Abstract
In Honduras, journalists are threatened, attacked and even killed for their reporting. In the run-up to the November general election,
With one of the highest murder rates in the world, Honduras is also one of the most dangerous countries to be a journalist. In the last decade, at least 32 media workers have lost their lives and many more have faced violent attacks and intimidation, regardless of whether they work for mainstream newspapers and broadcasting companies owned by the country’s elite or for alternative media and community radio stations. In the run-up to the 24 November 2013 national elections, this repression has escalated. By repeatedly failing to punish those who use violence against journalists and activists, the Honduran government has effectively given criminals a licence to kill.
It’s vital that, as Honduras prepares to go to the polls, international human rights and election observers highlight and document these crimes, offering support to those who are risking their lives to document appalling human rights abuses in the country.
One of the most shocking cases is that of television journalist Anibal Barrow, who was abducted on 24 June 2013. His dismembered body was discovered days later, sending the country’s journalists into a state of panic. On the day of his abduction, Barrow had invited members of the Partido de Libertad y Refundacion (the Party of Freedom and Renewal, or LIBRE) to speak on his popular news programme. Set up in response to the 2009 coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya, the left-wing coalition is predictably unpopular with Porfirio Lobo Sosa’s government. The murder was thought to be linked to drug cartels in the region.
Barrow’s murder has served as a warning, not only for journalists but also for people working to bring about change via the ballot box – including those calling for the introduction of a constituent national assembly to tackle systematic looting and corruption and to help reinstate some semblance of rule of law.
Bullets have become the sole response to any attempt to exercise the right to freedom of expression
Those reporting on human rights violations, drug trafficking, organised crime, US intervention in Honduran politics and corruption are clearly vulnerable. Land issues are also highly contentious topics. Whether it’s the destruction of the environment for profit, particularly by mining and hydro-electric companies, land ownership or land-grabbing, these live issues galvanise communities and journalists alike, who use both traditional media and social networks to spread information. Other human rights advocates, including those working to protect and promote the rights of women, indigenous and black people and lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender communities, have also been repressed and silenced.
ABOVE: The son of slain journalist Anibal Barrow pays tribute to his father at his funeral in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 10 July 2013
Credit: Reuters
A new reign of terror is undeniably under way. Paramilitaries and hired killers have emerged on the scene, making it easy for the state to avoid responsibility for the increased violence. Convictions are rare. According to the National Committee on Human Rights, 97 per cent of crimes committed against journalists, human rights workers and activists since the military coup have gone unpunished. In a democracy, criminal investigations would be the appropriate means to bring these culprits to justice, but in what is an essentially failed state with a collapsed infrastructure, anyone who is determined to speak out risks their life.
Since 2009, the country’s human rights record has deteriorated. There are claims that organised crime, drug trafficking and corruption within the police force are on the increase. Serious social and economic problems persist; poverty has increased, with around 300,000 people falling below the poverty line since the coup. While President Porfirio Lobo Sosa has been in power, at least 29 journalists have lost their lives. In contrast, three journalists were killed during the period of democracy (2003–8). Before the coup, journalists often received threatening “farewell” telephone calls at their workplaces. This practice is now relegated to the past – bullets have become the sole response to any attempt to exercise the right to freedom of expression.
