Judge orders trial in murder of Honduran conservationist

Tegucigalpa (AFP) – A judge in Honduras ordered three men to stand trial for the murder last year of an enviromental activist who opposed the digging of a strip mine in a nature reserve.

Issued on: 03/09/2025 - 05:09

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A judge in Honduras has ordered three men to stand trial for the murder of Honduran environmentalist Juan Lopez, seen here in 2021 as he watched the Guapinol river in Honduras © Orlando SIERRA / AFP



Activist Juan Lopez, who was also a local lawmaker, was shot on the night of September 14 as he left a church in the northeastern town of Tocoa. The killing drew international condemnation from the United Nations and Pope Francis.

A special court section ordered Tuesday a trial for three defendants named Oscar Alexis Guardado, Daniel Juarez and Lenis Adonis Cruz on charges of murder and racketeering, the justice ministry said in a statement.
It said that in the trial, prosecutors hope to find out who the masterminds of the killing were. The three defendants are accused of actually killing Lopez.

Lopez advocated the closing of an iron ore strip mine operation in the Botaderos forest reserve, alleging it polluted the environment.

Days before he died, Lopez, 46, had called for the resignation of Tocoa's mayor, who was seen allegedly negotiating bribes with drug traffickers in a video tape in 2013.

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