Commentary: Post-coup militarization in Honduras

Commentary: Post-coup militarization in Honduras
Published on April 8, 2017


By Alex Rawley
Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

On the morning of June 28, 2009, military officials forced then-president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, into exile on a plane bound for Costa Rica. Shortly after, Robert Micheletti, president of the National Congress, was sworn in as president, stating, “I am not going to step aside, nor am I going to ask permission to step aside temporarily, that is not possible… I will watch the passage of power from the Casa de Gobierno and in the moment in which Porfirio Lobo is imposed as president, I will get up and go to my house with my family.”

This turning point in Honduran politics marked a new era defined by conservative politicians eager to strengthen their own power. In doing so, these politicians, under the banner of the right-wing party, el Partido Nacional, have greatly expanded the role of the Honduran military, which they have justified as an attempt to tackle endemic problems related to crime and corruption. Unfortunately, this recent push toward militarization has deepened Honduras’ cycle of impunity and ratcheted up abuses committed by the military.

Honduran military expansion began with the presidency of Porfirio Lobo Sosa. Under his rule, the Honduran Congress, in November 2011 modified the constitution, allowing the military to fill roles previously reserved for the police. Lobo soon began using the military to patrol cities, airports, tourist locations, and entire neighborhoods.

On February 8, 2013, his administration announced that it would be sending soldiers to patrol Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, two of the largest cities in Honduras. In August of that same year, he proposed a measure that would put soldiers in charge of prisons, stating that this would “end the reign of criminals in our prison system, which has done so much damage to our society.”

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