Honduras’s murdered journalists, 2003–2013 ………………………… Anibal Barrow, Globo TV, Cortes – 24 June 2013 Celin Orlando Acosta Zelaya, freelance, Olancho – 31 January 2013 Angel Edgardo Lopez Fiallos, journalism student, Francisco Morazan – 8 November 2012 Julio Cesar Cassaleno, Direction Nacional de Transito (Transport) – 28 August 2012 Jose Noel Canales Lagos, Hondudiario and SEPROC, Tegucigalpa – 10 August 2012 Adonis Felipe Bueso Gutierrez, Radio Naranja, Cortes – 8 July 2012 Erick Martinez, Asociacion Kukulcan, Francisco Morazan – 7 May 2012 Noel Alexander Valladares, Maya TV, Francisco Morazan – 23 April 2012 Fausto Elio Valle, Radio Alegre, Colon – 11 March 2012 Fabiola Almendares Borjas, journalism student, Cortes – 1 March 2012 Luz Marina Paz, Honduran News Channel, Francisco Morazan – 6 December 2011 Medardo Flores, Radio Uno, Cortes – 9 September 2011 Nery Jeremias Orellana, Radio Joconguera, Lempira – 14 July 2011 Adan Benitez, 45TV and Teleceiba Canal 7, Atlantida – 5 July 2011 Luis Mendoza, Macrosistema Company and Canal 24, Danli – 19 May 2011 Hector Francisco Medina Polanco, Omega Visión, Yoro – 10 May 2011 Henry Orlando Suazo, HRN, Atlantida – 28 December 2010 Israel Diaz Zelaya, Radio Internacional, Cortes – 24 August 2010 Luis Arturo Mondragon, Canal 19, El Paraiso –14 June 2010 Luis Chevez Hernandez, Radio W105, San Pedro Sula – 09 April 2010 Victor Manuel Juarez Vasquez, Canal 4 de Juticalpa, Olancho – 26 March 2010 Bayardo Mairena, Canal 4 de Juticalpa, Olancho – 26 March 2010 Nahum Palacios, Canal 5 de Aguan, Colon – 14 March 2010 David Meza, El Patio and Radio America, Atlantida – 11 March 2010 Joseph Hernandez, Canal 51, Francisco Morazan – 1 March 2010 Nicolas Asfura, Construction Company, Francisco Morazan – 17 February 2010 Gabriel Fino Noriega, Radio America, Atlantida – 3 July 2009 Osman Rodrigo Lopez, Canal 45, Francisco Morazan – 19 April 2009 Rafael Munguia, Radio Cadena Voces, Cortes – 1 April 2009 Bernardo Rivera Paz, Freelancer, Copan – 14 March 2009 Fernando Gonzalez, Radio Mega FM 92.7, Santa Barbara – 1 January 2008 Carlos Salgado, Radio Cadena Voces, Morazan – 18 October 2007 German Rivas, Corporacion Maya Vision Canal 7, Copan – 26 November 2003 To date, no one has been prosecuted for the above crimes Source: Honduras Human Rights Commissioner
As far as international observers are concerned, the gravity of the situation is unprecedented, leading human rights delegations to visit Honduras to assess the situation. Among them was United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression Frank La Rue, who visited the country in August 2012. Speaking about his visit, La Rue said that when journalists face violence, harassment, threats and violent attacks in any country, the government should immediately launch a full investigation into these crimes and punish those responsible. In Honduras, La Rue said, the “absence of justice constitutes an impunity in and of itself, and impunity is one of the principal causes of the continuing and renewed violence”.
He called on the government to establish a council – made up of members of the press and civil society, as well as representatives from the defence and the interior ministries – to protect human rights and freedom of expression. The body should have direct access to the most senior governmental authorities, including the president and the security services, and should be in a position to manage its own budget so that it has the power to put effective methods of protection in place.
Yet Porfirio Lobo Sosa’s government has still not moved from words to deeds. It has not undertaken the necessary actions to promote freedom of expression across the country, not only for journalists but for the entire population. And because of this, attacks on the press have escalated from simple threats to the most horrific crimes.
Most people are not prepared to risk their lives. So when sharing information, they are likely to do so anonymously. This places enormous pressure on journalists, who are left to claim responsibility for reporting on human rights violations. In such a climate of fear, many have already discontinued their television and radio programmes; others have gone into exile; the rest practise self-censorship.
Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. It is time for the international community to take an instrumental role in resolving the situation in Honduras, acknowledging that its problems no longer simply constitute an internal issue but have implications and reverberations globally.
In the meantime, how many more will be gunned down and serve as symbols of ignominy and impunity? It is still not too late for us to act.
Translated by Amanda Hopkinson