Repression and resilience: Diagnosing closing space mid-pandemic

46 REPRESSION AND RESILIENCE: DIAGNOSING CLOSING SPACE MID-PANDEMIC
Honduras
Before COVID-19, Honduras’ democratic space simultaneously experienced a closing and an opening on different fronts.
Violence and censorship targeting civil society, protesters and journalists continued to be widespread in a country
suffering from high criminal activity and corruption, which remains heavily reliant on the military for enforcement.
At the same time, positive steps were taken to defend and strengthen democratic space. Pressure from civil society
helped to repeal repressive legislation, while new proposals were introduced to increase political party transparency,
improve impartiality and oversight of the Supreme Court of Justice, and work toward gender parity in view of the 2021
primary elections.
The COVID-19 crisis has been a determining factor in closing civic space, with a disproportionate restriction of rights
such as freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right for people who have committed certain felonies
to avail themselves of bail. Following strong resistance from human rights organisations and the courts, the executive
restored such constitutional rights. A series of limitations were also registered in regard to the right to information
and access to public data on the use of public funds in the pandemic response. There were reports of restrictions and
attacks on the press and rights defenders - including 41 aggressions against journalists and social justice advocates.
Unemployment and inequality have deepened as a result of the pandemic, leading to protests against hunger in several
municipalities. There has also been a weakening of women’s labour rights as well as an increase in femicides, with
weekly complaints of domestic and intra-family violence increasing by 4.1% after the introduction of COVID measures.
While the pandemic had a devastating impact on Honduras’ democratic space and social well-being, it was not the
only problem of 2020: the destruction brought by hurricanes Eta and Iota affected over 4 million people and plunged
it into a humanitarian crisis.
Interestingly, the reopening phase brought about renewed efforts to improve checks and balances in Honduras. The
executive approved a new regulation on electronic government and established a secretariat for transparency at
a time of important budget readjustments. The National Congress quickly adapted to distancing rules by holding
virtual legislative sessions - although limited to scheduled bills - and by employing a public online voting platform. The
judicial branch also continued to work remotely on transparency and open government measures. Finally, the Single
Transparency Portal managed by the Institute for Access to Public Information enabled the publication of ex officio
information of all obligated subjects that manage public funds during the pandemic. However, civil society audits still
revealed irregularities and criminal responsibility in the purchasing of medical equipment.