State of emergency in Honduras being extended
2023.01.07 13:47
State of emergency in Honduras being extended
Budrigannews.com – In an effort to combat criminal gangs amid high levels of violence, the Honduran government extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days on Saturday, extending it to additional areas of the country.
The national police stated that 235 of the country’s 298 municipalities have been added to the state of emergency that has been in place since December 6 in 165 areas of Honduras’ largest two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula.
Based on what he told journalists were positive results in December, police chief Gustavo Sanchez said the decision will allow for continued reductions in crime and violence.
The measure, which is part of President Xiomara Castro’s crackdown on gangs like Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, gives security forces the authority to detain people they think are connected to or have done something wrong.
Businesses, the transportation industry, and ordinary Hondurans have all voiced concerns about an increase in extortion in recent months, prompting the effort.
According to the police, during the first month of the measures, 39 criminal gangs were dismantled, 652 people were arrested, and thousands of grams and rocks of crack were seized.
Defenders of human rights have stated that they will monitor the measures.
According to data from the Association for a More Just Society, a security-focused non-governmental organization, extortions give gangs profits of up to $737 million per year, or nearly 3% of the country’s GDP.
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