Background
There were delays in reporting the results of the general elections held in November, which were also marked by allegations of fraud.
In January, the government launched the “Sister, brother, return home” plan to provide assistance to people returning to Honduras. According to the National Institute of Migration, in 2025 more than 42,000 people were returned to the country, mostly from Mexico and the USA.
Unlawful use of force
The UN and the Ombudsperson (CONADEH) criticized the extension of the state of emergency, which had been in force for three consecutive years by December. In this context, civil society organizations denounced human rights violations perpetrated by the security forces, in particular arbitrary detention, excessive use of force and torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment.
Freedom of expression
Journalists and media workers faced high levels of physical and digital violence, including stigmatizing statements from the authorities, smear campaigns and intimidation. In June, journalist Javier Antonio Hércules Salinas was killed, despite having been granted state protection measures.
Human rights defenders
Land and environmental defenders faced frequent violence such as intimidation, murder and criminalization. Garifuna communities experienced grave danger. In April, the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras denounced the alleged enforced disappearance of Max Gil Castillo, brother of the community president of Punta Piedra. The UN and other organizations expressed concerns regarding threats received by Garifuna leaders, as well as harassment of Garifuna communities in the media and repeated threats with firearms.
In February, an Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts was launched under the auspices of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The group’s purpose was to support the investigation into the instigation and other crimes relating to the murder of the Lenca leader Berta Cáceres in 2016.
In September, a court decided that three men charged with the murder of environmentalist Juan López in 2024 should stand trial. The Public Prosecutor’s Office repeated its commitment to investigate the instigation of this crime, but by the end of the year had not reported any progress in this regard.
At year’s end, the government had not signed the Escazú Agreement.
Right to a healthy environment
The implementation of Decree 18-2024, which ordered the environmental restoration of the Carlos Escaleras National Park and banned mining activity in the country’s protected areas, remained pending.
In May, a law was submitted to Congress that would ease the granting of environmental licences, generating alarm.1 However, as of year’s end, it had not been approved.
Honduras lagged behind in the development and adoption of measures for climate change adaptation. It lacked sustainable and consistent policies for addressing a climate crisis that had caused forced displacements from coastal and rural communities.
Gender-based violence
Local NGO Cattrachas recorded 35 murders of LGBTI people between January and December. Same-sex marriages remained banned.
Women faced high levels of violence. The National Autonomous University of Honduras recorded at least 270 femicides and violent deaths in 2025. Abortion remained criminalized.
