UN Experts Urge Honduras to Halt Mass Evictions Under New Land Law

More than 1,000 eviction orders had reportedly been issued by 1 July, covering thousands of families, and several removals have already taken place.

More than 1,000 eviction orders are placing thousands of peasant, Indigenous and Afro-descendant families in Honduras at risk of losing homes, farmland and ancestral territories, prompting United Nations experts to demand an immediate halt to removals carried out under a controversial new law. The experts warned that evicting communities before resolving their land claims could cause lasting harm, deepen food insecurity and close vital legal routes for families seeking protection from dispossession.

New decree places historic land claims at risk

Decree No. 107-2026 shields certain agro-industrial land from agrarian reviews and ancestral territorial claims, even where cooperatives and subsistence farmers previously cultivated the land to produce food. Areas affected by the legislation could be allocated to large-scale agriculture, livestock, energy and tourism projects, creating fears that commercial interests will take priority over communities whose livelihoods and cultural identities are closely tied to these territories.

More than 1,000 eviction orders had reportedly been issued by 1 July, covering thousands of families, and several removals have already taken place. UN experts criticised the absence of consultation with affected communities, stressing that decisions capable of uprooting entire populations should not be made without giving those people a meaningful opportunity to explain their history, rights and dependence on the land.

The experts linked the threatened removals directly to Honduras' responsibilities under the right to food. Families who lose agricultural land may also lose crops, income, livestock and access to the natural resources that sustain daily life, leaving them more vulnerable to hunger and poverty while weakening local food production.

Garifuna and peasant communities face removals

The case highlighted involved the Garifuna community of San Juan in Tela, Atlántida, where authorities carried out an eviction on 6 July from territory reportedly recognised by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights as belonging to the community. Five Garifuna human rights defenders were detained during the operation and later released, yet they continue to face criminal proceedings for aggravated usurpation.

More than 40 peasant families were also evicted from the El Tulito community in Choluteca on 6 August under the same decree. Reports of violence connected with land disputes have increased concern for community leaders and human rights defenders, who may face reprisals, intimidation or criminal charges while trying to protect homes, farms and collective territories.

UN experts called for an immediate investigation into the violence at San Juan and urged Honduras to fully implement the Inter-American Court's 2023 judgment concerning the community's ancestral territory, together with other outstanding rulings on land rights. They also asked the government to consult affected communities and resolve pending claims before authorising any additional removals.

Rigores killings add urgency to calls for accountability

The concerns extend beyond eviction orders. UN experts asked Honduran authorities to conduct a prompt, independent and effective investigation into the killing of 20 people in Rigores, Colón, on 21 May. The victims were allegedly attacked by people wearing police and military uniforms, while eight of those killed belonged to peasant organisations that had reported the destruction and confiscation of their property by police days earlier.

Companies connected to projects on disputed land were urged to carry out strong human rights due diligence, assess the risks their activities may create and prevent communities or defenders from being exposed to violence or misuse of criminal law. For families facing eviction, the issue reaches far beyond property boundaries: land provides food, work, community ties, cultural identity and a sense of security that cannot easily be restored once people are displaced.

The UN experts said Honduras must keep legal avenues open for peasant, Indigenous and Afro-descendant families seeking to challenge dispossession, warning that removals can happen quickly while the damage they cause may be nearly impossible to reverse.