Freedom of Expression

Press release R240/22

SRFOE condemns the kidnapping and murder of journalist Edwin Josué Andino Canaca and calls on the Honduran State to provide safety guarantees for the press.

 

October 27, 2022

Washington D.C. - The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the kidnapping and murder of journalist Edwin Josué Andino Canaca, on October 10, 2022 in the Central District. The Rapporteur’s Office calls on the State to investigate, prosecute and punish these events, considering journalistic practice as a possible motive for the crime. Likewise, SRFOE considers it crucial that the authorities maximize their efforts to provide the press with basic guarantees so that they can exercise their work freely and safely.

According to the information received, a group of people dressed as Military Police of Public Order went to the home of journalist Edwin Josué Andino Canaca; producer of the television channel La Tribuna (LTV), and his father, on the morning of October 10, 2022. They were gagged with adhesive tape and forced to leave their home.

The bodies of journalist Edwin Josué Andino Canaca and his father were found 15 kilometers away from each other, both with gunshot wounds. Also, according to public information, the authorities are considering the hypothesis that it was an attack planned by organized crime. According to available information, there have been five murders of media workers in Honduras so far this year, 2022.  In this context, the Rapporteur’s Office reiterates its call to the State to provide an institutional response that strongly rejects violence against the press and publicly recognizes the importance of journalism for the rule of law and democracy...,

The IACHR and its Office of the Special Rapporteur have previously stated that the murder of communicators constitutes the most serious violation of the right to freedom of expression, as it not only seriously affects the social and collective dimension of the right to freedom of expression, but also generates a notable effect of self-censorship.

In this regard, this Office has previously stated that "the existence of an adequate institutional framework is crucial for the State to be able to investigate, judge and criminally punish crimes against journalists" and that, in this sense, the State has the obligation to "assign the responsibility to investigate and judge these crimes to the authorities that are in the best conditions to solve them and that have the autonomy and independence to act".

In light of the above considerations, this Office calls on the authorities to redouble their efforts in the pursuit of justice and to carry out complete, effective, impartial and timely investigations into crimes against journalists. The Special Rapporteur’s Office urges the Honduran State to increase its efforts to prevent violence against journalists and impunity for these crimes, given the multiple cases of homicides of media workers that have occurred this year.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an office created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to encourage the hemispheric defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression, considering its fundamental role in the consolidation and development of the democratic system.

R240/22