Honduras Congress approves special protections for rights activists, journalists

The measure was unanimously approved late Wednesday by 128 deputies across seven parties. President Juan Orlando Hernandez must sign the law for it to go into force.

Violence has plagued Honduras due to its geographic location being at the center of the Narco-Traffickers path to deliver drugs to the United States of America and has seen the murder of 53 journalists since 2003 and 94 legal professionals and human rights advocates since 2010.

The law would establish a panel under the ministry of justice and human rights to investigate threats against journalists, rights activists or judicial workers.

The panel would then decide on appropriate steps to protect the persons at risk, even arranging to send them out of the country if necessary.

Honduras is due to report in May to the UN Human Right Council in Geneva, which had recommended it do more to protect these groups.

An estimated 90 percent of crimes go unpunished in Honduras,  according to the Violence Observatory at the National Autonomous University of Honduras the Country of Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world of 68 murders per every 100,000 people.

At the request of the President of Honduras; Juan Orlando Hernandez, the United States Marines deployment to Honduras will be doubled in order to provide assistance with the current drug war.

According to the Pentagon the US Marine Corps will also assist in providing relief efforts in case of any Natural disasters such as “hurricanes” that may occur during their deployment.