On 12 March 2021, local authorities in Honduras confirmed that José Daniel Márquez Márquez, one of eight members of the Municipal Committee for the Defence of Common and Public Assets (CMDBCP, in Spanish) tested positive for COVID-19. Márquez Márquez, shared the same cell with seven of the eight imprisoned defenders. Earlier this year, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared that their detention is arbitrary and asked for their immediate release. Authorities should review the detention of all eight defenders and take all necessary measures to immediately release them.
