Honduras recorded 48 homicides during the state of emergency

Honduras has recorded 48 multiple murders or killings with more than three victims each, with 220 people dead in the context of the state of emergency that has been in effect since December 2022, the National Human Rights Commissioner (Conadeh) reported this Sunday.

“Honduras was the scene of nearly fifty massacres in which at least 220 people were killed and dozens injured, many of these cases still go unpunished, further exacerbating rights violations,” Konadeh stressed in a statement.

In December 2022 alone, when the Honduran government declared a state of emergency to reduce violence rates, the Central American country recorded 5 massacres that left 20 people dead, he added.

Between January 1 and December 31 last year, the human rights organization reported at least 43 multiple killings in which at least 200 people were killed, including 75 women and about a dozen girls and boys.

In 2023, 13 of the 18 divisions of the HondurasWhat is one of the world’s most violent countries, without ever having experienced war, was the scene of multiple killings that left “a trail of grief and pain in about fifty Honduran families,” according to a human rights organization.

He highlighted that last June was the month with the highest number of murders, with 11, including the deaths of 46 women in prisons during brawls. The head of Conadeh, Blanca Izaguirre, said the state had “responsibility” for the lack. An effective investigation that allowed us to identify the perpetrators of the deaths of 46 women at the Women’s Center for Social Adaptation (CEFAS).

The deaths of 46 women in Cefas, 23 of them with weapons and knives, and the remaining 23 burned in the fire, were attributed by authorities to a confrontation between two criminal gangs.

Those responsible for the “worst massacre” recorded in Honduras “have not been identified, prosecuted or punished”, which is why Izaguirre urged authorities to conduct an investigation that adheres to the general principles of “reinforced due diligence for investigations”. This is a serious violation of human rights.

“This climate of terror and impunity is the fertilizer for many Honduran families who are forcibly displaced from their places of residence to protect their physical integrity and their lives,” the Ombudsman stressed.

He also called on the Honduran authorities to “take preventive measures and conduct effective investigations that lead to the identification of the perpetrators and to enforce the law on those responsible for such heinous acts of violence.” EFE