Statement from Senator Peter Welch
Printed in the Congressional Record
September 4, 2025
Mr. President, on November 30th the people of Honduras will choose their next president and members of the National Congress. The stakes could not be higher. I am deeply concerned both about the integrity of the elections, and the ongoing problems of corruption and impunity in the country.
Given Honduras’ history of fraudulent elections and the failure of the current government to take steps to ensure that the upcoming elections are free, fair, and transparent, it is incumbent on the Organization of American States, the United States, and other interested parties provide the support and observers necessary to mitigate opportunities for fraud. All candidates must be able to compete safely and fairly, and the Honduran people must be ensured the opportunity to cast their ballots in safety and without intimidation.
Unfortunately, there are already reasons to question the government’s commitment to protect the integrity of the electoral process. Honduras’ Attorney General’s office has reportedly increasingly acted to influence and undermine the autonomy of the National Electoral Council, a cornerstone of free and fair elections. The Attorney General’s office has also failed to investigate credible allegations of political intimidation, further exacerbating concerns about the Council’s impartiality.
On July 16, 2025, Counselor Ana Paola Hall resigned, citing intense political pressure and threats against her and her family. Hall’s departure leaves only two counselors and underscores the broader issue of political intimidation targeting electoral officials, which threatens the Council’s ability to function.
Further, the government has reportedly failed to implement the system for transmitting election results—intended to ensure the transparent and timely reporting of election results—increasing the risk of post-election disputes.
These troubling developments undermine public confidence and make even more important the role of Honduran civil society in helping to prepare for and monitor the fairness of the elections. Articulación Ciudadana por la Transparencia y la Justicia and Movimiento Indignados are examples of organizations that have worked for years to strengthen the institutions of democracy and the rule of law in Honduras.
I also want to call attention, again, to the continuing threats and violence against members of the Guapinol, Tocoa, and other communities in the Bajo Aguán region of Honduras. It is a troubling reminder of the urgent need to counter the corrupt and abusive legacy of former President Juan Hernando Hernandez. Hernandez is serving a 45-year sentence in a U.S. prison, but the Honduran people remain victims of his violent legacy and of the failure of his successor to combat the corruption that is entrenched in Honduras or to take the steps necessary to end impunity.
Many brave Honduran activists and journalists have been targeted and killed for nothing more than exposing the truth and resisting illegal actions. It has now been a year since the murder of Honduran environmental activist Juan López, one of many victims of vigilante violence. Mr. López had been wrongly imprisoned and prosecuted for speaking out against corrupt officials who seek to profit from an open-pit iron oxide mine and the Ecotek Thermoelectric Project.
In addition to Mr. López, there have been six other assassinations of members of the Guapinol water defenders. No one has been prosecuted or punished for those crimes, nor for the murders of other environmental and human rights defenders in Honduras.
Juan López, like Berta Cáceres whose murder in 2016 was linked to officers of the company responsible for the hydroelectric project she and others in her Indigenous community opposed, was a courageous defender of the environment and of the rights of the Honduran people.
Following Mr. López’s murder last year, I urged the Honduran government to take several steps immediately in response to the pattern of violence: Call for an international commission of experts to support the Honduran prosecutor’s investigation, to ensure the investigation of Mr. López’ murder is thorough and impartial; protect human rights defenders at risk in the Bajo Aguán region; and investigate the abuses and corruption denounced by Juan López and the pattern of violence against the Guapinol defenders.
As far as I am aware, none of those steps have been taken. Nor has the Castro government followed through on her campaign promise to support the establishment of an international commission to combat corruption and impunity.
As a result, impunity for these crimes and the vitriolic attacks against nongovernmental organizations by officials in the executive and legislative branches of government have continued.
Mr. President, my state of Vermont and Honduras have been partners since 1966, just two years after the founding of Partners of the Americas. Vermonters have always had an interest in Honduras—its history, people, culture, and development. One of many examples is the Honduran Tolupan Education Program, which arranges for Vermonters and other volunteers to travel to Indigenous villages in Honduras to help build community libraries where none exist. Vermonters want Honduras to succeed as a democracy where justice and economic opportunity are available to all its citizens.
After eight years of President Hernandez and four years of President Castro, the Honduran people deserve better. I hope that whoever wins in November will use their office to improve the lives of the people, rather than to enrich themselves. And I hope that the people of the communities in the Bajo Aguán will no longer have to live in fear that powerful companies and corrupt officials will steal their land, pollute their rivers, and murder them for peacefully defending the natural resources that are rightfully theirs.
Read and download the Statement for the Congressional Record here.