Honduras arrests ex-mayor Adán Fúnez accused of ordering environmentalist Juan López’s 2024 killing

Honduran authorities arrested a powerful former official accused of masterminding the 2024 assassination of an environmental leader Juan López.

Adán Fúnez, former mayor of the city of Tocoa, was captured at his home on Tuesday, following years of accusations by religious and environmental leaders.

The death that became a symbol of government corruption and the ongoing perils faced by environmental defenders in the region.

López was an anti-corruption crusader who lead a fierce community effort against an iron oxide mining project a rural region of northwestern Honduras activists say has destroyed local rivers and jungles.

Environmentalists in the region have been picked off for years.