Aguán News Alert | September 2026
Organizations Remember Juan Lopez. Struggle for Land & Environmental Rights Continues.
Tocoa, Colón. This September, UN human rights experts publicly denounced the “Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-Industrial Sector…” (Decree No. 107-2026) and called on the State of Honduras to stop the execution of over 1,000 eviction orders under the law. The statement bolstered the demands of a coalition of Indigenous, afro-Indigenous, and campesino groups who together held a press conference to discuss the UN statement and reiterate their opposition to the law.
Additionally, communities and grassroots organizations gathered to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of Juan Lopez’s assassination, holding events and mobilizing in Tocoa and El Progreso. The criminal trial against businessman Lenir Perez for environmental damages in the Carlos Escaleras National Park also advanced. Lastly, fifteen U.S. Congresspeople signed a letter calling for an international commission to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of the Rigores massacre.
Latest News
UN Experts Denounce Decree No. 107-2026: On September 4, a group of United Nations experts released a press release that called for a stop to the execution of over 1,000 eviction orders issued to campesino, Indigenous, and Afro-Indigenous communities under Decree No. 107-2026. The press release follows a communication sent from UN experts to the State of Honduras on August 21, 2026 where experts stated that the “Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agro-Industrial Sector…” (Decree No. 107-2026) is incompatible with international human rights law. On August 25, 2026, UN experts sent an additional communication concerning Decree No. 84-2026, a law which reformed the penal code in ways that could further facilitate the criminalization of legitimate human rights defense work.
Press Conference at INA Office: On September 9, the Popular, Indigenous, and Campesina Alliance held a press conference at the offices of the National Agrarian Institute (INA - Instituto Nacional Agrario) where they reiterated the call to overturn Decree No. 107-2026 and Decree No. 84-2026 in light of the August 21 and August 25 communications sent by UN experts to the State of Honduras. The coalition also called for the removal of INA’s director. For a full list of demands, see the Alliance’s communique.
2nd Anniversary of Juan Lopez’s Assassination: From September 10 to 14, communities and organized groups honored the life and legacy of community leader and environmental defender Juan Lopez. The program of activities began with a streaming of “I Want Life”, a documentary about Juan Lopez and the Guapinol struggle. Mobilizations commemorating Juan Lopez’s life and struggle were also held in Tocoa and El Progreso on September 14 and 15. See also, the communique released on September 14 by the Municipal Committee for the Defense of Common and Public Goods.
Day of Children Celebration: On September 10, the Camarones Cooperative celebrated the Day of Children with the support of the Tranvio and El Chile cooperatives.
INA’s Director Passes Away: On September 13, the director of the National Agrarian Institute (INA - Instituto Nacional Agrario), Javier Talavera died of natural causes in a hospital in the capital city of Tegucigalpa.
Campesino Rights Forum: On September 17, the Agrarian Platform and other organizations attended a forum regarding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP). During the forum UN expert Dr. Carlos Duarte discussed the urgent need for the State of Honduras to comply with the declaration.
Criminal Trial Against Lenir Perez Continues: On September 18, the trial against businessman Lenir Perez continued. Lenir Perez is responsible for the Guapinol mining project and is being prosecuted for the illegal exploitation of natural resources and for damaging the Carlos Escaleras National Park.
Meeting with the Secretariat for Human Rights: On September 23, the Agrarian Platform and COPA met with representatives of the Secretariat for Human Rights (SEDH - Secretaría de Derechos Humanos) to discuss the security risks that defenders of land and the environment face in the Aguan.
U.S. Congresspeople Sign Letter Regarding Rigores: On September 23, fifteen U.S. Congressional representatives sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the massacre that occurred in the community of Rigores on May 21, 2026. The letter asks that the U.S. support the creation of an international commission to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of the massacre. See also, an interview with COPA’s Esly Banegas to learn about how campesino organizations in the Bajo Aguan received the congressional sign-on letter.
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.
