Honduras's state of exception, declared in December 2022 to combat drugs and gangs, has been extended multiple times, often without congressional approval. Allegations of law enforcement corruption have emerged, including a case where police appear to have seized narcotics and weapons for resale rather than evidence collection. The ongoing emergency measures have raised alarms among human rights observers about abuses and the erosion of constitutional rights. Calls for an end to these renewals have been made by international human rights organizations due to concerns over police excesses and systemic impunity.
Members of Honduras's DIPAMPCO police unit frisk people in Tegucigalpa on November 26, 2022, amid an ongoing state of emergency over gang violence.
In late 2024, more than two dozen masked officers descended on an alleged narcotics lab on the outskirts of San Pedro Sula, where they found materials for processing cocaine and automatic weapons.
Evidence, including the firearms and cocaine, seems to have disappeared from the public record, raising suspicions of police corruption and potential for reselling on the black market.
The state of exception was first declared in December 2022, meant to fight drug traffickers and gangs, but has been extended 17 times without Congress approval.
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