Honduras' new agroindustrial law raises concerns over protest rights

Honduras has approved the Law of Strengthening and Protection of the Agroindustrial Sector, which aims to provide legal certainty and attract investment to the agricultural industry. The legislation incorporates harsher penalties for land usurpation and includes broad definitions related to terrorism.

Gustavo Irías, executive director of the Center for Democratic Studies (CESPAD), warned that the law could restrict fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, association and the right to peaceful assembly. He highlighted the risk that the new legal framework may be used to limit protests linked to longstanding land disputes in the Bajo Aguán, Atlántida and Yoro regions, where campesino and Garífuna communities have clashed with agro‑industrial companies for over a decade. Irías called for dialogue and institutional strengthening rather than punitive measures to address the agrarian conflict.