In May 2008, CAVS made a criminal complaint against the Attorney General of Guatemala and the Assistant Attorney General for obstruction of justice, delaying justice, abuse of authority and violation of their duties as public officials. The legal action sought the suspension of the officials from their posts. The complaint did not result in any actionContinue reading “2008 CAVS files criminal complaint against Attorney General for obstruction of justice”
Subsoil Jurisdiction Archives
2008 Petition for constitutional protection of the right to medical attention
On 11 September 2008, a petition for constitution protection (amparo) was filed on behalf of those suffering health consequences from the pollution allegedly caused by the San Martín mine. The petition demanded protection of the right to timely and adequate medical attention for the 64 people in the Siria Valley whose health had reportedly been damaged byContinue reading “2008 Petition for constitutional protection of the right to medical attention”
2012-2013 Creation and reconfiguration of Montaña de Botaderos National Park
On 8 October 2012, the Honduran Congress passed a law (Legislative Decree 127-2012) creating the Montaña de Botaderos National Park to protect local biodiversity and ecosystems and as part of commitments to maintain the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (in 2017, the park was renamed Montaña de Botaderos Carlos Escaleras National Park, after a murdered environmental activist).Continue reading “2012-2013 Creation and reconfiguration of Montaña de Botaderos National Park”
2019 Constitutional challenge to decree modifying Montaña de Botaderos National Park
On 25 February 2019, members of Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) and the San Alonso Rodríguez Foundation, and accompanied by the Coalition Against Impunity, filed a constitutional challenge or judicial review (recurso de inconstitucionalidad) of Decree 252-2013 which had reduced the dimensions of the Core Zones of Montaña de BotaderosContinue reading “2019 Constitutional challenge to decree modifying Montaña de Botaderos National Park”
2007- Municipalities Declare Territories Free of Mining [ASP1 and ASP2]
Between 2013 and 2015, approximately 20 municipalities across Honduras declared themselves “territories free of mining” by holding public referenda or consultative assemblies (cabildos abiertos) in which communities voted on whether to allow mining operations where they lived. These municipalities included, among others, Sabá and Balfate in Colón; Danlí and Teupasenti in El Paraíso; El Negrito,Continue reading “2007- Municipalities Declare Territories Free of Mining [ASP1 and ASP2]”
2016-2020 Tocoa Municipal consultative assembly to declare “Territory Free of Mining”
According to Article 25 of the Honduran Law of Municipalities, the Municipal Council is empowered “to call a plebiscite of all municipal citizens to take decisions on issues that the Council considers of great importance. The result of the plebiscite is binding and should be made public” (See Legal Action entitled “2007- Municipalities Declare TerritoriesContinue reading “2016-2020 Tocoa Municipal consultative assembly to declare “Territory Free of Mining””
2016 Ceibita community consent for mining project
On 30 June 2016 EMCO Mining (which changed its name to Inversiones Los Pinares (ILP) in 2017 and became part of the EMCO Group) approached locals of Ceibita to build an access road through their community to the processing plant and mining site. The company promised jobs and investment in Ceibita in return for agreeingContinue reading “2016 Ceibita community consent for mining project”
2015 Law to protect Human Rights defenders and journalists
In May 2015, Decree 134-2015 created the Law to protect human rights defenders, journalists and justice officials. In 2016 the regulatory code of the law was enacted. The 2015 law, modelled on similar experiences in the Latin American region, was passed in response to national and international pressure to address the wide range of threatsContinue reading “2015 Law to protect Human Rights defenders and journalists”
2018 Criminal complaints by CMDBCP against local authorities
On 8 June 2018, during the protest outside Tocoa’s Town Hall, the Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) filed a criminal complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the previous and present mayors of Tocoa for failing in their legal duties by unlawfully granting municipal permits to the mine resulting inContinue reading “2018 Criminal complaints by CMDBCP against local authorities”
2018-2019 Criminal complaints by CMDBCP against private company and State authorities
Since 2018 the Municipal Committee in Defence of Common and Public Goods (CMDBCP) have filed a series of criminal and administrative complaints against state institutions, such as Honduran National Institute of Geology and Mining (INGEOMIN), the Honduran Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mines (MiAmbiente+) and Honduran Institute of Foresty Conservation (ICF), as wellContinue reading “2018-2019 Criminal complaints by CMDBCP against private company and State authorities”


