Juan López killing and Guapinol mine
- 1 people died.Juan López, killed 14 September 2024.
- Government and regulators Honduran prosecutors: Charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park (September 2024). tunota.com
- Company or project Inversiones Los Pinares: Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
Juan López, a municipal councillor and river defender, was killed in Tocoa, Honduras, on 14 September 2024. He had opposed an iron-oxide mine in the core zone of Carlos Escaleras National Park; the record shows arrests but no conviction.
Three alleged gunmen are held and their trial was postponed to January 2027. Three alleged intellectual authors were remanded in May 2026.
Status As of the latest items in the record (Fúnez hearing set for 1 October 2026): three alleged gunmen are held with trial postponed to January 2027, and former mayor Adán Fúnez and two others are remanded as alleged intellectual authors, which Fúnez denies; no conviction is recorded.
- Juan López — Killed on 14 September 2024.
- Carlos Escaleras National Park — Prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people over environmental damage to the park (September 2024). tunota.com
What happened
Inversiones Los Pinares and Ecotek, linked in the record to Grupo EMCO and to Lenir Pérez, ran an iron-oxide mine in the core zone of Carlos Escaleras National Park in Honduras. The mining concession expired on 28 January 2024. A suspension process was announced; whether it took effect is not verified in the record.
Juan López, a municipal councillor and Guapinol river defender, was killed on 14 September 2024 in Tocoa. The record names Inversiones Los Pinares and Ecotek and their mine as what he opposed.
In September 2024 prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park. Three alleged gunmen are held in the killing; their trial was postponed to January 2027.
In May 2026 former Tocoa mayor Adán Fúnez and two others were arrested as alleged intellectual authors of the killing and remanded in custody. Fúnez denies it. His preliminary hearing was set for 1 October 2026.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), which counts attacks linked to companies, listed Inversiones Los Pinares among the projects with the most attacks in its 2015–2024 count. It does not publish per-company attack counts. Los Pinares did not respond to BHRRC.
- 202428 January: the mining concession expires; a suspension process is announced
- 202414 September: Juan López is killed in Tocoa
- 2024September: prosecutors charge 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park
- 2026May: former mayor Adán Fúnez and two others are arrested as alleged intellectual authors and remanded; Fúnez denies it
- 20261 October: preliminary hearing for Fúnez set; trial of three alleged gunmen postponed to January 2027
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Ordered former mayor Adán Fúnez and others held in custody as alleged intellectual authors of the killing.
La Prensa (laprensa.hn)Denies being an intellectual author of the killing.
tunota.comCharged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park (September 2024).
tunota.comDid not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
How it looked
Shown
Recorded
- The mining concession expired on 28 January 2024; a suspension process was announced.
- Prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park (September 2024).
- Former Tocoa mayor Adán Fúnez and two others were arrested in May 2026 as alleged intellectual authors of the killing and remanded.
- Three alleged gunmen are held; their trial was postponed to January 2027.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- Inversiones Los Pinares: Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).
- Adán Fúnez, former mayor of Tocoa (May 2026): Denies being an intellectual author of the killing. · La Prensa (laprensa.hn)
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- OngoingKilling of Juan López: trial of three alleged gunmenHonduran court (not named in the record) · Criminal · Prosecution → Three alleged gunmen (not named in the record)
Three alleged gunmen are held. Their trial was postponed to January 2027.
- 2026-05–OngoingKilling of Juan López: alleged intellectual authorsHonduran court (not named in the record) · Criminal · Prosecution → Adán Fúnez, former mayor of Tocoa, and two others (accused)
Arrested in May 2026 as alleged intellectual authors and remanded in custody. Fúnez denies it. His preliminary hearing was set for 1 October 2026. La Prensa (laprensa.hn)
- 2024-09–OngoingEnvironmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National ParkHonduran court (not named in the record) · Criminal · Prosecutors → 13 company-linked people, including Lenir Pérez (charged)
In September 2024 prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park. tunota.com
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
- Disputed Was the national park damaged by the mine's operators?
Accounts
- Disputed Who ordered the killing of Juan López?
- None on record Inversiones Los Pinares: Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
Record
- Unclear Whether the suspension of the mine announced after the concession expired took effect: not verified.
- None on record The result of Adán Fúnez's preliminary hearing, set for 1 October 2026: not found.
- None on record No conviction is recorded in the killing; the record shows arrests only.
- Not disclosed Inversiones Los Pinares did not respond to BHRRC.
- Insufficient The record lists Carlos Escaleras National Park among conservation cases where projects were halted or financiers withdrew, while also stating that whether the suspension took effect is not verified.
Did the harm stop?
Not verified: the concession expired on 28 January 2024 and a suspension process was announced, but the record does not confirm that it took effect.
Who paid?
A municipal councillor and river defender was killed; the record shows no conviction and no compensation.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Juez ordena prisión a Adán Fúnez y otros implicados en el caso Juan LópezLa Prensa (laprensa.hn) ·
- Capturan a exalcalde de Colón Adán Fúnez por crimen del ambientalista Juan Lópeztunota.com · 2026-05-12
- Requerimiento fiscal contra empresa por daños ambientales en Parque Carlos Escalerastunota.com · 2024-09-24