Repression and resilience: Diagnosing closing space mid-pandemic

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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.
This research paper is the result of a close cooperation between the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy and the European Partnership for Democracy, with funding from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. European Partnership for Democracy No. d’entreprise: 0648.708.779 Rue Froissart 123-133B-1040 Brussels, Belgium info@epd.eu | www.epd.eu
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Repression and resilience: Diagnosing closing space mid-pandemic

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