“Justice for Juan López”: UUSC Condemns Murder of Honduran Human Rights Defender

UUSC expressed grief and outrage today at the brutal murder of Juan López, a Honduran human rights defender and longstanding UUSC partner, who was shot dead by a group of armed men as he was leaving church on Saturday night, September 14-apparently in retaliation for his advocacy.

The identity of López's killers is unknown, but the circumstances of the murder strongly suggest they deliberately targeted López for his activism. Shortly before his death, López had called for the resignation of Tocoa's mayor, Adán Fúnez, due to evidence of the latter's corruption and ties to the drug trade.

Throughout his life, López was a courageous defender of the environment and human rights who made a habit of speaking truth to power. As a leader with UUSC partner Fundación San Alonso Rodriguez (FSAR), he campaigned against corrupt officials and mining interests destroying the resources of his community.

López and FSAR have struggled for years to protect the Guapinol River, the Carlos Escaleras National Park, and other natural resources from contamination by extractive industries. UUSC and others have long warned that López and his colleagues were at risk of violence and retaliationfor their work on these issues.

Honduras remains one of the deadliest countries in the world for environmental defenders. López and other members of his organization had already faced criminalization and intimidation for confronting the powerful. As López reportedly warned before his death: "If you start defending common interests in this country, you clash with major interests."

López's death underlines the systematic failure of the Honduran and U.S. governments to protect human rights defenders. International authorities had previously issued protective measures for López. Honduras' failure to act on these orders, as well as the U.S.'s support for corrupt extractive projects, make them responsible for his death.

UUSC demands immediate action from Honduran, U.S., and international officials to stop the violence and protect people's right to defend their communities. We demand justice for Juan López, his family, FSAR, and all human rights defenders-who will remain at risk of the same fate until the United States and Honduras stop abetting corruption.

###