INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION AGAINST IMPUNITY IN HONDURAS. WHY NOT MR. PRESIDENT JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ?

By Edwin Francisco Herrera-Paz

Massive protests are taking place every week in Honduran main cities. People ask for an international commission against impunity, given the magnitude of governmental corruption.

Today, migrations from Central American countries---especially Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, the so called Northern Triangle---to the U.S. are considered a human calamity. Migrations presented a peak in 2014 when more than 30,000 unaccompanied children from this region reached the U.S. Southern border. Additionally, many migrants die each year during their journey to the American dream. 

These migrations have their roots in socioeconomic inequality, which in turn is strongly linked to historical and present governmental corruption of enormous proportions. Corruption not only boosts migrations but also is the origin of what seems to be an unhopeful underdevelopment.

Recently, what looks like a light at the end of a tunnel was implemented in Guatemala: An International Commission Against Impunity (in Spanish, Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, or CICIG) managed by the United Nations Organization. CICIG investigations on governmental corruption has promoted dismiss of the Guatemalan President and Vice-president.

Given the success of CICIG and public awareness of corruption in the government of the neighbor country Honduras---where funds from the social security and other institutions were drained for financing the presidential campaign of the ruling National Party---people have taken massively to the streets to protest and ask the President Juan Orlando Hernandez to request an International Commission Against Impunity in Honduras (Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Honduras or CICIH) managed by the UN, similar to that of Guatemala. The President´s answer was a big NO. In its place, Juan Orlando Hernandez proposed a domestic institution against corruption, which will be totally controlled by him as is the case for the rest of Honduran governmental institutions such as the Public Ministry (Public Attorney), the Supreme Court, and the Congress. We Hondurans know that kind of domestic institutions are a fallacy; however, proposing this solution allows the President to circumvent the people’s request for a CICIH.

A CICIH is convenient for the Honduran people, but for the U.S. people as well. The United States of America has been a great economic provider to Honduras; nevertheless the destiny of economic aid that comes from that country has been unsupervised and ends up feeding the Honduran corrupt governmental system. Fight against corruption through a CICIH will pave the road to Honduran prosperity because funds from taxes and international economic aid will not be used for corruption, but instead for infrastructure and other needs. In that manner, we Hondurans think a CICIH is the ONLY hope to begin the fight against corruption, something that would allow funds to be used in driving the country to prosperity. And with prosperity in Honduras, illegal migration to the U.S. will substantially decrease.

What to do. We, the Honduran people, kindly ask the American people to help us fight corruption in our country. You can do that by sending a letter to your representatives at Congress and Senate telling them that you are aware that the best way to fight massive illegal immigration to your country is fighting corruption in Latin America. Ask them to condition any kind of financial aid to Honduras only if a CICIH is installed in our country. We will be grateful for that.