On 7 October 2025, various corporate media outlets disseminated statements from business representatives and public tourism institutions that falsely portrayed OFRANEH as an organization that “uses young people with weapons, drugs, and hate to invade land,” and described its work as a “malicious and destructive project.” These false and stigmatizing narratives seek to legitimize land dispossession and delegitimize the Garífuna people’s lawful struggle to reclaim and defend their ancestral territories from unlawful private occupation and corporate tourism interests.
As a direct consequence of this campaign of hate, racism, and threats, armed groups attacked the Garifuna communities of Triunfo de la Cruz and San Juan on the night of October 11th. These incidents, forewarned by OFRANEH’s public alerts and denounced by the National Network of Women Human Rights Defenders in Honduras (Red Nacional de Defensoras), IM-Defensoras, and other organizations, underscore the severity of the ongoing persecution and the urgent need for both state and international protection for Garífuna communities.
These discourses and aggressions are not only defamatory and violent but also place Garífuna human rights defenders in imminent danger, perpetuating a broader pattern of criminalization, structural racism, and systemic violence against Afro-Indigenous communities in Honduras. Labeling OFRANEH as an armed or criminal group constitutes a direct violation of the State’s duty to protect human rights defenders, as recognized in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (1998), the American Convention on Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ judgment in favor of the Garífuna community of Triunfo de la Cruz, which recognized the collective property rights of the Garífuna people and ordered the Honduran State to return their ancestral lands, guarantee non-repetition, and ensure restitution. The continued failure to comply with this and related rulings constitutes an ongoing violation of international law and of the right to self-determination, enshrined in Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The systematic attacks, hate speech, and defamation campaigns against OFRANEH are inseparable from broader efforts to dispossess Garífuna communities of their lands and livelihoods, thereby violating their economic, social, and cultural rights, including the rights to housing, food, health, culture, and a healthy environment. These attacks also expose the complicity between state authorities and corporate interests that continue to promote extractive and tourism projects in violation of the right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), recognized in ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Therefore, we urgently call on the Government of Honduras to:
- Immediately cease the dissemination of hate speech and defamatory narratives that endanger the lives of Garífuna defenders and communities;
- Promptly, independently, and transparently investigate the armed attacks that occurred on 11 October in Triunfo de la Cruz and San Juan, and bring those responsible to justice;
- Implement without delay the binding judgments of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights concerning Garífuna communities;
- Guarantee the protection and physical integrity of all members of OFRANEH and Garífuna human rights defenders, in accordance with international human rights standards;
- Recognize and uphold the collective territorial rights of the Garífuna people as a fundamental condition for justice, dignity, and peace.
As a global network composed of more than 300 organizations, movements, and advocates in over 80 countries, ESCR-Net reaffirms that the defense of land, culture, and community is not a crime, but a legitimate exercise of the right to self-determination, collective ownership, and the defense of human rights.
We stand firmly with OFRANEH and the Garífuna people in their historic and ongoing struggle for territory, autonomy, and justice.
