Honduras Politics News

Congress President Tomás Zambrano visited the abandoned La Acequia prison to evaluate whether it should be rehabilitated or replaced with a new facility elsewhere in Honduras, with a decision expected within days.

A judge has confirmed arrest warrants for former members of the now-defunct Permanent Commission of Congress who did not voluntarily agree to appear, with 14 people facing 21 charges including former Congress president Luis Redondo.

The lawyer for Edis Moncada, former manager of the state graphics company ENAG, asked the Supreme Court on Friday to allow his client to appear voluntarily for arraignment rather than be arrested, challenging the arrest warrant as disproportionate and alleging procedural violations.

Supreme Court criminal-chamber judge Mario Díaz has called on Congress to approve a witness-cooperation law, saying it would give judges and prosecutors broader tools to investigate and dismantle organized-crime networks.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is accepting applications for assistant prosecutor positions from October 26–30, 2026, requiring Honduran citizenship, a law degree, bar membership, and no criminal conviction.

Honduras's Family and Childhood Commission gathered judicial authorities, prosecutors, and human-rights defenders to weigh proposed reforms to the juvenile justice system, including lowering the age of criminal responsibility and increasing penalties for children under 18.

A Supreme Court judge confirmed that the criminal case against former members of Congress's Permanent Commission will proceed under judicial secrecy at the prosecution's request, with 12 defendants scheduled for initial testimony hearings next week, as authorities seek to protect evidence.

An appeals court upheld charges against ten former executives of Honduras's teacher pension institute (INPREMA) for allegedly embezzling L34.4 million (about $1.4 million) in public funds through irregular contracts for a professional association headquarters.

The Public Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for former National Congress president Luis Redondo on charges of unlawfully disrupting government institutions, usurping functions, and abuse of office related to actions of the now-defunct permanent congressional commission during the 2025 electoral process; police say he is currently outside Honduras.

Alberto Cruz, president of Congress's Labor Commission, said the chamber has not formally received a proposal to reform Honduras's part-time employment law, though he reaffirmed the commission's openness to suggestions from business and unions that do not violate national law or international labor treaties.

Honduras's Supreme Court recommended that Congress respect due process and the presumption of innocence in proposed penal-code reforms, including maintaining conditional release for incarcerated people who provide information on criminal organizations and ensuring judicial and fiscal oversight during searches.

Honduras's Supreme Court has recommended that Congress reinstate the Effective Collaboration Law, a mechanism allowing prosecutors to work with organized-crime figures to dismantle criminal structures and reach higher-level leaders with verifiable evidence.

Honduras's Supreme Court of Justice released its institutional opinion on three pending legislative proposals: the Safe Home bill and reforms to the Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, offering the judiciary's assessment for Congress's consideration.

Legal professionals debated proposed criminal-justice measures aimed at gang violence, warning that harsher penalties without solid investigations risk wrongful arrests and citing concerns that tattoos should not serve as evidence.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced plans to push through legal reforms allowing gang tattoos—those linked to MS-13 and Pandilla 18—to serve as sufficient grounds for prosecution, arguing the measure targets only criminal members and would help overcome witness intimidation in high-crime areas.

Osman Chávez, a former two-time World Cup player turned congressman, said he faces only a usurpation-of-office allegation related to his work on Congress's Permanent Commission and called for press responsibility in coverage of his case.

Former Attorney General Johel Zelaya called for investigations against him to be made public, saying he is prepared to face any proceedings if authorities choose to pursue them.

Municipal authorities in Tegucigalpa are conducting inspections of Chinese-owned businesses, citing tax and administrative compliance, but economists and sociologists warn the sweeps risk becoming discriminatory exclusion based on nationality amid public anti-Chinese commerce messaging.

Honduras's Constitutional Court admitted a legal challenge against former Prosecutor General Johel Zelaya and ordered the Public Ministry to provide documents within 24 hours regarding allegations he neglected his duties by not pursuing complaints against officials who acted during the 2025 post-election crisis.

The National Congress Mining Commission held talks with residents of El Corpus, Choluteca, to address concerns about possible violations by mining companies operating in the municipality and to explore solutions for responsible mining practices.

The National Congress passed first reading of sweeping reforms to Honduras's anti-money-laundering laws, introducing the first regulatory framework for cryptocurrency providers, tightening electronic-transfer controls, and raising the mandatory customs declaration threshold for cash to $15,000.

Liberal deputy Jorge Cálix, citing El Salvador's gang-control model, called for life sentences for minors convicted of serious crimes and urged Honduras to withdraw from international agreements he says prevent harsher juvenile penalties.

Congressman Fabricio Sandoval of the Libre party filed a voluntary appearance before the Supreme Court in a judicial proceeding involving former members of Congress's permanent commission.

A congressional committee launched consultations with justice officials, human rights groups, and child welfare agencies on a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility and increase penalties for those under 18 in Honduras.

Honduras allows criminal prosecution of adolescents as young as 12, one of the region's lowest thresholds; Congress is now debating raising penalties for juveniles and allowing 16- and 17-year-olds accused of serious crimes to face adult prosecution.

Congress received the Supreme Court's legal opinion on October 20 on two criminal-code reform packages aimed at strengthening the state's response to crime, with floor debate scheduled to begin on October 27.

A Garífuna encampment in Tegucigalpa has maintained a protest for over 70 days demanding that Honduras drop criminal charges against five land defenders arrested during a July 6 police eviction in San Juan and comply with four Inter-American Court rulings.

Quimistán's mayor asked Congress to relocate a planned maximum-security prison from the Naco sector, warning it would threaten the region's status as Honduras's largest western industrial zone and deter investment and job growth.

Honduras's National Congress has received a proposed law to prevent and punish political violence against women after a 20-year advocacy effort and consultation with 155 stakeholders, including international UN agencies and electoral authorities.

Lawyer Raúl Paniagua says Honduras's public ministry can request extradition of Luis Redondo, the former National Congress president facing criminal charges, if he remains outside Honduras and a fiscal indictment is filed.