2023 continues to be a horrific year for human rights defender in Honduras. Two more water and land defenders, Hipólito Rivas and Benigno Maldonado, were assassinated in February. In Tegucigalpa, a trans woman, Chanel, was murdered at the beginning of the month. The Guapinol defenders also face uncertainty, after the ruling that freed them of their criminalizing charges was challenged by the MP in Tocoa. Meanwhile, the powerful can continue to rely on the courts. Rosa Elena Bonilla, wife of former president Porfirio Lobo Sosa and charged with corruption, was benefited with the change of measures that will allow her to stay at home. On a brighter side, Honduras for the first time has a Supreme Court not controlled by the National and Liberal Party allowing for some hope for better rulings in the future. Additionally, the resident coordinator of the UN in Honduras, Alice H. Shackelford, said that talks had advanced on the memorandum of understanding for the installation of the CICIH. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

What a horrible start into the new year. Four human rights defenders were murdered this month. Aly Domínguez and Jairo Bonilla from Guapinol, campesino leader Omar Cruz Tomé, and Garífuna defender Ricardo Arnaúl Montero. There was also the murder of television editor Carlos Gerardo Barahona and the femicides of three Garífuna women. President Xiomara started her second year in office. One key promise, to combat corruption, hinges on various things, one key aspect being the election of a new Supreme Court. At the end of the month, the Nomination Board presented its 45 candidates out of which Congress will elect the 15 new Supreme Court judges in February. The need for a new court was once again emphasized this month with the current court dropping important MACCIH-era corruption cases. Lastly some news from the US, JOH’s drug trafficking trial was postponed to September 2023. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

December saw several attacks on human rights defenders in Honduras and at least one campesino defender was murdered in the Aguán. The situation with the ZEDEs made a turn to the worse as ZEDE Próspera filed a complaint at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). An appeals court dropped the charges against two corrupt officials of the former JOH regime, highlighting again the need for a new Judicial Power. The election of the Supreme Court judges made further progress this month, but there are problems with the candidates. Out of the remaining 101, 69 had over 140 complaints filled against them this month. December was also the month, in which the Xiomara administration declared a state of exception to fight organized crime. While human rights organizations denounced the infringement of rights, state security bodies claimed that as a first result, the number of extortion decreased by 40%. On a more positive note, the Constitutional Chamber confirmed an appeal in favor of COPINH and the Río Blanco community in the Gualcarque Fraud case. The Xiomara administration also signed an important memorandum of understanding with the UN regarding the installation of the CICIH. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Indigenous peoples in Honduras faced a very difficult November. It began with a violent eviction of the Garífuna Punta Piedra community, the first Garífuna community founded 225 years ago. In the aftermath, three Garífuna defenders were arrested and criminalized. And even though the charges were later dropped, just a day later, the MP went after OFRANEH’s Miriam Miranda. The Tolupán community of San Francisco Locomapa was confronted with an illegal timber extraction operation. Then, on November 29, COPINH member Marco Antonio Pineda was killed by the police. The Xiomara administration declared a „war against extortion“ and a „national security emergency“. This was met with mixed reactions. The Supreme Court election process is still continuing with 105 candidates remaining. Last but not least, a Honduran delegation traveled to the UN headquarters at the end of November to discuss the installation of the CICIH. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

October was another devastating month the LGBTQI+ community in Honduras. There was an attempted murder of defender Arnaldo Díaz Bonilla and trans woman Melissa Núñez was murdered. The situation of journalist is equally worrisome. Journalist Edwin Josué Andino was murdered at home in Comayagüela together with his father. Even though their underlying law has been repealed, the ZEDEs continue to cause problems in Honduras. This month, the people behind it even received undue support by two US Senators. The US-Honduran relationship more broadly was a major topic throughout October. But there were also some more hopeful news, as for example the Supreme Court election is moving along according to plan. A key body for the government’s anti-corruption plans. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The situation of Honduran human rights defenders was discussed in Geneva this month where the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, called on the Honduran authorities to „strengthen its National Protection System for Human Rights Defenders, including by providing it with the necessary financial resources“. Given the equally dire situation of women, feminist organizations proposed the creation of an Inter-institutional Commission on violent deaths of women and femicides. This in the month where the femicide in a police station of nursing student Keyla Martínez finally went to trial. September also saw a meeting between President Xiomara and UN Secretary General António Guterres to discuss among other things the installation of a UN-backed anti-corruption mission, the CICIH. Honduras was also hit by heavy rainfalls leaving at least 13 people dead and over 60’000 people affected. Then, there were also the independence day celebrations, for many the first ones under a democratically-elected government since the coup d’état. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

