Honduras: One person killed in election-related protests Dec. 2 /update 13

Event

Violent clashes were reported on Saturday, December 2, in Tegucigalpa, between the Honduran police and protesters. According to local sources, one person was killed on Saturday, when military police officers allegedly opened fire on a crowd of protestors. On Friday, December 1, military officials announced that the government had suspended several constitutional guarantees, granting security forces greater power to address election-related protests and violence. A nationwide curfew is now in effect from 18:00 to 06:00 (local time) for the next 10 days.

Honduras' electoral commission - the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) - announced that the result of the presidential election would be released on Saturday, December 2, although no results have been published as of 19:00.

Additional protests, political violence, and associated transportation disruptions are expected in the coming days throughout Honduras, and particularly in Tegucigalpa, amid the impending election results announcement.

Context

Protests have been ongoing throughout Honduras since Wednesday, November 29. At least one person has died and 200 people have been wounded in violent clashes between opposition protesters and police. Reports of vandalism and looting are widespread, particularly in urban areas.

The TSE has been criticized by international observers for a lack of transparency amid the ongoing vote counting process, which is taking longer than expected. Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla has claimed that the TSE has manipulated the election tally in President Hernández's favor in recent days, and that “there will be civil war” if Hernández is declared the winner. As of Friday evening, Hernández narrowly leads Nasralla in the vote count with over 94 percent of votes tallied.

Advice

Individuals in Honduras are advised to adhere to any instructions issued by local authorities, monitor developments in the situation, and strictly avoid all demonstrations.

Visitors to the country should note that political activism by foreign nationals is prohibited under Honduran law. Foreigners who take part in demonstrations or other political activities risk detention and or/deportation.