Freedom of Expression

Press Release R39-10

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Attacks on journalists are specifically intended to silence them, and so they also constitute violations of the right of a society to have free access to information.

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PRESS RELEASE

N° 39/10

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR CONDEMNS MURDER OF HONDURAN JOURNALISTS AND URGES THE STATE TO CLEAR UP THESE CRIMES AND ADOPT PROTECTION MECHANISMS

Washington, D.C., March 27, 2010 — The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder of journalists Bayardo Mairena and Manuel Juárez, both of R.Z. Television Channel 4 and Radio Excélsior, on March 26 in the department of Olancho, Honduras. The Office of the Special Rapporteur is deeply concerned about the grave situation of vulnerability that the press is experiencing in Honduras. Five journalists have been killed in the first three months of this year, and to date nothing is known about any measures in place to prevent these crimes or about any progress made in the investigations. Honduras has become one of the riskiest countries in the entire region in which to practice journalism.

According to the information the Office of the Special Rapporteur has received, Mairena and Juárez were traveling in a private vehicle on a highway near the city of Juticalpa when another vehicle pulled up alongside them and unknown gunmen fired several machine-gun volleys at them. Sources consulted by the Office of the Special Rapporteur indicated that Mairena had recently been reporting on land conflicts and organized crime in Honduras.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur reiterates its deep concern over the particularly serious situation faced by Honduran journalists and the fact that of the five murders so far in 2010, no information is yet available on any results of the police investigations. The Office of the Special Rapporteur also urges the State of Honduras to create effective mechanisms to protect journalists at risk; to investigate all the cases efficiently, diligently, and officially, using specialized technical bodies for the investigation; and to arrest and appropriately punish all who are responsible for these crimes.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur recalls that Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR states that "[t]he 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."