Honduras: Teachers and doctors continue to strike June 12 /update 5

Event

The Platform for the Defense of Health and Education is calling on supporters to hold marches and rallies throughout the country on Wednesday, June 12. Group leaders are asking demonstrators in the capital, Tegucigalpa, to gather at the Vicente Cáceres Central Institute at 07:00 (local time). Public hospital workers are also being asked to strike for one hour on Wednesday as part of the protest movement. Heightened security measures and significant traffic disruptions are anticipated around all protest sites. Clashes between demonstrators and security forces cannot be ruled out.

Platform leaders have also announced that a new dialogue with the government will begin on Tuesday, June 18. The talks are being held under the name the Alternative Citizen Dialogue and will start at 10:00 in the convention center of the Medical College of Honduras (CMH). International experts have also been invited to participate in the dialogue. However, the Platform has called for rallies to continue ahead of the talks and further demonstrations are expected over the coming days.

Context

On April 25, education and healthcare workers launched an indefinite strike to denounce decrees aimed at restricting Honduran health and education sectors. Associated demonstrations were held throughout the month of May in major urban centers, including in the capital Tegucigalpa. The protests have turned violent at times, with a barricade being set on fire outside of the US Embassy on May 31. Flight operations at Toncontín International Airport (TGU) were disrupted on May 30 after demonstrators attempted to force their way into the airport.

Advice

Individuals in Honduras, particularly Tegucigalpa, are advised to monitor the situation, avoid all public demonstrations as a precaution, and anticipate localized transportation and business disruptions, long wait times for healthcare services, and a heightened security presence near possible protest sites.