C, N, D, S, these four letters were widely discussed this September. They stand for the National Defense and Security Council, a body mentioned in the 1982 constitution, but which came only to (in)fame under the JOH regime. He used the CNDS to bring all three state powers under his control. The new administration presented a reform this month, hoping to bring it through Congress in one debate. This failed, among other things because the reform did contain some problems, and spurred a widespread debate about the separation of powers and more. By the end of the month, it seemed that Libre came to an agreement with PSH and the Liberal Party, but Congress still has to decide about the fate of the CNDS. Another hot topic, and an acronym as well, has been the CICIH, an International Commission against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras. The Xiomara administration presented a proposal to the UN to a previously presented Memorandum of Understanding. The main debate this month was about the powers of such a mission and if it would have its own prosecutorial powers. Also in August, the hearings in the Gualcarque Fraud case concluded after 14 testimonies, 5 expert witnesses and over 200 pieces of evidence. A ruling is expected for September. The Supreme Court election preparation also made progress. The 14 representatives for the Nomination Board were chosen and they should soon start their work together. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The assassination of Berta Cáceres has been dealt on various occasions in Honduran courts. In June the sentencing of David Castillo finally took place and the case even entered the Dutch legal system. This month, another important aspect of the case, corruption dealt in the Gualcarque Fraud case, went to trial. July also saw the devastating second anniversary of the forced disappearance of the four Garifuna men and leaders from the Garifuna community of Triunfo de la Cruz. Two social leaders, Edward Iván Cáceres and Ubodoro Arriaga Izaguirre were murdered this month. But there was also some good news. A judge dropped the usurpation charges against members of indigenous defenders from Marcala and the Radio Progreso correspondent Sonia Pérez. A key topic this month continued to be the selection of the new Supreme Court judges which should take place in September. After weeks of debates, in Congress, but also more broadly, a new framework for the selection of the Nominating Board for the judges was approved on July 19. It is now up to the seven mandated organizations to appoint their representatives to the board. July also saw another high-level multiple murder. Among the victims were the 19-year old son of former president Pepe Lobo, the 23-year old nephew of former general Romeo Vásquez Velásquez, and the nephew of Nationalist congressman Walter Chávez. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Honduras commemorated the 13th anniversary of the coup d’état this month, for many the first time since the coup this took place under a legitimate government. While some important steps have been made to improve the situation, for example strengthening UFERCO which started an investigation into the ZEDEs, the legacy of the last 12 years still loom heavily over Honduras. Two more members of the LGBTQ+ community were murdered in June. The militarization of Honduras continues as the Xiomara administration failed to to disband the Military Police. They even started talks with Southcom to strengthen the Honduran Armed Forces. On a more positive note, David Castillo was finally sentenced for his role in the murder of Berta Cáceres and the Guapinol defenders had the charges officially dropped against them. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Alonso Salgado, Donaldo Rosales, and Marco Tulio Paredes Molina; Ricardo Avila and Carlos Peralta. Three defenders and two social communicators were murdered this month in Honduras. The death toll since the beginning of the year has rise to over 10. And while the case of 19 MILPAH defenders whose criminalizing charges were dropped can be celebrated, it is concerning that May also brought about new cases of criminalized defenders. Looking at the extractive industries, we see a similar mixed picture. Open pit mining has been prohibited, but mining operations continue to expand in Honduras bringing about environmental damage, repression and criminalization. Some hope comes from the visit by a UN exploratory mission on the possible installation of a UN-backed anti-corruption mission as well as from the strengthening of the Honduran anti-corruption body UFERCO. JOH, meanwhile, pleaded not guilty in New York. His trial will continue in September. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Step by step, the nefarious legacy of the 12 years of the JOH regime are being dismantled in Honduras. Two key steps took place this month, the first being the extradition of JOH himself to the US. What seems unthinkable after his illegal reelection backed by the US in 2017 and still very unlikely just some months ago, has now passed in record speed. He already faced court once, virtually, in New York this month where his pre-trial detention was confirmed. A second cornerstone of JOH’s reign were the ZEDEs, the private cities. Their legal basis were outright repealed, unanimously, by Congress this month. A huge victory for Honduras’ social movements, while still leaving many questions unresolved regarding the existing ZEDEs in Honduras. Just days before next month’s May Day, the new administration celebrated another victory with Congress repealing the Employment by the Hour Law. The Xiomara administration and its allies in Congress further reformulated the 2022 budget which includes more spending on education and public health, but also rose some question, especially regarding the spending on state security forces. Last but definitely not least, after two years of more or rather less functioning online classes, schools started to reopen. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

