The Peace Brigades International-Honduras Project has posted on social media:
“At a press conference held in front of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Agrarian Platform and the Coordinating Committee of Popular Organizations of Aguán (COPA) expressed their concern over the reform of the criminal code through the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-Industrial Sector in Honduras.
As they explained, these reforms could expose #socialmovements, #ruralcommunities, and human rights defenders to the risk of criminalization during their #socialprotest activities.
The protesters also demanded transparent investigations into the recent massacres in the Aguán region, calling for legal safeguards for the #peasantorganizations active in the region.”
Reportar Sin Miedo additionally reports: “In a statement, [the Peasant, Indigenous and Popular Alliance of Honduras] expressed its rejection of the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agroindustrial Sector of Honduras, considering that it shields agribusiness while persecuting communities. They also announced the filing of an appeal of unconstitutionality against Decree 84-2026, for opening the door to treating defenders of the territory and social leaders as terrorists. Among their demands, they call for a prompt and independent investigation of the massacre, an end to the criminalization of social protest, the repeal of repressive penal reforms, and the prioritization of food security over agro-industrial interests. ‘Peasant communities are not a threat to Honduras. They are the ones who produce food and defend life,’ they said.”
MNTV.hn has also previously explained: “The Peasant, Indigenous and Popular Alliance of Honduras (ACAINPH) denounced that the draft ‘Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-industrial Sector of Honduras’ would represent a risk to agrarian reform and rights of access to land in the country. The organizations pointed out that the initiative, promoted in the National Congress (CN), would grant privileges to agribusiness entrepreneurs and could criminalize protests and peasant demands linked to land conflicts. …The alliance called on social and human rights organizations to monitor the legislative process and defend territorial rights.”
And El Libertador has reported: “[Raul Ramirez of ACAINPH has] warned that, if the law is approved, the organizations will defend their territories. ‘They may approve it, but it is unfair, illegal and unconstitutional. Our defence will be in the streets and on the land’, he said, assuring that the peasant sector will maintain permanent mobilizations.”
We continue to follow this.
