Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina told Brian A. Nichols, Under Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, that he is "surprised" that the U.S. government opposes legal reforms to combat public and private corruption in the Central American country.
"Mr. Nichols, it's surprising that the U.S. opposes all the legal reforms to combat public-private corruption sovereignly presented by President Xiomara Castro, such as the Energy and Tax Justice laws, and the elimination of ZEDEs [Employment and Economic Development Zones]," he wrote on Twitter this Tuesday. "We don't accept gimmicks," he concluded.
The diplomat's remarks came in response to a tweet from the U.S. official, in which Nichols noted that Washington is "monitoring the reactions to the protest in Choluteca, Honduras" that oppose the proposed Tax Justice Act. "The right to peaceful march and the right to express one's views are fundamental to democracy and must be promoted and protected," Nichols stated.
His comments refer to President Castro's convening of the National Security Council, arguing that the demonstrations "endangered the order, peace, and internal security of the State with the provocations that occurred in the streets of the city of Choluteca," adding that such acts "seek to impede the legislative procedural function of the National Congress of the Republic."
"Private companies and political organizations instructed and funded their employees and supporters to mobilize in the streets against the Tax Justice Law project, to prevent it from being discussed and passed," the president emphasized.
The aforementioned protests were carried out on May 9 by employees of the Choluteca shrimp, okra and melon industries. A sector of the Honduran private company opposes such a bill, which according to the Government seeks to ensure that there is justice in the payment of taxes in the country.
