PRESS RELEASE

R02/10

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR EXPRESSES CONCERN AT THE

ATTACK SUFFERED BY A COMMUNITY RADIO STATION IN HONDURAS

Washington D.C., January 11, 2010 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ (IACHR) Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression expresses concern over the attack against community radio station Faluma Bimetu (Coco Dulce), which belongs to the Garifuna community in the Triunfo de la Cruz area of Atlántida department, Honduras. The Office of the Special Rapporteur urges the Honduran authorities to investigate this incident quickly and effectively, as well as to provide the communicators with adequate protection so that they can continue to operate free from attacks, threats, or intimidation of any kind.

According to the information obtained by the Office of the Special Rapporteur, sometime after 3:30 in the morning on Tuesday, January 6, a group of unknown individuals broke into the building from which radio station Faluma Bimetu (Coco Dulce) operates and removed equipment including the transmitter and two computers. They then set fire to the facility, though the fire only damaged part of the building thanks to the intervention of the neighbors. Since the June 2009 coup, radio Faluma Bimetu (Coco Dulce) has received several threats for its opposition to the coup and to several real estate developments in the region. For this reason, the radio station had informed the IACHR that it was at risk

The Office of the Special Rapporteur calls on the State of Honduras to investigate this incident, which constitutes a direct attack on the freedom of thought and expression of the population in general and of the Garifuna community in particular. Likewise, the Office of the Special Rapporteur requests that the State of Honduras take all necessary measures to guarantee that the exercise of the right to freedom of thought and expression be free from attacks, threats, and intimidation of any kind.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur reminds that Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR states that "the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats against social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media, violates the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restricts freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation."

For additional information about the Office of the Special Rapporteur: http://www.cidh.org/relatoria/index.asp?lID=1