Institute for International
Cooperation and Development Studies

Justice for Juan López and all land defenders in Honduras!

Date: 2024 October 4

The NGDO Coordinating Committee of the Basque Country supports the statement from Alboan condemning the murder of Juan Antonio López, environmental advocate and coordinator of the Municipal Committee of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT). We will summarise the statement below, which you can read in full here.

“With deep sorrow, indignation and dismay, the NGDO Coordinating Committee of the Basque Country strongly condemns the murder of Juan Antonio López, environmental advocate and coordinator of the Municipal Committee of Common and Public Goods of Tocoa (CMDBCPT). In addition to his role as a councillor in the municipality of Tocoa, Juan López was known for his work defending the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers and the Montaña de Botaderos National Park, as well as for his opposition to the EMCO Holdings/Los Pinares/Ecotek extractive megaproject.

Juan López was gunned down in his car on 14 September as he left mass. This crime took place at a time of incessant violence and impunity targeting those who defend common goods and the environment in Honduras.

The murder of Juan López is a clear reflection of the level of violence and impunity with which criminal networks linked to corrupt business sectors and politicians operate. This crime is not an isolated incident, but part of a long list of murders of land defenders in Honduras: 18 environmental activists were murdered in 2023 alone. These crimes cannot go unpunished.

Guapinol River

This is not the first time that people defending the Guapinol River have been murdered: Jairo Bonilla Ayala and Aly Magdaleno Domínguez Ramos were killed on 7 January 2023. The authorities have not yet identified all those responsible for their murders.

Just five days after the murder of Juan López, the La Ceiba Second Court of Appeals overturned the dismissal of the proceedings involving five defenders of common and public goods charged in the “Guapinol Case”, including López himself. This act, far from being a coincidence, demonstrates the climate of persecution faced by those who oppose extractivist megaprojects and defend the rights of their communities. Overturning the dismissal of these proceedings, at a time like this, reignites efforts to criminalise them, further aggravating the injustice and impunity surrounding this case.

We stand in solidarity with the family of Juan López, with his colleagues at the CMDBCPT, and with all the people and communities who continue to defend life and justice, despite the risks involved. We join the voices demanding immediate justice for Juan López and an end to impunity.


You can read the full statement on the website of the Basque NGDO Coordinating Committee.