Homosexuality is not illegal, although there is currently no provision in Honduran legislation that guarantees non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Honduras. The inhabitants are largely tolerant of the individual`s personal way of life and small expressions of affection between same-sex couples are accepted. There is a more conservative stance outside the city of Tegucigalpa and public expressions of affection from same-sex couples are not recommended. Read our page of information and tips for the LGBT community before you travel. One of the factors behind the murder rate and the transport of drugs through Honduras is the presence of tens of thousands of gang members who are part of the Mara Salvatrucha gang (MS 13). This gang works on both sides, helping Mexican and Colombian cartels move their goods. According to the Center for Prison Studies International (PRI), the prison population in Honduras reached a total of 12,336 inmates in 2011, 50.1 percent of whom were in pre-trial detention, meaning they had not been convicted. Officially, Honduras` prisons have the capacity to accommodate 8,625 inmates. This means that we are once again experiencing the same situation of prison overcrowding that is repeated in virtually every country in Latin America. It should be noted that, according to a study by the United Nations Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, ILANUD, out of a total of 9,453 persons detained in 1996, 789 were there for committing crimes of drug trafficking or possession. Figures compiled in 2004 by the Directorate General of Preventive Services (DGSEP) showed that the majority of prisoners were detained for drug trafficking and property crimes, which implies a significant increase.

„I welcome this opportunity to meet with the president and government officials to discuss how we can further strengthen this cooperation and improve action against drugs and organized crime,” he said after a january 19 press conference with the foreign, security and defense ministers in Tegucigalpa. Justice Sector Reform – With the support of the INL, the Public Prosecutor`s Office established and organized an effective investigative unit that seized relevant evidence for a number of important cases against corrupt officials. InL support has also facilitated the development of the Honduran Office for the Management of Seized and Expired Assets, which has become a model for the region. In 2017, the INL began a three-year effort to assist the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Public Prosecutor`s Office in the accreditation of critical disciplines and to deepen expertise and capacity within the institution to enable the use of forensic evidence in law enforcement. In early 2019, the INL launched an extensive four-year training program for prosecutors to broaden the understanding and competence of accusatory elements within the Honduran legal system. This capacity-building program is the first in more than a decade for prosecutors in ministries. The President of Honduras, together with his counterparts in El Salvador and Nicaragua, expressed in a joint communiqué their total rejection of the idea, in which they stated that they did not believe that this option would solve the problems of drug trafficking. Although he did not support this initiative, President Lobo said that it was necessary to assume shared but differentiated responsibilities.

In order to tackle the drug market, each country must take responsibility for what concerns it. Responsibility for controlling production rests with producing countries such as Colombia; the control of drug trafficking should be the responsibility of countries which, because of their geographical location, serve as transit routes for drug shipments (Guatemala and Honduras); while countries such as the United States should take responsibility for controlling drug use. The United States, in particular, is one of the countries with the highest demand for drugs and the main recipient of the vast majority of drugs imported from Latin America. These working groups and units achieve tangible results through the close supervision and technical support they receive. For example, Honduras led to 39 criminal convictions in 2018 with prison sentences ranging from 15 to 42 years and prevented the payment of ransoms of more than $4 million. During the same period, Honduran law enforcement arrested 80 people arrested for various crimes, including human trafficking and possession of illegal drugs, rescued 81 unaccompanied children, identified 464 irregular migrants and seized $20,586 in foreign currency. November 2012 – a new proposal for a law on drugs. The Inter-Institutional Committee has presented President Porfirio Lobo with a draft new law to replace the now obsolete 1989 Drugs Act. A key feature of this new proposal is a special chapter on the possibility of shooting down aircraft carrying drugs entering Honduran airspace. According to several sources, more than 70% of the light aircraft that distribute cocaine from the Andean region to the North American market pass through Honduran territory.

The protocol to follow is quite strict: once an „enemy” aircraft is intercepted, the Honduran Air Force must fly en route and communicate with the pilot to order him to land. If the pilot does not obey, the Air Force will first fire warning shots, and then shoot down the aircraft, provided that a competent higher authority has given the green light for all this. Honduras suffers from high levels of crime and violence throughout the country. Although the Government of Honduras has made the fight against insecurity a top priority, it does not have sufficient capacity and resources to adequately prevent, respond, investigate and prosecute high crime throughout the country. As a result, most murder cases have no solution and criminals operate with high levels of impunity throughout Honduras. Since 2010, Honduras has had one of the highest murder rates in the world. However, official statistics from the Honduran Observatory on National Violence show that the murder rate in Honduras fell to 42.8 per 100,000 in 2017, a 50 percent drop from the peak of 86.5 per 100,000 in 2011. This corresponds to a further decrease of 25% compared to 2016. Despite the decline in the number of homicides, Honduras remains in the midst of an epidemic of violence with enormous social and economic consequences, including economic and physical insecurity, which serve as push factors for migration to the United States. Honduras is a transit country for drugs, especially cocaine, destined for the United States. The debate initiated by Guatemalan President Pérez Molina in 2012 when he proposed the decriminalization of drugs in Central America has been on the agenda of several summits and other meetings between heads of state in America. The law currently in force is Decree No.

136/89, adopted on 23 November 1989. This special law is called the „Law on the Misuse and Illicit Trade of Drugs and Psychotropic Substances” and is amended by Decree 86/93. The purpose of the law is to control, prevent, combat and punish the illicit production, trafficking, possession and use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.