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