The Honduran health ministry announced it would soon utilize Lenacapavir, a cheap new drug to be injected twice a year, to prevent HIV infection. The announcement was made by the deputy-health minister Eduardo Midence, who said Honduras was be the first regional state to use Lenacapavir to curb infections, Honduran television reported on 4 November. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a generic version of the drug, developed by an Indian drug company and expected to cost around U.S. $40 a year. Presumably this would be the drug used in Honduras as its distribution, initially through 13 specialist clinics, followed a deal between the two states. The broadcaster reported 457 registered new HIV infections in Honduras in the first 30 weeks of 2026 (January to late July), almost 75% of these affecting men.
Thursday, 5 November 2026
Honduras tightens laws against gangs and "terrorists"
Honduras began to enforce on 4 November new, stricter laws to fight the various types of gangsters now being termed terrorists. The Special Law to Strengthen the Penal and Procedural Framework in the Fight Against Terrorist Groupings, Maras and Gangs (Ley especial para el fortalecimiento del marco penal and procesal en el combate a asocaciones terroristas, maras y pandillas), approved in parliament in late October, raised jail terms for so-called terrorist activities from 15-20 years to up to 40 years or even life in prison for gang chiefs, the country's public broadcaster reported. Lengthy sentences were also envisaged for recruitment of minors (as often happens) into gangs and attacks on public servants including policemen. The broadcaster cited other provisions including giving police more time to seek an arrest warrant once a suspect was caught, curbs on jail privileges or facilities and provisions for police search operations without a court order. The speaker of parliament, Tomás Zambrano, said on 4 November this was a "historic" day for Honduras with a reform meant to boost police powers and relevant coordination between state agencies, Televisión Nacional de Honduras reported. For the gangs, he said, "the party's over." The government intended to use the new laws immediately to launch a nationwide sweep against crime, the country's ranking policeman Gerson Velásquez said on 3 November.