Source: Amnesty International –
The preliminary hearing against three men accused of taking part in the murder of environmental defender Juan Antonio López, coordinator of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT), will be held at the court of San Pedro Sula in Honduras on 3 June. Amnesty International said that this trial may prove crucial in enabling the family of Juan López to obtain truth, justice and reparation for his murder, which was committed on 14 September 2024 in the municipality of Tocoa. The organization calls on the Honduran authorities to ensure that all those suspected of involvement in Juan López’s murder, whether as instigators or perpetrators, are brought to justice in fair trials.
Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: “The crime against Juan López is evidence that the situation of environmental defenders in Honduras has not improved. The organization welcomes the progress made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations and hopes that all the authorities involved will effectively fulfil their duty to provide the family of Juan López with truth, justice and reparation”.
The crime against Juan López is evidence that the situation of environmental defenders in Honduras has not improved. The organization welcomes the progress made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations and hopes that all the authorities involved will effectively fulfil their duty to provide the family of Juan López with truth, justice and reparation
Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International
On 6 October 2024, the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that three people had been arrested as alleged perpetrators of Juan López’s murder. Three days later, a local court formally charged the suspects for the killing of the environmental defender and ordered their arrest. The three men have since been held in pretrial detention.