At the end of March, JOH had run out of almost all legal options and his extradition to the US seems imminent. The MP even requested the seizure of his properties. In a re-trial, the former first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo was found guilty again. And more corrupt actions will likely come to light thanks to the repeal of the JOH-era Secrecy Law. In February we celebrated the freedom of the Guapinol defenders, but one month later, while in freedom, the judges still deny to drop the charges against them. On a more positive note, several political prisoners had the charges dropped against them, among them a student leader who was able to return to Honduras after four years of exile. The situation in Azacualpa remained tense throughout the month as the mining company MINOSA continued to ignore court rulings to stop their operations. The US was very present again in March in Honduras. The US Senate confirmed Laura Farnsworrth Dogu as the new ambassador to Honduras and three members of Congress visited the country and met with President Xiomara Castro. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The refoundation of Honduras took two more important steps this month. After the successful electoral win of the opposition in November, the initially divided opposition in Congress came together this month and the US officially requested the extradition of JOH for his drug trafficking ties which led to his arrest. Of course, this does not mean that the old power structures are gone, they are still in place, especially in the Judiciary. But change seems possible. This also included the announcement to demilitarize the prisons as well as the state security forces in general. There were other things to celebrate in February, especially the liberation of the Guapinol defenders after over 900 days illegally imprisoned. But the way to a Honduras respecting human rights is still long and steep. Three members of the LGBTQ+ community were murdered in the first week of February; the Minosa mining company seems to be free to ignore court rulings and go on with the exhumation of a Maya Chortí cemetery in Azacualpa; and the indigenous Lenca Tierras del Padre community faced eviction threats. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

2022 started in Honduras with everything in place for a new start. Xiomara Castro won the election with a clear mandate for change and even in Congress, the opposition alliance together with some Liberal Party dissidents could have reached a simple majority. But this in not the story of this month. The defeated powers of the 2021 elections once more flexed their muscles. They succeeded in splitting the opposition in Congress and elected their own congressional leadership so that January ended with not one, but two different Congresses, one led by Luis Redondo and supported by Xiomara, one led by Jorge Cálix and supported by the Nationalists and Liberals. Even apart from this political crisis, January reminded of the previous twelve years. Three human rights defenders were murdered, Pablo Isabel Hernández, Selvin Geovany Mejía and Thalía Rodríguez. The Guapinol case continued before court with the water defenders still behind bars. And then there is also the Omicron-wave hitting a down-trodden public health system. The challenges for the new administration are real and many. But at the same time, the moment on January 27, when Xiomara Castro became the first female president of Honduras, left many with hope. It meant a break with the coup d’état and its legacy and showed a way forward. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The victory of the opposition and Xiomara Castro as the president was officially confirmed this month when all votes were counted. Libre and PSH won 60 out of the 128 seats in Congress. Not a majority, but with some Liberal votes enough to start the recovery of the last 12 years under the Nationalist rule. On a grimmer note, the Guapinol defenders remain in the illegal pre-trial detention and were not able to go home to their families. The Omicron variant arrived in Honduras where the pandemic has not been big news lately and the JOH regime even started to disappear triage centers and fire health workers. The new international airport Palmerola started operation mid-December raising questions about the future of the Toncontín airport in the capital. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

