Central America
Murdered Environmentalist Juan López Laid to Rest in Honduras Amid Mourning and Outrage
The remains of environmental activist Juan López, who was in the final stages of his fight to close an open-pit mine in Honduras, were buried on Monday amid scenes of grief and indignation, two days after his assassination.
A large crowd gathered to accompany López’s casket in a funeral ceremony at the Church of San Isidro, in front of the main square of Tocoa, the town where hitmen shot him as he left a Catholic church, 220 kilometers northeast of Tegucigalpa, on Saturday.
After the funeral, a long procession of vehicles followed the casket to the New Municipal Cemetery on the outskirts of Tocoa. As night fell, López was laid to rest in a grave, with mourners lighting up the scene with their cellphones.
“They took him from my arms,” said López’s widow, Thelma Peña, in an emotional speech at the cemetery. “They accomplished what they had been planning for a long time,” she added, recalling how she had repeatedly begged him to abandon his fight. “He told me, ‘I can’t stop,’” she said tearfully.
López’s murder recalls the case of renowned environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who was killed in 2016 in Honduras, a country that ranks among the deadliest for environmental defenders, according to the NGO Global Witness.
“You knew very well that the extractivist and mining model kills and destroys the world, along with the corruption of false politicians and narco-governments, but above all, you understood that the fight for the life of our people never ends,” said Bishop Henry Ruiz in a message from Rome, read during the funeral.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro has demanded the fullest investigation into the murder.
Central America
Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
Constitutional Court of Guatemala on Thursday annulled the shortlist of six candidates for attorney general and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ordering authorities to repeat the evaluation phase of the selection process.
The ruling came in response to a legal appeal filed by Raúl Amílcar Falla Ovalle, who challenged the way professional experience had been assessed for some applicants, particularly those with careers in the judiciary.
As a result of the decision, the selection process has been suspended, and the Postulation Commission must return to the stage in which the original 48 applicants were evaluated.
According to the ruling, the commission must reapply the grading criteria without automatically counting years served as judges as equivalent to the professional experience required for the position.
“The Postulation Commission for the election of the Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is ordered to reassess the applicants by strictly applying the approved grading table,” the resolution states.
The Constitutional Court also stressed that the process must guarantee merit, competence, and suitability, while ensuring greater transparency in the assignment of scores.
Central America
U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.
Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.
The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.
According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.
Central America
Bukele administration surpasses 1,100 homicide-free days amid ongoing crackdown
On Saturday, April 18, the Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) reported that no homicides were recorded in El Salvador, bringing the total to 17 days without murders.
With this update, the country has accumulated 91 homicide-free days so far in 2026. January closed with 27 such days, followed by 24 in February and 23 in March, according to police data.
During the administration of President Nayib Bukele, a total of 1,193 days without homicides have been registered. Of those, 1,079 have occurred since the implementation of the state of exception.
This extraordinary security measure has been extended 49 times by the Asamblea Legislativa de El Salvador, with the latest extension in effect from April 1 to April 30, 2026. Under the measure, more than 91,700 gang members and collaborators have been detained and prosecuted for illicit association.
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