Weekly Report - 24 February 2022 (WR-22-08)

Honduras’s new president Xiomara Castro has formally requested support from United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres for the creation of a commission against corruption and impunity in Honduras (CICIH). The move comes just weeks after her leftist Partido Libertad y Refundación (Libre) government took office and makes good on a core campaign promise to fight corruption. It follows the recent arrest in line with a US extradition request, of Castro’s predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022), of the right-wing Partido Nacional (PN), who has been implicated in drug-related allegations [WR-22-07]. While this may have raised hopes that Hernández will be brought to justice in the US, some argue that it should be happening in Honduras, a prospect many consider impossible at present due to the weakness of institutions like the judiciary, serving to underline the need for an internationally backed CICIH.