POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN HONDURAS

That this House is concerned by reports of electoral fraud and violence in Honduras following Presidential elections which re-elected President Juan Orlando on 26 November 2017; notes the Organization of American States called for fresh elections in Honduras, hours after the poll with its Secretary General Luis Almagro stating the process was plagued by irregularities and lacked integrity; further notes that, despite the country's electoral court upholding the poll following its review of ballot boxes whose results had been considered irregular, there remains much scepticism in Honduras about the validity of the result, with large numbers taking to the street in protest; is further concerned such protests have been met with violence leading to the deaths of at least 30 people according to human rights group, the Committee for the Families of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras, in a country which Amnesty International accuses authorities of deploying dangerous and illegal tactics to silence any dissenting voices; notes that members of Honduran civil society, including Father Ismael Moreno Coto SJ, Padre Melo, a Jesuit who runs Radio Progreso, have faced death threats; urges authorities and others in Honduras to act with restraint; and hopes the country soon returns to a state of peace in which human rights are respected and electoral results have the confidence of the population.