Liberal Party Activist Murdered Ahead of Honduras Elections

A member of the Liberal Party of Honduras was murdered as she was returning home from a political rally, as the country prepares for presidential and legislative election on Sunday.

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Activist Ilsia Raquel Portillo Guevara, 33 years old, had been part of the closing event of the political campaign for the party in Tegucigalpa.

According to local media information, the woman, a mother of three young kids, is an activist for one of the deputies in La Ceiba, in northern Honduras.

Portillo was intercepted by strangers who shot her and fled, and so far the causes of the murder are unknown, but authorities said they're carrying out the investigations of the case.

According to preliminary reports, the activist who supported one of the candidates in the area was part of the closing caravan.

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The crime is part of a series of attacks against political leaders in the country ahead of presidential elections, as right-wing President Juan Orlando Hernandez runs for reelection.

More than six million Hondurans will be able to vote in the elections in Honduras, in which 10 political parties will participate for the first time.

For the elections, security forces have been deployed throughout the country, and a ban on the use of firearms has been issued.

On Nov. 7, National Party activist Mario Reinieri Gonzales was murdered by unknown persons in his house, in front of his two sons. A note was left saying "this is an example for those who support JOH (Juan Orlando Hernandez)."