Honduras Politics News

Congress is moving toward approving a structural reform that would divide the state-owned ENEE into three separate commercial entities for generation, transmission, and distribution, with energy experts warning the changes open a path to privatization and could weaken the utility's financial stability.

The National Congress approved expanding a law that shields agroindustrial lands and investments to also cover energy and tourism projects, while adding a clause affirming the law's compatibility with indigenous peoples' right to free, prior consultation on communal lands.

Honduras, where a woman is killed every 32 hours, has approved sweeping Penal Code reforms raising femicide sentences to as high as 60 years and mandating specialized courts to handle gender-violence cases.

Luis Arturo Avilés Moncada and Aracely O'hara Guillén, former Central Bank of Honduras officials, voluntarily appeared before a national criminal court and were released under conditions — including periodic check-ins and a travel ban — pending an initial hearing scheduled for June 18 on charges of reckless misappropriation of public funds.

The Public Ministry's financial crimes unit (ATIC) and police corruption task force (FETCCOP) are investigating irregularities at the municipal government in Jutiapa, Atlántida.

Elections for new leaders of Honduras's electoral bodies—the CNE and TJE—will likely slip from this year into January 2027 due to lack of consensus among congressional factions, says the head of Congress's Electoral Commission.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has summoned witnesses to testify in a criminal investigation into Salvador Nasralla on allegations of fraudulent administration of public funds, while a clean-politics unit demands the Liberal Party provide emergency disclosure of Nasralla-linked bank accounts and a mysterious U.S. corporate registration.

Culture Minister Yasser Handal faced backlash after replacing the commemorative plaque on a community center that opened under the previous government, renaming it and adding his name and President Asfura's; he apologized and said the plaque would be removed.

Honduran agriculture officials and Brazilian representatives agreed to draft a memorandum of understanding focused on technology transfer, improved seeds for staple crops, and soy development, with the aim of boosting productivity and food security.

The head of CODEH, a Honduran human rights group, said a bill that would expand self-defense law to allow lethal force against home intruders risks being abused and could give citizens a "blank check" to kill in a society already beset by violence and crime.

Employees of Honduras's Judicial Branch are calling on the Finance Ministry to speed up delayed salary transfers, citing risks and uncertainty about their paychecks.

Francisco Cosenza, former director of Honduras's security-funding agency, was sentenced to five years of home confinement with electronic monitoring by a Miami federal judge after admitting to financial transactions involving proceeds from criminal activity.

The president of Congress convened representatives from Uber, InDriver, Taxis VIP, and other digital transport platforms for a June 8 meeting with the Transport Commission to address vehicle confiscations and fines imposed by authorities on operators working in a legal gray zone.

Honduras and a dozen other American countries in the Shield of the Americas coalition expressed support for Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz and condemned destabilization attempts, citing concerns that protests and road blockades are disrupting food and medicine supplies.

A draft law to be sent to Congress on June 10 would create a Judicial Council to handle administrative functions—hiring, promotions, and discipline—with safeguards against nepotism, conflicts of interest, and political interference, separating those duties from the Supreme Court's judicial role.

Eight current and former Central Bank of Honduras employees accused of misappropriation in connection with an 88.6-million-lempira embezzlement linked to former prosecutor Francia Medina will face trial while free, with an initial hearing set for June 18.

Rideshare and app-based drivers held a protest in Tegucigalpa demanding clearer regulations and legal permits after the land-transport authority seized dozens of vehicles and imposed fines in recent operations.

Francisco Cosenza, former director of Honduras's Security Tax Fund, was sentenced by a US court to five years of home confinement probation after pleading guilty to money laundering and bribery charges related to the misuse of public security funds.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that Honduras's newly approved agroindustrial law could harm indigenous and rural communities' land and territorial rights and deepen social conflict, urging Congress to align it with international standards.

A judge in San Pedro Sula convicted four indigenous leaders of usurpation despite the National Agrarian Institute granting the Lenca community legal title to the disputed land in El Cacao, prompting rights groups to appeal and take the case to international bodies.

Honduras's deaf community has complained that the National Congress hired an unqualified sign-language interpreter for official broadcasts, violating their right to equal access to information, and is calling for a certified professional.

Congress approved a law prioritizing agroindustrial activity as a national interest, expediting evictions and broadening criminal penalties for land occupations and blockades, drawing warnings from Cespad, a democracy-studies center, that it criminalizes peasant land-defense organizing.

Liberal Party congressman Roberto Pineda Chacón introduced a motion Thursday to impose penalties for burning tires during protests and for dumping tires in public spaces, citing environmental protection ahead of World Environment Day.

Congress is considering a proposal that would create a legal presumption protecting homeowners and business owners who use deadly force to repel intruders, aiming to prevent automatic criminal prosecution of property defenders.

Liberal congressman Roberto Pineda Chacón introduced legislation to punish the burning and improper disposal of tires in public spaces, arguing the measure targets environmental damage and public-health risks, not protests.

Congress president Tomás Zambrano has called a June 9 meeting between ride-hailing platforms including Uber, inDriver, and VIP taxi services and Congress's Transportation Commission to discuss regulation and enforcement actions by the transport authority.

Francisco Cosenza, former director of Honduras's Security Tax (Tasa de Seguridad), was sentenced in Miami to five years of home detention after pleading guilty to money laundering and bribery charges tied to over $10 million in padded police uniform and supply contracts.

President Asfura introduced a bill to modernize ENEE, Honduras's state electric company, through operational restructuring aimed at recovering more than 16 billion lempiras annually in system losses that could be redirected to health, education, roads, and social programs.

A draft law sent to Congress would restructure Honduras's electric system by splitting state utility ENEE into a holding company, creating an independent system operator, and opening the market to new generators and retailers, with experts projecting potential savings of $3.6 billion.

Liberal congressman Roberto Pineda Chacón introduced a proposal to impose fines and penalties for burning tires during demonstrations and for improperly dumping tires in public spaces, citing environmental protection on World Environment Day.