Browse Honduras Daily Stories

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 Inter-American Press Society's 82nd General Assembly reported 60 documented assaults on press freedom in Honduras in the first half of 2026 and found that 88% of violent deaths of media workers remain unsolved, citing particular risks for journalists investigating corruption and organized crime.

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.

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.

The Dominican Republic authorized its San Pedro Sula consulate to serve Dominican citizens in Nicaragua after withdrawing its embassy from the country over concerns about democratic freedoms.

Farmers blocked the Quebrada Seca bridge in Yoro from early morning, demanding repeal of the Agricultural Reactivation Law and measures to control fuel, electricity, and living costs; police used tear gas to clear the road.

Congress president Tomás Zambrano announced plans to approve 10 to 12 anti-crime decrees, funded jointly by the government and legislature, targeting gangs and organized crime.

A technical commission is evaluating the closure or consolidation of roughly 10 state agencies by 2027, based on budget performance and whether entities fulfill their mandated functions, to redirect resources toward security, health, and infrastructure.

The municipality of Choloma is considering using its 2026 investment budget to pay L47.6 million (about $1.9 million) owed to 14 contractors, but lawmakers are questioning the lack of documentation for the underlying work and services.

Rep. Erika Madrid (Intibucá) expressed concern that smuggled Guatemalan potatoes are flooding Honduras's western agricultural markets, undercutting local farmers who already earn minimal profit, and proposed activating soil-analysis labs to detect the product's origin.

Congress Energy Commission member Eder Mejía said the government's electric-sector reforms, which would forgive debts for users consuming under 200 kWh monthly, freeze rates for six months, and regularize illegal connections, are expected to be published in the official gazette next week.

Security Minister Gerzon Velásquez said the government is studying a proposal to contract a private company to manage driver's license issuance starting in 2027, aiming to eliminate procurement delays that have disrupted the supply of specialized materials and printing equipment.

Congress Security Commission president Marco Paz said the current security reform package focuses on changes to the National Penitentiary and police forces, while any proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility remains under debate with no concrete proposal yet.

Congresswoman Erika Urtecho from Gracias a Dios is demanding the government consult with indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities under ILO Convention 169 before proceeding with oil-exploration technical work in La Mosquitia, citing concerns from local fishers and divers.

Heavy-transport union leader Edgardo Menéndez said his regulated members did not participate in violent protests and road blockades near El Zamorano, blaming unregulated carriers, and noted his sector has already reached a fuel-cost agreement with the government.

A coalition of civil-society organizations is pressing Congress to urgently approve a comprehensive law protecting children from sexual abuse, citing alarming statistics: 57 girls suffer sexual violence daily in Honduras, yet authorities record only one report every 3.2 hours, with seven in ten cases occurring within families.

A national poll finds nearly half of Hondurans view proposed changes to the state utility ENEE as privatization, with 37.4% fearing the reforms will harm households already squeezed by high electricity costs, food prices, and fuel.

Roberto Contreras, president of the Liberal Party's executive council, called rival Salvador Nasralla a "factory of failures" who will never be president and warned that internal divisions could keep the party out of power for 20 years.

Former Planning Minister Ricardo Salgado's ministry spent L22.9 million (about $920,000) on vehicle rentals over three years, with spending surging to L16.1 million in the 2025 election year—a roughly five-fold increase from 2024.

Honduras's prosecutors' association is urging the Public Ministry and Congress to approve emergency funding to hire about 200 new prosecutors, citing a case backlog caused by the current 760 prosecutors being overwhelmed and no new hires in seven years.

Gabriela Castellanos, director of Honduras's National Anti-Corruption Council, said tolerance for intimidation of public officials threatens rule of law, citing the Attorney General's complaint that former president Juan Orlando Hernández confronted prosecutors during a court hearing.

Honduras's anti-corruption council announced investigations into alleged corruption at the Social Housing Fund (Fosovi) and at least seven other public institutions, urging prosecutors to bring those responsible to justice.

A judge scheduled an August 20 hearing for former Health Minister Alba Flores to answer fraud and document-falsification charges stemming from a COVID-19 mobile hospital procurement scandal; Flores has evaded justice since November 2023.

The Honduran government announced it will not appear before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) for a hearing related to an ongoing political trial, instead submitting a written defense.

A Data Veritas poll finds corruption (21%), rising cost of living (19.6%), and unemployment (14.8%) are Honduras's most pressing problems, while public approval of the Asfura government remains predominantly negative.

Transport leaders from five major cities announced plans for a nationwide strike next week unless the government pays a pending compensation bonus and addresses security threats facing the sector.

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.

Diana Medina, the former head of the child-prosecution office, called on Honduras to adopt a specialized law coordinating institutional response to sexual violence against children, citing Guatemala's model and Honduras's international obligations to protect minors.

Honduras's National Anti-Corruption Council released a report analyzing the implications of former President Juan Orlando Hernández's return to the country, stating that his presence is a test of whether the justice system can investigate and prosecute alleged crimes with independence and impartiality.