Ciudad de Guatemala, San José and Washington, DC, February 16, 2016.-  Several international organizations have highlighted the irregularities observed during the nearly six month-long process to select the Justices of the Honduran Supreme Court.

Lack of clarity regarding methodology, lack of rigor in questioning, politicization, and secrecy are among the irregularities denounced by these organizations. They also highlight the lack of compliance by the Honduran authorities involved in the process with international standards regarding judicial independence, resulting in a failure to guarantee a new Court which inspires confidence in the work it will carry out.

The organizations “call upon civil society to become permanent observers of the new Supreme Court,” so that irregularities in the selection process may come to light. They also urge the Honduran Attorney General’s office and the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) to document the irregularities that have been reported in the Supreme Court selection process, in order to assist in investigations and to promote prosecutions “such that those who allegedly have committed corrupt practices are judged and sanctioned accordingly.”