This Sunday, 30 November, elections will be held in Honduras to elect the president, 128 representatives to the National Congress, 20 representatives to the Central American Parliament with their alternates, and 298 municipal councils. This will take place in the midst of a state of emergency imposed since December 2022, which has led to multiple abuses, arbitrary actions, and human rights violations.

Given the serious history of violence in response to mass social protests and the painful and scandalous events that marked the country’s electoral experiences in 2009 and 2017 – marked by the coup d’état and the narco-dictatorship, the severity of the repression, use of violence, and criminalization against those who defend human rights in different parts of the country, and the enforcement of the state of emergency imposed since December 2022, we call on State institutions and political parties to prevent any act of violence or repression that could jeopardize the right to protest and defend human rights during the elections.

We are particularly concerned about the impact that acts of repression and social destabilization orchestrated by groups vying for power may have on women defenders, sex-gender dissidents, and Garífuna and indigenous communities who fight for their territories. Electoral processes can be used to exacerbate the situation of ongoing violence and increase the risk of women defenders being criminalized, threatened, defamed, forcibly displaced, surveilled, sexually assaulted, and killed with total impunity. In recent weeks, we already denounced increased attacks against communities and women defenders, including smear campaigns within electoral campaigns and armed attacks.

This is why we call on the international community and social movements around the world to be alert to any incident that poses a threat to the safety and lives of Honduran women defenders and their communities, and to recognize the importance of the work they continue to conduct, despite the adverse context.

The National Network of Women Defenders in Honduras and IM-Defensoras will remain vigilant in the event of any violence or violation of the human rights of our sisters.