It seems there was only one topic this month, the general elections. In the weeks running up to November 28, fear grew ever stronger of a repeat of 2017. A record number of candidates and their family members had been murdered. The JOH regime started an unprecedented vote-buying campaign handing out 7000 Lempiras to over 100’000 families. Days before the election, the new ID needed to vote had still not been distributed to everyone. And it was unclear if the new electoral bodies were up to the task as the National Party tried to undermine them all along the way. On election day, reports of voting centers opening late, long lines, more vote-buying and intimidation of voters further compounded the fear of another electoral fraud. The National Party also seemed to believe in its own capacity to steal elections and announced their victory already by mid-day. But then everything changed as the first results were published. Hondurans went to the polls in higher numbers than feared (participation is estimated at around 69%) and the opposition candidate Xiomara Castro led with 53.55% over Nasry Asfura’s 33.87% with 46.5% of votes counted. In the remaining days of November, her victory was recognized by all other parties and even JOH himself. While the fight about the new configuration of Congress will be fought in December, it seems not too optimistic to say: Welcome to a new month in Honduras.

One month remains before the general elections. It has been a violent pre-electoral period with 24 candidates and close relatives murdered, more than in 2017. And there is an urgent need to avoid a repeat of 2017 with 36 people killed in in the streets, according to the UN at least 16 of those murders could be directly linked to state security forces. No one has been brought to justice for these assassinations and in the only case going to trial, against a member of the Military Police, the charges were dropped at the beginning of the month – a very worrisome sign. The Nationalists and their allies in Congress, meanwhile, increased the penalty for social protest to up to 6 years in prison while at the same time further shielding themselves from corruption investigation. The elections bear special significane for the fight against corruption, as the new Congress will elect both a new Attorney General and new Supreme Court judges. Apart from the elections, the Guapinol case made headlines this month, sadly not for the right reasons. Against national and international protest including at the levels of the UN and embassies, the 8 water defenders have to remain in preventive detention. This month we also witnessed the first murder of a media worker this year in Honduras, another worrisome sign in the run-up to the elections. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The COVID-19 pandemic still claims a lot of lives in Honduras, but at least the vaccination campaign has taken off a bit with some 2 million adults vaccinated. But as the JOH regime received most vaccine doses, two thirds of those used in the country, as donations, Hondurans wonder what they did with the money they allegedly spent on vaccine purchases. Honduras once again ranked among the most deadliest countries for enviornmental defenders in the world in the newest ranking by Global Witness. But the situation is very grim for all defenders as the murder of trans activist Tatiana García at the end of the month made once again very clear. The elections are only two months out and there are still various unresolved problems and the Nationalist Party continues to make the situation worse. The opposition magistrate at the CNE denounced “enormous interference” by the JOH regime in the work of the electoral bodies. But there was also some good news as the political prisoners Edwin Espinal and Raúl Álvarez were found not guilty. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The electoral campaign officially started this month. But it is certainly not a good sign that the same month, a fight broke out between party representative at the official event deciding the place of every party on the ballot. Not allowing oneself to hope for much change from an electoral process, there were still hopeful signs in August. The widespread rejection of the ZEDEs continued, taking the form of street protests as well as an ever increasing number of communities declaring their land free of ZEDEs. The Judicial System continues to send mixed messages. On the one hand, COPINH was finally recognized as a victim in the Gualcarque Fraud case. On the other hand, the Supreme Court extended the pre-trial detention of the criminalized Guapinol defenders by another six months; they have been arbitrarily detained for two years already. And yes, the pandemic is still reigning large with August having been the most deadly month so far. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The verdict of the David Castillo trial was announced this month – he was found guilty! The general elections come ever closer, but the Nationalist-controlled Congress still does not want to equip the electoral bodies with sufficient funding. The JOH regime received already more than two million vaccine doses, but has itself only bought less than 200’000 and has so far only vaccinated a bit more than 1% of its population. The ZEDEs continue to be met with widespread rejection, this month reaching even the Catholic church, as local communities organize town hall meetings to raise their voices against them. The US made headlines in Honduras with the publication of the Engel’s List of corrupt officials, but everyone wonders why JOH is not on the list. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Apart from the ongoing pandemic, corruption and the ZEDEs made most headlines this month. There was an important debate about the role of the US in fighting corruption in Honduras. Some key corruption cases, such as the one regarding the mobile hospitals, advanced, although just a little. But there was also a new wave of attacks against the most important anti-corruption body in the country since the end of the MACCIH, UFERCO. Its coordinator Luis Santos suffered harassment by the MP itself for the Hermes corruption case involving important Nationalist politicians and public officials. In the case of the ZEDEs, new ones were announced while the rejection of them grew wider and wider including universities and the business community. But the JOH regime pushed on with the support of the docile Judicial System granting tax benefits to them which ignited even more opposition. But there was also some good news thanks to a historic IACtHR decision condemning the State of Honduras for the murder of trans woman and activist Vicky Hernández on June 28, 2009, during military curfew after the coup d’état. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Honduras commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. But one day before, a trans woman was murdered and another one violently lost her life at the end of the month. Over 110 women have been murdered so far in Honduras this year. In the case of Berta Cáceres, the trial against David Castillo continued with over 20 days in court. The ZEDEs also made headlines again, especially because the Nationalists in Congress approved a controversial tax exemptions. The protest against this went beyond social movements and included voices in corporate media outlets. The COVID-19 crisis still has a tight grip on Honduras and the lack of vaccines continues to be a huge problem widely attributed to the JOH regime. Last but not least, Honduras’ political elite decided on going to the general elections in November with just minor electoral reforms in place. At the same time, the political opposition failed to form a strong alliance. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

