NEWS
NEWS
Honduran government praises repeal of the ZEDE law as investors denounce ‘lies’ and ‘abuse’
On September 20, 2024, Honduras’ Supreme Court declared the Economic Development and Employment Zones (ZEDE) unconstitutional, annulling a regulatory framework passed by the National Assembly in 2013. Even though magistrates disagree about the legal consequences of the resolution, they reached a unanimous decision, stressing that the ZEDEs violate fundamental constitutional articles. While the government praises the resolution, investors say it’s “abusive.” This has sparked a debate about the possibility of charging public officials who promoted the ZEDEs with treason.
In depth Investigations
Honduran Attorney General’s Office shelved money laundering and drug trafficking case linked to the Zelaya family
A request for legal assistance sent to Colombian authorities in 2012 revealed that former President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and several of his relatives were under investigation for money laundering and drug trafficking. Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office provided Honduran authorities with telephone recordings that tie the Zelaya family to drug trafficking and the irregular acquisition of properties. To date no indictment has been filed and Honduran prosecutors have not made progress in the investigation.
Honduran Attorney General’s Office shelved money laundering and drug trafficking case linked to the Zelaya family
A request for legal assistance sent to Colombian authorities in 2012 revealed that former President Manuel Zelaya Rosales and several of his relatives were under investigation for money laundering and drug trafficking. Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office provided Honduran authorities with telephone recordings that tie the Zelaya family to drug trafficking and the irregular acquisition of properties. To date no indictment has been filed and Honduran prosecutors have not made progress in the investigation.
Special Investigations
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Photo GALLERies
Long-awaited and partial justice for Honduran political refugee in the U.S.
Monserrat is the daughter of Margarita Murillo, a Honduran leading activist who was involved in campesino movements until her murder in 2014. She arrived in the U.S. after receiving death threats for seeking justice for her mother and has been living as a political refugee in New York ever since. During the trial against former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a witness mentioned Marlene Banegas, a Honduran prosecutor who was murdered after receiving information that exposed Hernández’ ties to the drug trade. Banegas was also investigating Murillo’s murder.
PHOTO Reports
Indecency in the Open
Alexis Carrasco is sculpting Gallery, his other self. He has been doing it for ten years and is already an expert craftsman of the exhausting and painful work of momentarily transforming himself into a woman. First is the structure: foam rubber breasts, hips, and buttocks. That is the marble on which he sculpts his work.
Chamelecón: Neglected people rebuild
Approximately 350 families from the sector of Chamelecón are seeking refuge underneath a bridge; shelters are not an option. The families hope to avoid both flooding and the violence of the gangs who control their community.
REGIONAL NEWS
Featured
Central american news
Gang members on the run: MS-13’s exodus from El Salvador
A Phantom’s Tale: The Coyote Influencer on TikTok
Editorial
An imposed refoundation
Hondurans euphorically relived celebrations of the November 2021 elections, which had the highest voter turnout in recent history, when former President Juan Orlando Hernández was apprehended in February 2022. Hernández was prosecuted in the U.S. and is now awaiting trial for drug trafficking charges. However, hope for a possible way out of a prolonged political crisis to a period of democratization quickly turned to frustration, a change that began in National Congress when the new administration took office.
OPINION
Socio-environmental vulnerabilities for a cup of coffee
Coffee is one of the most widely traded and consumed commodities in the world, which is why I want to talk about the negative socio-environmental impacts of its production in developing countries and guide people to consume it more responsibly.
Perfect timing by the Zelaya family
Honduras is in a state of political turmoil. After terminating the US extradition treaty, the Castro government has shifted key figures to strengthen its “re-foundation plan.” Government officials say they are protecting themselves from an imminent coup, and after making it clear that US extradition requests will no longer be processed, members of the Castro family – who are accused of having ties to drug traffickers – submitted to the Honduran justice system. Adding to the tension, Rixi Moncada was appointed secretary of defense a few days prior to launching her presidential campaign.
Central American and Palestinian Liberation Struggles are Intertwined
The past four months have been one that has further exposed the farce of the “Western” world order we live in. The State of Israel has killed over 30,000 Palestinians, with the backing of North American and European “democracies” while people all over the world bear witness to endless massacres and dehumanization live streamed on social media platforms.
Diverse Vocies
Wherein lies our pride?
It’s just a regular day. I leave my house and it’s not long before people stare at me. They stare with disgust and disapproval; others stare morbidly and perversely. Comments by the so-called “masculine men” don’t take long, ranging between…
Documenting daily life
Colorless Corals Pose a Grave Warning for Honduran Reefs
Climate change is already pushing Honduran reefs to their limits.
Bukele’s administration awarded public works contracts to public officials, members of the Nuevas Ideas party and sanctioned companies without experience
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele diverted funds from the development of municipalities to create an institution that decides what public works projects will be carried out and which companies will be hired to do so. He argues that the decision was made to end “corruption by the opposition” in municipalities. However,
Honduras’ last Garifuna refuge
Comayagüela is the commercial epicenter of the capital of Honduras and also the most unequal. There, violence and multiple expressions of survival converge. On the main street of the Las Crucitas neighborhood is Rinconcito Jamaica, a safe space for internally displaced Garifuna women who see Olivia Sierra, the owner, as
Don Pedro, an environmentalist veteran, continues to defend Honduras’ western lands despite growing threats
Pedro Pinto, 67, has spent over half his life defending the environment in the western region of Ocotepeque, Honduras. In November 2022, two of his vehicles were burned by an unknown party, he suspects that they were enemies of his work as an environmental defender. In Honduras, protecting the environment
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