2018 UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders visit to Honduras

In April and May 2018, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders carried out a fact-finding country visit to Honduras. His preliminary report issued at the end of the visit, highlighted the threats faced by human rights activists, particularly environmental defenders, arising from their legitimate social demands. The rapporteur also identified conflicts arising from corporate mining projects as a key context in which defenders face threats and criminalization. For example, the rapporteur noted that: “Honduras has become one of the most dangerous places in the world for land rights defenders and environmental activists” (OHCHR, 2018; para. 41) and that “The practice of criminalizing the defence of human rights or threatening to do so is widespread, affecting in particular those who defend land, environmental and civil and political rights and those who report irregularities in State or business operations or violations committed by the Government or companies (ibid: para. 27).

The Rapporteur also confirmed that he had received a great deal of information about the harmful repercussions of corporate operations, in particular those related to the mining, energy, agricultural, forestry, tourism and security sectors throughout the country, and such enterprises’ involvement in threats, attacks and abuse directed at human rights defenders, in some cases by security staff (ibid: para. 67).