While March saw important trials outside of Honduras, in April there were several important hearings and trials in Honduras. Three directly involved state security forces, twice for murder, once for torture. Most headlines made the trial of David Castillo in the case of Berta Cáceres; seven days in court took place this month and the process will continue in May. Several human rights defenders also faced trial for ongoing criminalization cases. And then, there was also the trial of Mario Zelaya for the IHSS corruption case which ended in one conviction, but also seven charges dropped. Outside of the court rooms, the pandemic still hits hard a Honduran people desperately waiting for promised vaccines. Journalist saw their difficult situation reflected in the worst ranking yet of Honduras in the Press Freedom Index. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Two trials in the US made most headlines this month in Honduras and in both cases, the accused seemed to be mentioned less than Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernández. JOH seemed to be on the stand without physically being there. In the first case, Geovanny Daniel Fuentes Ramírez was found guilty for drug trafficking, in the second case, JOH’s already convicted brother Tony Hernández was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. Back home, the primary elections took place, but two weeks later, at the end of March, the official results are still not published. The corona pandemic still has a tight grip on Honduras, but to make people forget about the events in the US, the JOH regime decided to open Honduras up for the Easter Holidays. So even more cases are to be expected for the coming weeks even though the hospitals are already full. Two defenders were murdered in March, Garífuna leader Martín Abad Pandy and environmental defender Juan Carlos Cerros Escalante The latter should have benefited from protective measures. Welcome to another moth in Honduras.

Honduras once again shocked the world with the murder of nursing student Keyla Martinez in police custody. But no widespread protests, no international media coverage and not even tweets by US Senators were able to get just one police officer charged. But five university students faced trial for participating in a protest demanding justice for Keyla. Maybe this, maybe the drug trafficking accusations against JOH, maybe the ongoing impunity for the post-electoral murders by state security forces in 2017 finally caught up with the US Senate as eight Senators presented the Honduras Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Act of 2021 this month which reinvigorated calls for JOH’s resignation. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The humanitarian crisis in Honduras found international attention this month as the first and biggest migration caravan since the corona pandemic took off in mid-January. A combination of a pandemic, two hurricanes hitting Honduras in later 2020, an abysmal response by the JOH regime and a lack of perspective among the corruption and human rights violation left again thousands of Honduras without any other option that trying to leave. Congress also showed again how it rather worsens the situation of minorities and vulnerablized groups by changing the constitution to forever ban same-sex marriage and abortions instead of using its power to improve the situation of Honduras. There were also setbacks in the Berta Cáceres case and the Guapinol case. Further corruption cases were undermined, meanwhile Honduras dropped further in an international corruption index. Last but not least, JOH’s drug trafficking links prominently reappeared in the national and international headlines thanks to newly released court documents from New York. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Two murdered human rights defender, a social communicator assassinated, all just weeks after two hurricanes had hit Honduras and everything happening during a global pandemic, what a horrible way to end 2020. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

