Indigenous Peoples & Campesino Rights in Honduras: PBI UK's Exclusive Report Launch Event
PBI UK recently had the privilege of hosting an exclusive reception and report launch event at the prestigious Doughty Street Chambers, marking the unveiling of the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras.
The event shed light on the grave human rights situation facing Indigenous peoples and campesino communities struggling against violent land conflict, amidst a state of total impunity for attacks against them and legal barriers to accessing justice. The event offered a unique opportunity for people to come together, both online and in person, allowing a wide range of individuals from donors and embassies, to Honduran human rights defenders and community leaders to engage with these critical issues and join the conversation.
Lenca Indigenous human rights defender and member of COPINH, Dunia Sánchez, speaking at the launch event
Testimonies from honduran human rights defenders
One of the event's most significant highlights was the opportunity to hear from prominent Honduran lawyer and woman human rights defender, Kenia Oliva, and Indigenous Lenca woman human rights defender, Dunia Sánchez. Both Kenia and Dunia receive protective accompaniment from PBI.
Kenia is a Honduran human rights lawyer and the Co-founder of the Bufete Justicia para los Pueblos, alongside lawyer Edy Tábora. The firm was established to offer more effective legal accompaniment to land, territory, and environmental defenders facing criminalisation. She has been at the forefront of defending human rights defenders since 2003. Over the course of her career, she has worked with a range of civil society organisations, including COFADEH, ACI-Participa, ASOPODEHU, and C-Libre, providing legal support to activists and communities facing repression.
Dunia is an Indigenous Lenca human rights defender from Honduras and a member of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras (COPINH), an Indigenous peoples’ rights organisation founded in 1993 to defend Lenca land and communities. Through her work with COPINH, she has been actively involved in the defence of Indigenous peoples’ rights, particularly the protection of Lenca ancestral territories, natural resources, and collective autonomy in the face of extractive projects. COPINH has received protective accompaniment from PBI since May 2016.
Both these women, who have been at the forefront of the defense of the rights of Indigenous and Afrodescendent peoples and campesino communities, have been subjected to intimidation, stigmatisation and threats for their tireless work defending fundamental rights.
During the event, they were able to share their insights on how the Honduran justice systems systematically fails Indigenous, Afro-descendent and campesino communities. They also detailed how despite multiple rulings in favour of communities before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Honduran state has not complied with a single one. Kenia called for an end to the criminalisation, forced displacement and killings of Indigenous, Afro-descendent and campesino defenders.
“One of the greatest obstacles to accessing justice is the approval of unconstitutional laws that go against the international treaties that Honduras is a signatory to. But perhaps the most serious issue is the lack of independence among those administering justice, who clearly act in the interests of the country’s political and economic powers.”
We heard a powerful testimony from Dunia about the fight for justice in the case of Berta Cáceres, a Lenca Indigenous environmental defender who was killed 10 years ago for defending the Gualcarque river. She shared the importance of the international community uplifting the findings and recommendations of this report, so that the Honduran state feels pressured to recognise such reports, which have been drafted by lawyers who are specialised in international regulations or standards, that are not recognised by the Honduran state. She shared that the justice system in Honduras actively works against communities, which makes communities feel even more insecure about continuing to pursue justice in order to defend their rights. That’s why Dunia believes that the way to achieve true justice is to continue international advocacy, to show the Honduran state that international organisations are monitoring violations of rights and that there is a need for justice.
“We have achieved a degree of justice, but we remain steadfast in our determination to secure the true justice we deserve, particularly by holding to account those responsible – the shareholders of the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project in our community of Río Blanco. They are the ones who have caused constant persecution and the fragmentation of our community’s social fabric, culminating in the murder of our dear friend, Berta Cáceres.”
Criminal law expert and delegate, Omar Gómez Trejo, explained why Honduran law allows for summary evictions of Indigenous peoples & campesino communities from their lands
The Report Unveiled
At the heart of the event was the release of the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras’ report, titled "Our Determination Outweighs Our Fear": Indigenous peoples and campesino communities fighting for land and territory. The report came into genesis after an Independent Delegation of International Lawyers travelled to the departments of Francisco Morazán, Comayagua, Cortés and Colón in Honduras in September 2025, to meet with Indigenous and campesino communities, social movements, legal representatives, state authorities, the Public Prosecutor's Office, UN representatives, journalists, and the diplomatic corps.
The report serves as a comprehensive yet harrowing of how the Honduran justice system is used to quell land, territorial and environmental defence, which was echoed during the event by some the co-authors of the report, including Doughty Street barrister Camila Zapata Besso, the Due Process of Law Foundation’s Daniel Cerqueira, and criminal justice expert Omar Gómez Trejo.
The event was privileged to have Stephen Cragg KC of Doughty Street Chambers provide opening remarks, setting out the current context for Indigenous and campesino communities in Honduras, and formally introduced the Delegation. The event was moderated by PBI UK’s new Director, Charmain Mohamed.
The report's contents sparked critical conversations during the event about the essential role of the international community and corporate accountability for human rights violations against Indigenous peoples and campesino communities. The UK has both a responsibility and an opportunity to support Honduran civil society in seeking justice and protecting their rights .
Call to Action!
The release of the report by the Independent Delegation of International Lawyers to Honduras represents a pivotal moment in the ongoing struggle for the land and territory rights of Indigenous, Afro-descendent and campesino communities in Honduras. It also highlights the shrinking of civic space in Honduras, and calls for protection of human rights defenders, for example, through the strengthening of the Honduran National Protection Mechanism and through international diplomacy.
As attendees and readers, we are not just observers, but active participants in advocating for justice and human rights, and we still have a role to play in raising awareness, advocating for change and standing in solidarity with human rights defenders and communities in Honduras and across the world. It is evident that the issues discussed at this event are not isolated. They have a global dimension that calls for our collective action and commitment.
If the event (or this article) got you fired up, here are some easy ways that you can help:
Take 10 minutes to write to your MP and ask them what they are doing to ensure the UK government supports human right defenders, and to ensure the protection of the land and territory rights of Indigenous and campesino communities. You can find your local MP here and use our handy email template here (downloads from your browser automatically).
You can also sign up for our quarterly newsletter to learn about additional opportunities to support threatened human rights defenders in Honduras and globally.
Lastly, please help us continue to support Dunia, Kenia and other brave human rights defenders by donating to PBI UK today.
We would like to extend our gratitude, once again, for being a part of such a pivotal event!
