2013 Public Declaration against 2013 Mining Law

Following the passage of the 2013 Mining Law, 21 civil society organizations signed a public declaration alleging that the government passed the law "in an atmosphere of secrecy, violence, and repression against activists." They argued that the new law "left water sources largely unprotected, allowed open-pit mining even though it was opposed by 91 percent of Hondurans, provided for consultation only after concessions had been granted, denied public access to information about the technical and financial aspects of the mining projects, and allowed forced convictions resulting in the destruction of entire communities."