Honduras: Protests continue as police defy crackdown order Dec. 6 /update 18

Event

​Political opposition protests are expected to continue in major cities in Honduras on Wednesday, December 6. Continued traffic disruptions are also expected on Wednesday in major cities and along main thoroughfares; traffic disruptions were reported on Tuesday, particularly in La Lima, El Progreso, and along the highway from Tegucigalpa to the Caribbean coast. The continued protests come amid the Honduran police's recent refusal to carry out a government-ordered crackdown on protesters and enforce the ongoing evening curfew (20:00 to 05:00 [local time] nightly). Some 200 officers from Honduras' elite Cobra riot police unit went on strike in Tegucigalpa on Monday evening, and refused to enforce the Monday evening curfew after expressing their support for peaceful demonstrations, and unwillingness to continue to violently repress protests. Police in other Honduran cities reportedly joined the Cobra unit in the strike. The Honduran police announced on Tuesday after reaching an agreement with the government that it would return to work and enforce the nightly curfew, but would not use violence to disperse peaceful protests - even those held in violation of the curfew.

The Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) has extended the deadline for all election-related legal challenges to Friday, December 8; it will reportedly not declare the winner of the election until such disputes are resolved. The TSE's deadline to declare an election winner is December 26.

Election-related political violence has resulted in the arrests of several hundred people, and at least three deaths, since November 29; some local media sources have reported as many as 12 related deaths. Additional protests, political violence, and associated transportation disruptions are expected in the coming days throughout Honduras, and particularly in Tegucigalpa.

Context

On Tuesday, December 5, opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla urged the TSE to review all voting cards, or to permit a runoff election between Nasralla and President Juan Orlando Hernández. Honduran law does not currently permit such elections, so special legislation would need to be drafted.

Protests have been ongoing throughout Honduras since Wednesday, November 29. Reports of vandalism and looting are widespread, particularly in urban areas. On 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. Additionally, the military has instituted an overnight curfew from 20:00 to 05:00, which is currently set to remain in effect through the evening of December 11. Violent clashes were reported on December 2 in Tegucigalpa between the Honduran police and protesters. On Sunday, December 3, tens of thousands took to the streets of Tegucigalpa in protests that occurred largely without incident. Mass demonstrations took place in major Honduran cities on December 5, leading to transportation disruptions.

The TSE has been criticized by international observers for a lack of transparency during the vote counting process. Nasralla has claimed that the TSE has manipulated the election tally in incumbent President Hernández's favor in recent days, and that "there will be civil war" if Hernández is declared the winner. The TSE announced on December 4 that it had completed a review of all alleged voting irregularities and finished counting all of the votes, but have yet to release the final result.

Advice

Individuals in Honduras are advised to adhere to any instructions issued by local authorities, monitor developments to 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.