After the news of the murder of Juan Lopez - the anti-mining, environmentalist community leader and municipal councillor of Tocoa, northern Honduras - who was shot dead by several men as he travelled home in his car from church, Paz Redondo, CAFOD’s Country Representative for Central America, said:
“The assassination of Juan Lopez clearly shows once again the complicity between the authorities, international companies and organised crime in Tocoa, and the inability of the government to protect environmental and human rights defenders in the emblematic case of the Guapinol river - despite the fact that precautionary measures had been ordered by the Interamerican Court of Human Rights (IACHR).”
Juan Lopez denounced the corruption within local and central governments in Honduras during a public press conference just before he was killed.
Paz Redondo continues:
“Justice needs to be more than words for the state of Honduras, a state that shows once again its fragility and inability to combat corruption within its ranks, as it continues to serve the interests of extractives and organised crime. Juan publicly denounced this corruption within local and central governments and was killed days after his and his fellow activists' latest public press conference.”
Honduras is the world's most dangerous country for environmental defenders.
For over a decade, the communities of Guapinol, San Pedro and other areas in the vicinity of Tocoa have been denouncing the illegal granting of mining concessions in the Carlos Escaleras National Park in Honduras. Their advocacy efforts were successful in February when the Honduran government approved decree 18-2024 to protect the core zone of the national park, a key achievement to safeguard the environment against mining and energy projects in the area.
The murder of Juan Lopez is not the first killing in the Guapinol case. Over 160 community members in Tocoa have been killed protecting their land and natural resources since 2010 (Amnesty, 2024). In 2023 three community leaders were killed in what the community saw as retaliation, following the release of defenders who had been criminalised. Later in the year, in October 2023, 30 members of the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa and of the Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos were granted precautionary measures by the IACHR.
The Catholic Church and civil society organisations in Honduras have condemned the murder of Juan Lopez and are calling for justice and truth in this case, and for the protection of environmental defenders in Tocoa. Father Melo, who works with our Honduran partner foundation Reflection, Research and Communications Team ((ERIC) and Progress Radio, said:
“There are no heroes or heroines here. We are a group of humble people who do not want to let criminals defeat us. We are not going to let fear overcome us. Because the objective of the criminals [who committed this crime] is to paralyse us.”
Juan Lopez was killed despite precautionary measures which were ordered by the IACHR last October. The community of Tocoa believes his death could have been prevented if the Honduran authorities had implemented the precautionary measures granted to Juan Lopez. CAFOD, alongside ERIC, has accompanied the Guapinol community in their fight to protect the land and natural resources essential for their survival, and we will continue supporting them as they defend their environmental rights.
The UK's ambassador to Honduras, Nick Whittingham, called for the authorities to conduct the necessary investigations urgently and for justice to be made, reinforcing the important role of Honduran authorities in protecting environmental defenders as they conduct their work.
We urge the Honduran authorities to:
Take the necessary measures to move forward with a swift and independent investigation that allows the material and intellectual authors of the Juan Lopez murder to be held to account, as well as those responsible for all attacks, harassment, surveillance and threats against human rights defenders in the Guapinol case.
Implement the precautionary measures ordered by IACHR for the other 30 human rights defenders in Tocoa whose lives are still at risk.