WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of major national elections in Honduras later this month, Members of Congress led by Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), Chuy García (D-IL-04), and Hank Johnson (D-GA-04) are pushing the U.S. State Department to do more to ensure a free and fair elections in the Central American country.
In recent years, Honduras has been plagued by government corruption and human rights violations intertwined with deadly violence by gangs as well as by the country’s security forces —factors that have driven a wave of migrants to seek asylum in the United States.
“With only two weeks remaining before the general elections take place, there is increased potential for violence, fraud, or restrictions on the ability of Honduran citizens to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, all of which are protected under the Honduran constitution,” the members wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “We believe it is essential that the United States be viewed as a neutral, credible, and impartial observer and support an outcome in Honduras that is genuinely democratic and inclusive.”
“We have observed with great concern that a pattern of human rights abuses in Honduras continues to threaten basic liberties, while press freedom and space for civil society to operate remain severely constrained,” they continued. “The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported that journalists face targeted killings, arbitrary detentions, the destruction of equipment, and other obstacles that have impeded their ability to operate independently. In the aftermath of the 2017 election, which prompted sustained, countrywide, and largely peaceful protests, the OHCHR documented 16 murders by Honduran security forces, none of which have been successfully prosecuted. We fear that the repression of media workers, opposition protestors and politicians, and human rights defenders – including by Honduran security forces – could increase or intensify as the elections approach. With all eyes in the region on Honduras this November, we urge robust State Department monitoring and public criticism of authoritarian practices to maximize the chances of an inclusive and transparent electoral process, which could serve as a possible bellwether for democratic renewal in the region as presidential elections in Colombia and Brazil approach in 2022.”
The members were joined by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO-05), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ,03), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Jim McGovern (D-MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13), Norma Torres (D-CA-35), and Luis Correa (D-CA-46).
Merkley and Schakowsky are the lead sponsors of the Honduras Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Act (S. 388/H.R. 2716), legislation that lays out a comprehensive framework for combatting corruption, impunity, and human rights violations in Honduras.
The full text of the letter is available here and follows below.
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Dear Secretary Blinken,
We write to express our concern about the upcoming November 28 general elections in Honduras, in which Honduran citizens will elect a new President, 128 representatives of the National Congress, 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament, and several mayors, deputy mayors, and local council members. We appreciate the administration’s commitment to democracy and human rights, and encourage the Department of State to support free and fair elections in Honduras and a credible, transparent, and undisputed outcome. We request that in the weeks preceding the elections, the Department closely monitor human rights conditions in the country and speak out forcefully against any acts of censorship or repression, including against journalists, peaceful protestors, or members of the political opposition.
A free and fair electoral process represents an important opportunity for Honduran citizens to reestablish democracy and the rule of law, and is clearly in the interests of the people of Honduras, the United States, and the region as a whole. We are troubled by a pattern of electoral fraud and anti-democratic practices in Honduras, including the 2009 military coup and widespread irregularities in the 2017 presidential elections, which at the time prompted deep concern from regional election monitors and the international community. In the period leading up to the November 2017 elections, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 13 violent deaths of political candidates, seven of whom were members of the opposition. In the run up to this year’s general election, OHCHR has documented 23 murders of candidates and their family members.
With only two weeks remaining before the general elections take place, there is increased potential for violence, fraud, or restrictions on the ability of Honduran citizens to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly, all of which are protected under the Honduran constitution. We believe it is essential that the United States be viewed as a neutral, credible, and impartial observer and support an outcome in Honduras that is genuinely democratic and inclusive.
We have observed with great concern that a pattern of human rights abuses in Honduras continues to threaten basic liberties, while press freedom and space for civil society to operate remain severely constrained. The OHCHR has reported that journalists face targeted killings, arbitrary detentions, the destruction of equipment, and other obstacles that have impeded their ability to operate independently. In the aftermath of the 2017 election, which prompted sustained, countrywide, and largely peaceful protests, the OHCHR documented 16 murders by Honduran security forces, none of which have been successfully prosecuted. We fear that the repression of media workers, opposition protestors and politicians, and human rights defenders – including by Honduran security forces – could increase or intensify as the elections approach. With all eyes in the region on Honduras this November, we urge robust State Department monitoring and public criticism of authoritarian practices to maximize the chances of an inclusive and transparent electoral process, which could serve as a possible bellwether for democratic renewal in the region as presidential elections in Colombia and Brazil approach in 2022.
The democratic future of Honduras is linked to our own future here in the United States, and this year’s electoral cycle is of special significance. The new Congress that is elected will in turn elect a new Attorney General and Supreme Court magistrates who could serve as key players in the fight against corruption and impunity, which continue to deplete public resources and fuel widespread impoverishment, citizen insecurity, and forced displacement throughout the region. A transparent, inclusive, and credible electoral process would be a necessary first step for strengthening the rule of law and facilitating equitable economic development in the long term, so the Honduran people can live with dignity, in security, and with their fundamental freedoms protected.
Sincerely,
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