…All too often, the disputes over contested territory…have been accompanied by intimidation, threats, and acts of violence—including beatings and killings—involving peasants and private security guards employed by landholding firms. At times, government security forces sent to restore order have committed human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and forced evictions…Noticeably absent from…official explanations for the violence is the possible involvement of private security firms, which are widely employed by private landholding firms in…rural areas…[Recommendations include to] Ensure that all private security firms are registered…and that lists of personnel employed and firearms possessed by private security firms are up-to-date…Impose penalties, such as fines, on firms that fail to comply with these requirements…Ensure that private security firm personnel and firearms lists are fully and easily accessible to prosecutorial authorities investigating crimes…[and that] Landowners and corporations should only employ private security firms that are registered with the Honduran government…