Aguán News Alert | August 2026
Legal Battles and State Repression Against Popular Movements
Tocoa, Colón. In August 2026, campesino cooperatives and allied organizations continued their legal and political struggle against powerful agroindustrial interests and state abuse. Twenty-four cooperatives filed individual amparo actions at the Constitutional Court challenging the recently enacted Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agroindustrial Sector (Decree No. 107-2026). A few weeks later, the Agrarian Platform, jointly with other organizations, later delivered 21 appeals of unconstitutionality against the same law. Meanwhile, courts released the suspected intellectual authors of Juan Lopez's murder. All are now awaiting trial while on house arrest, with some residing in the same neighborhood as Juan Lopez’s family.
Additionally, a new eviction order against organized crime group Los Cachos was issued this month. This is the fourth such order after three prior attempts went unenforced. A peaceful protest at the National Agrarian Institute was met with tear gas by riot police sent by the agency's director, prompting calls for his dismissal. Separately, reporting by ContraCorriente revealed that Lenir Perez, implicated in crimes against Guapinol environmental defenders, has contributed at least $200,000 to Republican political action committees in the United States.
Latest News
Amparo Action Presented at the Constitutional Court: On August 4, twenty-four cooperatives and cooperative enterprises presented individual amparo actions at the Constitutional Court. The action requests that the court restrict the application of the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-industrial Sector, Energy Projects, Tourism, Livestock, Small Agricultural Producers of Honduras, (Decree No. 107-2026) and act to prevent the forced displacement, criminalization, and persecution of campesino communities and organizations.
Protest at the Trujillo Courthouse: On August 13, the Agrarian Platform held a protest at the Trujillo courthouse and presented procedural motions in two criminalization cases involving members of the Trinidad and Remolino cooperatives. The Agrarian Platform accused Trujillo's prosecutors and judges of regularly colluding with big landowners to intimidate land defenders by bringing them up on false charges and keeping cases open for years.
Suspects in the Juan Lopez Murder Released on House Arrest: In August, a judge released the suspected intellectual authors of Juan Lopez’s murder from pre-trial detention. Adan Funez, Juan Angel Ramos Gallegos, and Hector Eduardo Mendez are now on house arrest, with Ramos Gallegos and Adan Funes residing in the same neighborhood as Juan Lopez’s family. The Municipal Committee for the Defense of Public and Common Goods denounced that this decision places Juan Lopez’s family, environmental defenders, and other criminal investigations at risk. The Committee urged the appeals court to reverse these decisions.
Judge Orders Eviction of Los Cachos: On August 12, a national judge ordered the eviction of organized crime group Los Cachos from the Camarones farm. On December 24, 2024, Los Cachos violently displaced hundreds of families from the Camarones farm and took possession of the land. This is not the first time that the eviction has been ordered. The Agrarian Platform noted that three past eviction orders failed to be executed. They urged the State of Honduras to dismantle and hold accountable organized crime groups in the Bajo Aguan.
Another Challenge to the New Law Protecting the Agroindustrial Sector: On August 24, the Agrarian Platform and other organizations delivered 21 appeals of unconstitutionality to the Constitutional Court against the Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-industrial Sector, Energy Projects, Tourism, Livestock, Small Agricultural Producers of Honduras, (Decree No. 107-2026).
Peaceful Protest Violently Repressed: On August 25, the Agrarian Platform held a peaceful protest in front of the offices of the National Agrarian Institute (INA - Instituto Nacional Agrario). Rather than addressing the organization's concerns, INA’s director sent riot police that are reported to have tear gassed protestors. The Agrarian Platform has called on INA’s director, Javier Talavera, to resign.
Lenir Perez’s Campaign Donations to U.S. Congressional Representatives: On August 26, ContraCorriente reported that Lenir Perez, a man implicated in crimes committed against Guapinol environmental defenders, has contributed at least $200,000 USD to Republican political action committees. The primary recipient is Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and the Freedom Force Political Action Committee (PAC) that she leads.
Recent News Coverage
Cassandra van Douveren, ‘Danger no longer only comes from the hitmen, but from the state’: the Honduran farmers labelled terrorists for protecting their land, The Guardian (August 3, 2026)
Cristian J. Padilla Romero, A Rightward Turn in Honduras Puts Land Defenders at Risk, NACLA (August 25, 2026)
Historical Context
In the 1990’s, World Bank-led structural adjustment measures transformed the Bajo Aguán region of north-east Honduras from one of the nation’s primary sources of fruits, vegetables and basic grains into an African palm oil monoculture destined for export to insatiable Global North markets. Over the course of this process, thousands of campesinos were dispossessed of their farms to make way for massive palm plantations, owned by a handful of Honduran elite.
Since then, campesino cooperatives have engaged in a multi-decade struggle to recover their land, suffering violent repression by corporate and state entities as a result. The immediate post-coup period was especially brutal, taking the lives of approximately 150 small farmers by 2014. In recent years, many more have been murdered, disappeared, and criminalized. The vast majority of these crimes remain in impunity.
