Medellín, Colombia – Four senior officials in Honduras’ leftist opposition party were impeached by the country’s Congress on Thursday, April 16.
The officials – who were members of the Partido Libertad y Refundación, or Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) – were stripped of their positions after being accused of attempting to undermine the integrity of the November 30 elections in favor of their party.
The impeachments are the latest in a wave of reprisals against political opponents by the newly elected right-wing government, led by President Nasry Asfura.
88 members of congress backed the expulsion, consolidating the alliance between the right-wing Partido Nacional (PN) and Partido Liberal (PL) which has ruled the country since Asfura took power in January.
The ousted politicians were Marlon Ochoa, Mario Morazán, Lourdes Mejía, and Gabriel Gutiérrez, all members of Libre, which governed Honduras from 2022 to 2026.
Morazán, a former magistrate of the Electoral Justice Tribunal, was the only member to personally appear at the nearly six hour proceeding.
“I am not appealing to you, I am appealing to history. I am appealing to the origin and essence of constitutionalism, constitutional power and hard-won fundamental rights… I am absolutely innocent. I have only acted in accordance with the law and justice,” said Morazán in a speech to lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Ochoa did not appear at the congressional hearing where the vote took place as he had already left the country due to death threats, according to fellow Libre member Marco Ramiro Lobo.
“I will continue to fight wherever I am. No matter the difficulties. I will return to Honduras. The struggle is not over,” he said via X on Friday.
The expulsion marks the latest in a series of impeachment trials in the Central American nation headed by White House ally Asfura. Attorney General Johel Zelaya was removed in March by Congress and immediately replaced by government ally Pablo Emilio Reyes.
In parallel with today’s expulsion, Zelaya had been accused of abusing his position to favor the former Libre government and was removed only two days after the proceedings began.
While in office, he opened a criminal case against Asfura and sought the arrest of Juan Orlando Hernández, the former PN president pardoned by Donald Trump for drug trafficking offences last December.
Rebeca Obando, President of the Supreme Court of Justice, faced a similar proceeding but decided to resign from her role before her impeachment even began.
Current Libre leader and former president Manuel Zelaya accused Congress of enacting a “gag law” following the impeachments.
“Members of parliament represent the people, and they must defend them. When the Constitution is violated out of revenge through political trials and power is concentrated, absolutism arises—corrupting, dispossessing and plundering with impunity,” he said via X.
Featured image: Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras.
Image credit: Iliana Ochoa. Image license.
