The Honduran Attorney General's Office issued a habeas corpus petition on Monday after confirming that the whereabouts of the National Electoral Council (CNE) advisors, Ana Paola Hall García and Cossette Alejandra López-Osorio, were unknown.
The appeal was filed with the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, with the objective of immediately verifying the personal situation, location and conditions in which both officials find themselves, guaranteeing their fundamental rights to freedom, integrity and life.
The measure comes in a context of high post-election conflict, marked by allegations of fraud, foreign pressure and militarization of the democratic process.
Kidnapping allegations and international pressure
Electoral councilor Marlon Ochoa publicly denounced that the councilors were being “held hostage” in the United States embassy in Tegucigalpa, an accusation that puts the focus on the possible direct interference of Washington in the Honduran electoral process.
Ochoa warned that the absence of the officials coincides with decisive moments of the special scrutiny and the validation of records, compromising the legality and transparency of the process.
Institutional crisis and allegations of fraud
The Public Prosecutor's Office acknowledged that the uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of the council members transcends the individual sphere and threatens institutional stability, social peace, and public trust in democracy.
The situation occurs in the middle of allegations of manipulation of the results transmission system, altered tally sheets, and military threats against verification boardsMeanwhile, political sectors accuse the Donald Trump administration of trying to impose an "electoral coup" in Honduras.
New elections must be held.