Weekly Report - 26 September 2024 (WR-24-38)

The supreme court of Honduras has declared the employment and economic development zones (Zedes) to be unconstitutional. The Zedes, which could implement their own administrative, judicial, security, and tax systems autonomously, were approved in 2013 under the right-wing Partido Nacional (PN) government of Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014) in an attempt to attract investment. They were dogged by controversy from the outset with the then-opposition left-wing Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) particularly vocal in criticising them for violating national sovereignty and promoting tax evasion.