00:00Throughout September, the Honduran Public Prosecutor's Office has been visiting the headquarters of the country's main opposition parties,
00:08demanding documents in what many regard as an act of intimidation.
00:12Gerardo Torres-Alaya reports from Tegucigalpa with the details.
00:19Citing alleged electoral offenses related to the internal and primary elections of April 2025 and the general election of November
00:27that same year,
00:28the Public Prosecutor's Office of Honduras has seized documents from the Liberal Party and the Liberty and Refundation Libre Party.
00:36While no arrest warrants have been issued so far, the investigative action has received extensive media coverage.
00:44The Public Prosecutor's Office, through its Electoral Crime Unit, conducted investigative proceedings regarding complaints filed during the recent internal elections
00:53concerning alleged irregularities at polling stations.
00:56These proceedings are part of the preparatory stage of an investigation, and, as a responsible authority,
01:03we clarify that there are currently no formal charges, requests for arrest warrants, or preventive detentions against any Honduran citizen.
01:13Although the Liberal Party supported the ruling National Party in a self-proclaimed co-government
01:18during the early months of this administration, it appears that this was not enough to save them from harassment by
01:26investigative and judicial bodies.
01:28We can interpret this as a political attack against Engineer Salvador Nasralla,
01:32first, to tarnish his image, and second, to disqualify him from the political race,
01:37given that he has already indicated he will be a candidate in the upcoming elections.
01:42We ask ourselves why investigations are not being conducted into the National Party regarding the source of its funds.
01:49Article 544 of the Honduran Penal Code defines electoral crimes,
01:54penalizing coercion, the manipulation of results, and the undermining of the electoral process.
02:00Despite allegations of fraud against the National Party regarding the November 2025 elections,
02:06as well as other accusations against that same party,
02:10this marks the first criminal investigation to this magnitude concerning an election.
02:15However, the investigation targets only opposition parties, not the National Party.
02:21The justice system has fallen far short in this country.
02:25Justice here is selective and biased.
02:28What we are witnessing is political persecution attempts to eliminate a party
02:32that truly stands in the way of the two-party system that has held power for 132 years.
02:38The public prosecutor, S. Office, relies, or claims to rely, on Article 544 of the Penal Code,
02:45alleging irregularities at the polling stations.
02:48However, we wish to make it clear to the Honduran people
02:51that the Libre Party welcomes any investigations,
02:54because we know that those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.
02:59The current president of the republic was declared the winner
03:02before all the votes had been counted,
03:04amidst numerous allegations of electoral fraud.
03:08Regrettably, the investigative powers of judicial bodies
03:10have been used to intimidate the opposition
03:13rather than to seek answers regarding what occurred during the recent elections.
03:17From Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for Telesurian English, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
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