WTF…two hurricanes hitting Honduras within two weeks during a still spreading corona pandemic. Instead of finally living up to the task, the JOH regime and its allies see it as a new opportunity to access international funds and play fire with, the already dysfunctional, democracy by considering postponing the coming elections. Overshadowed by this, two more human rights defenders were murdered, a political prisoner was stabbed and the Berta Cáceres trial was postponed three more times. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Both the Guapinol defenders and Berta Cáceres, in her case posthumous, were nominated for an international human rights award. But in Honduras, the Guapinol defenders continue being criminalized, as were members of COPINH and the important process against David Castillo suffers from a complete lack of transparency. Even worse, one of the Guapinol defenders, Arnold Joaquín Morazán Erazo, was assassinated this month. The debate about the electoral reforms in Congress is still ongoing and those who hope for change from a new president may think twice as one of them was just accused of corruption. And yes, COVID-19 is still hitting Honduras hard while the JOH regime continues to mismanage it and new corruption cases surface. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

COVID-19 cases still on the rise accompanied by a sometimes forgotten dengue crisis. Mobile hospitals that are still not functional or not even yet in the country. More health workers who lost their lives trying to save lives. A journalist assassinated after denouncing death threats against him. A young campesino leader and an elderly environmentalist murdered. The young Garífuna men still unaccounted for. At least in the Berta Cáceres case, David Castillo was not released from pre-trial detention. But given the lack of real electoral reforms, more of the same could await the country in the coming years. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The JOH regime has spent over $50 millions for mobile hospitals which are still not functional, 5 out of 7 are not even in the country yet. Adding to this, civil society organizations uncovered even more corruption cases, while the MP still has various corruption “investigations” which 150 days into them have not yet led to any charges. At the same time, previous corruption cases brought forward by the MACCIH are being undermined. The Honduran people are fed up and mobilize around the slogan “Where is the money” while the JOH regime reacts with violence and arbitrary arrests. The forcefully disappeared Garífuna activists are still not found, another community leader was murdered and the judicial system continues to go after the Guapinol defenders. At least, there was a hopeful sign in the Berta Cáceres case as the process against David Castillo was elevated to a trial.

The corona pandemic is still hitting hard and almost 1000 people died this month, officially, the real number is likely much higher. New corruption cases surfaced and previous ones turned even more outrageous as new details came to light, e.g. overpaying badly-equipped mobile hospitals by $5 million. Global Witness published its yearly report on the murder of environmental defenders and as if to proof that Honduras under the JOH regime deserves the spot as the place with the highest murder rate per capita, seven human rights defenders were murdered, four trans women, two media workers and a social leader and youth coordinator at MASSVIDA. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

The JOH regime “intelligently” reopened its economy just as the COVID-19 cases grew at the fastest rate so far. Even the business community called for a slower approach and one week in, the JOH regime had to backtrack. Honduran health workers continue to do everything to avoid the worst, but suffered various blows this month. Several doctors and nurses died, over 1200 health workers have tested positive for COVID-19 so far and at the same time, they still need to hold protest to demand biosafety gear. At the same time, some 100 billion Lempiras approved by Congress to address the corona-crisis are unaccounted for. But as COVID-19 ravages Honduras, other human rights violations do not disappear. Five human rights defenders were murdered, the police illegally raided the house of a social leader and various journalists were harassed for their work. Eleven years after the coup d’état, its repercussions are still felt every day. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

COVID-19 cases started a steep increase reaching more than 5000 by the end of May. Medical experts warn of a system on the brink of collapse as millions and millions of dollars continue to flow to the JOH regime without any discernible effect. A very strict lockdown is imposed by violence. More and more Hondurans have to chose between exposing themselves to state violence and a deadly virus on the one hand and trying not to starve on the other hand. In the midst of this, Honduras should prepare for the coming electoral cycle already accompanied by various problems. JOH’s situation continues to worsen as his former police chief accused in April for drug trafficking may cooperate with US authorities. Welcome to another month in Honduras.

Honduras lived through the second month under lockdown and under a state of exception due to the corona virus. The confirmed cases and the death toll grew; the number of protests due to lack of food or biosaftey equipment for medical staff grew; the violent repression by state security forces grew; the amount of money from multilateral agencies flowing to Honduras grew; and the main thing growing from the side of the JOH regime were the headlines regarding corruption and irregular spending of the emergency funds. Add to that the newest drug trafficking investigation coming to light at the end of April once again involving JOH and it almost seems Honduras is back to normal. Welcome to another month in Honduras.