Honduras' murder surge: Is militarization working?
Despite the Honduran government’s insistence that crime rates are improving, a staggering 100 murders were recorded over the first 10 days of 2015 in the Central American nation, Telesur reported. The high number of homicides raises serious questions about President Juan Orlando Hernández’s adamant assertion that deploying the Honduran military to the streets is the best way to address high violence rates in the country.
Honduran security specialist Carlos Sierra told Telesur that, “We look at 2015 with a lot of concern. Because on the one hand, we have a government that is deaf and blind. Deaf because it doesn´t want to listen to the advice of different groups that have been repeating that militarizing national security is not the solution along with other advice, but it is also blind because they want to manipulate and hide the real numbers of violent murders.”
This week Honduran lawmakers are discussing whether to enshrine the Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) into the nation’s constitution, a move that would grant the military police forces the same rank and responsibilities of the national police. According to the Honduran Congress’ vice president, Antonio Rivera, the debate will conclude before next Tuesday, January 20, after which a vote will take place. At the moment, Hernández does not have the votes necessary to pass the bill, but it is a crucial issue to watch.
In December 2014, Security Assistance Monitor published a country profile on nature and extent of U.S. security assistance to Honduras, which identified Honduran government’s increased efforts to use military for law enforcement functions as a key challenge (see chart on total U.S. security aid). In particular, these efforts are threatening human rights protections and diverting resources away from civilian police operations and reforms.
To date the international community has not taken a firm stance on the issue of militarization or more specifically the PMOP.
UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon recently visited Honduras and called on the government to boost regional integration and strengthen human rights, particularly for migrant children. Mr. Ban also said the UN would be establishing its first-ever office on human rights in the country this year and praised the government for lowering the homicide rate. However, he did not mention any of the potential dangers to human rights protection with the militarizing of law enforcement.
The State Department recently issued a statement summarizing the high-level dialogue and security talks held with Honduran officials on January 12. The vague nature of the statement, which emphasized crime prevention, praised the government for a diminishing homicide rate, but made no mention of the PMOP and guaranteed continued support for Honduras’ national security plan.
While the United States has said it does not train and equip or fund the PMOP, it has not expressed outright concern over the human and civil rights implications of an institutionalized military police force.
If the first few weeks of 2015 are any indication, the improvements attributed to the Hernandez administration may soon demand a more robust and direct response from the United States regarding the efficacy of military tactics in addressing crime and violence. See here for a primer on Honduras’ security situation and U.S. security assistance to the country.