduran soldier who died in a 2023 traffic accident, in a Santa Cruz de Yojoa cemetery, damaging photos, flowers, and decorative items; her family says the grave has been vandalized before and has asked police to review security footage.

Lt. Col. Ever David Maldonado Chacón, a Honduran Army parachutist who suffered a severe spinal injury during a freefall jump at last year's independence celebration, returned to the National Stadium in a wheelchair to participate in this year's parade, where President Nasry Asfura honored his recovery and resilience.

The Appeals Court in Francisco Morazán is reviewing a defense motion while the preliminary hearing against Roosevelt Hernández, the former head of Honduras's Joint Chiefs of Staff, remains suspended; Hernández faces charges for publicly attacking journalists in 2025.

Military skydiver Ever David Maldonado, injured during Honduras's September 2025 independence-day celebration, is taking assisted steps with braces nearly a year after suffering spinal fractures that required surgery and rehabilitation in Houston.

A judge formally charged former military chief Roosevelt Hernández after the Journalists' Association filed a complaint over a social-media post in which he called several reporters "hired killers" (sicarios), an allegation Hernández says amounts to censorship.

Roosevelt Hernández, former head of the Honduran armed forces' Joint Chiefs, was ordered to defend himself without pretrial detention in a case stemming from a military digital newspaper's 2025–2026 publications targeting three journalists.

Congress leadership and the Joint General Staff held talks to discuss proposed reforms to the Armed Forces constitutional law and review the Military Police's operational capacity, aiming to strengthen security efforts nationwide.

Former Joint Chiefs Commander Roosevelt Hernández said he will cooperate if formally cited after prosecutors filed a criminal complaint alleging attacks on press freedom through official Armed Forces publications between 2025 and 2026.

The Supreme Court postponed its review of a constitutional challenge filed by Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, the former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, leaving his arrest warrant active as he remains a fugitive pending trial for his alleged role in a death during the 2009 political crisis.

Honduras's prosecutor's office filed charges against Roosevelt Hernández, former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for alleged attacks on press freedom through a military digital publication's campaign against journalists between 2025 and 2026.

Defense Minister Enrique Rodríguez Burchard announced a 30% salary increase for enlisted soldiers, adding approximately 3,000 lempiras (about $120) monthly at a cost of over 570 million lempiras, effective July 2026.

David Maldonado, a Honduran military parachutist injured during September 15 independence day celebrations, has returned to Honduras to continue his recovery; his wife says he is in stable condition but still requires orthotic support to walk.

Honduras's air-defense capabilities depend on an experimental radar developed by Defense University engineering students, covering a 100-kilometer radius, after Israeli-purchased radars installed in 2013–2014 failed to function.

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff commander Roosevelt Hernández has a court date set for August 7 for a charges hearing; his attorney argues the allegations against him stem from misinterpreted statements.