Browse Honduras Daily Stories
Every published story, by topic, region, tag, and source — 519 in the archive so far.
18 stories in Criterio Hn
Clear filtersEnergy Overhaul to Split State Power Company Advances in Congress
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.
ZEDE Oversight Body Restarts Under Ex-Official Facing Corruption Charges
The CAMP, the governing body for Honduras's special economic zones, reactivated in May under Francisco René Flores Bonilla, a former JOH-era official charged by prosecutors in a corruption investigation over his management of seized-asset funds.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 6, 2026#zede#honduras-prospera#inconstitucionalidadLenca Leaders Convicted Despite State Land Title
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.
Deaf Community Faults Congress Over Unqualified Sign-Language Interpreter
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 Pardons Candidates Who Failed to Report Campaign Finances
Congress approved a temporary waiver of fines and sanctions for 2025 election candidates who failed to file required campaign finance reports or establish separate campaign bank accounts, giving them two months to comply before penalties take effect.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 5, 2026#campaign-finance#transparency#congress-decreeDrug Trafficker's Brother Named to Head Seized-Asset Agency
Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana, whose brother Mario José "Cubeta" Cálix was extradited to the US on drug charges, has been appointed director of the OABI, the state agency that administers assets seized from traffickers—a move that prompted a rights lawyer to warn of potential conflicts of interest.
Rights Groups Urge Asfura to Veto Agroindustry Protection Law
Environmental and human-rights organizations are calling on President Asfura to veto a newly approved law strengthening agroindustry protections, arguing it weakens environmental controls, blocks land reform, and criminalizes peasant land claims under the guise of fighting land invasions.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 4, 2026#agrarian-reform#land-rights#agroindustry-lawHonduras Femicides Climb in 2026 Amid Greater Brutality and Near-Total Impunity
Rights groups have recorded 108 femicides in Honduras through late May 2026, with activists noting more mutilated victims and a 95% impunity rate that leaves killers largely unpunished.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 4, 2026#femicide#violence-against-women#gender-violenceHonduras Greenlighted Oil Exploration in Indigenous Reserve
Honduras granted a 2013 oil concession covering 35,256 square kilometers of Caribbean waters in La Moskitia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, without consulting the four indigenous peoples living there, violating international law.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 3, 2026#oil-exploration#indigenous-rights#rio-platano-biosphereBritish Firm Holds Stake in Honduras Caribbean Oil Concession
CaribX (UK) Limited, a British company with no prior oil experience, holds 55% of a hydrocarbon-exploration concession in Honduras's Moskitia as the non-operator alongside Bermuda-based H2P as the 45% operator, yet six years of exploration results remain undisclosed to the public.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · Jun 3, 2026#oil-exploration#hydrocarbons#concession-contractDrug Trafficker's Brother Named to Head Seized-Assets Agency
Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana has been appointed director of Honduras's agency that administers assets seized from drug traffickers, sparking concerns over conflict of interest because his brother Mario José Cálix—a major trafficker extradited to the US in 2024—had substantial property and accounts seized by the same institution.
Five Years After Keyla Martínez's Death, No Justice in Sight
Five years after nursing student Keyla Martínez was killed in police custody, a retrial begins in August after the original conviction for involuntary homicide was overturned due to procedural irregularities; her mother and women's rights groups demand the case be reclassified as aggravated femicide and that the accused police officer face pretrial detention.
Coastal Erosion Displaces Families From Honduras's Pacific Shore
Over 40 years, the Gulf of Fonseca communities of Cedeño and La Puntilla have lost up to 100 meters of coastline to sea-level rise, destroying homes and businesses and driving residents—many of them young people—to migrate to the United States.
Criterio.hn· enPublished on Honduras Daily · May 29, 2026#coastal-erosion#climate-change#displacementHonduras Names Rights-Abuse Suspect to Lead New Anti-Extortion Unit
The Asfura government dissolved the Dipampco police anti-gang unit and created a new Anti-Extortion Division led by Commissioner Jorge Daniel Molina Gálvez, who faces two prior prosecutorial charges for illegal detention and abuse of authority, drawing concern from human-rights groups.
Honduras Terror Law Reforms Raise Civil-Liberties Alarm
Congress approved penal code changes on May 18 that formally classify gangs and drug-trafficking networks as terrorist associations, but legal experts and human-rights groups warn the expanded, vague wording could be used against protesters and social movements.
Honduras Weighs Outsourcing Surgery Backlog to Private Hospitals
The National Party government is proposing to use private hospital capacity to reduce a public surgery waiting list, drawing warnings from medical leaders that the measure could lead to broader health privatization.
Honduras Removes Top Anti-Corruption Prosecutor from Post
Attorney General Johel Zelaya removed Luis Javier Santos from leading the anti-corruption unit Uferco, reassigning him to a training school, a move former prosecutors warn weakens Honduras's fight against corruption and may serve political interests.
Honduras Formally Requests UN Anti-Corruption Mission
Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina delivered a formal request to UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish the CICIH, an independent anti-corruption commission the Castro government hopes to have operating before June 2022.