State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2014 - Honduras

Elections in Honduras on 24 November brought Juan Orlando Hernández to power as the country's President. Despite limited political support – Hernández secured less than 37 per cent of the votes – the new administration's emphasis on increased militarization has troubling implications for human rights protections. However, even before Hernández's election, a law was adopted in August allowing for the creation of a military police force to perform public order tasks, such as conducting arrests, controlling violence or handling conflicts. Security is a serious issue in Honduras, where homicide rates are the highest in the world. Discrimination and marginalization are also ongoing challenges, particularly for the country's indigenous and Afro-descendant populations. Both continue to suffer social exclusion, poverty and intimidation. The Garifuna community, for example, has some of the highest rates of HIV in the country, placing them in a situation of particular vulnerability.

In 2013, the Congress adopted legislation granting itself the power to remove judges and the country's attorney general, undermining judicial independence and weakening an already compromised justice system. This could impact on indigenous groups and Afro-descendants experiencing abuses relating to land disputes, which persisted during the year, particularly in the Bajo Aguán region. The conflict there has its origin in a 1992 agrarian reform that allowed communal lands to be sold to individuals. Afro-descendant and indigenous leaders who denounce these land rights violations have been repeatedly threatened or killed by state and non-state representatives.

In July, for example, military personnel shot the indigenous Lenca leader Tomás García dead and injured his son while they were taking part in a non-violent demonstration against a planned hydroelectric project in Lenca ancestral lands. Other indigenous members opposing the project suffered threats as well. The IACHR urged the Honduras government to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes and ensure the security of indigenous Lenca leaders. In September, the indigenous activist, Berta Cáceres, who led the opposition to a hydroelectric project, was charged with the illegal possession of a weapon and for participating in protests. These charges were denounced as motivated by a desire on the part of state authorities to stop her activism. By the end of the year, her trial had not been held.

The Garifuna community are particularly exposed to discrimination and human rights violations. Against a backdrop of entrenched discrimination, violence against Garifuna members also persisted. For example, in July 2013, two Garifuna members were killed with extreme brutality. In November 2013, Amnesty International sent a public letter to all presidential candidates highlighting the various structural challenges that Garifuna members face. These include inadequate access to public services and decision-making processes, the absence of justice regarding crimes and abuses against the Garifuna, and the weak enforcement of the right to free, prior and informed consent. It called for greater protections for both Garifuna and indigenous communities from rights violations by state officials and non-state actors.

These incidents highlight how issues such as land rights and broader discrimination against minority and indigenous groups in Honduras contribute to violence against them. There were some positive signs of progress as well during the year, however, such as the granting of ownership deeds by the government to five Miskito indigenous groups. As a result, the Miskito indigenous community now owns approximately 7 per cent of the country's land. With this measure, the government ended a conflict that lasted over 40 years and involved a large number of violent deaths.

At the beginning of the year, the first Public Policy and National Action Plan for Human Rights was approved. It mandates each ministry to consider the realization, promotion and enforcement of human rights in their planning and budgeting. This plan is expected to be continued by the government elected in November. If properly implemented, this plan could guarantee and promote the rights of indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants, which to date have not been protected. In February, the Penal Code was also amended to prohibit incitement of discrimination publicly or through the media for a variety of criteria, including ethnicity or origin, nationality, language and religion.