United Nations urges Honduras to criminalize enforced disappearance

United Nations expert Carmen Rosa Villa has urged Honduras to classify enforced disappearance as an independent crime and to pass a Search Law for Missing Persons. The call was made during a forum marking the 20th anniversary of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The proposed Search Law is built on five pillars: recognition of victims and their families, the right to truth, the search for remains, reparation through compensation, and guarantees of non-repetition. Villa emphasized that a disappearance cannot be considered concluded until the whereabouts of the person are clarified.

In meetings with Blanca Izaguirre, the Human Rights Commissioner in Honduras, officials discussed the need to place victims at the center of state responses and improve coordination between institutions responsible for prevention and investigation. Despite previous rulings from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding the state's responsibility, the National Commissioner for Human Rights noted that Honduras still faces significant challenges in preventing and sanctioning these violations.