The alleged murderer of environmentalist Juan López, who had been denouncing the pollution caused by an open-pit iron oxide mine in a nature reserve in Honduras, was captured this Friday along with an accomplice, authorities reported. The 46-year-old activist was shot dead on the night of September 14 after leaving a Catholic church in Tocoa, 220 km northeast of the capital Tegucigalpa, where he also served as a councilman. The crime was condemned by the UN and Pope Francis.
“We have captured the material perpetrator of the death of environmentalist Juan López. An accomplice was also detained,” wrote Security Minister Gustavo Sánchez on the social network X. López’s murder echoed the case of renowned Honduran environmentalist Berta Cáceres, who was killed in 2016 in one of the most dangerous countries for environmental activists, according to the NGO Global Witness.
Attorney General Johel Zelaya said on X that he ordered “the preventive detention of the alleged material perpetrator and a supposed accomplice of the murder of environmentalist Juan López. “López was a staunch opponent of open-pit mining and denounced damage to the Botaderos forest reserve, the Guapinol and San Pedro rivers, and other water sources in the area near Tocoa.
Minister Sánchez indicated that “the motorcycle used to carry out the crime was seized” and assured that “the investigation is supported by technical and scientific evidence,” including the review of over a hundred videos. “Other raids are being carried out to make another arrest,” he added, without providing details.
Hours later, the director of the National Police, Juan Manuel Aguilar, revealed at a press conference that the detainees are Oscar Alexis Guardado Alvarenga, 27, and Lenin Adony Cruz Munguía, 30. He also added that the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime was confiscated.
Days before his murder, the environmentalist had called for the resignation of Tocoa Mayor Adán Funez after a video surfaced showing him negotiating bribes with drug traffickers in 2013. This caused a scandal in the country, as Carlos Zelaya, the brother-in-law of President Xiomara Castro, also appeared in the video.
The mayor denied any responsibility for the environmentalist’s murder, who had been under precautionary measures ordered by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since October 2023 due to threats against him and other environmentalists in Tocoa.
In November 2021, López had spoken in an interview about the risks faced by environmentalists in Honduras: “When you get involved in this country to defend common goods […] you clash with big interests,” he said.
