Journalism in Honduras is more risky due to intolerance of officials, according to the IAPA
The IAPA also referred to the murder, on September 14, of Honduran environmentalist Juan López, who was subject to precautionary measures from the IACHR.
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The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) denounced on Friday that the work of journalists and media personnel , both traditional and digital, “is more complex and risky in the face of intolerance and hostile behavior by various government officials.”
In its report, still pending approval, the IAPA indicated that during this period a National Protection Mechanism for journalists and defenders “has failed to guarantee justice and accountability for crimes and threats to the safety of journalists , social communicators and human rights defenders.”
“Meanwhile, those in power often carry out attacks on journalists and media outlets that report on the administration of the (Honduran) president, Xiomara Castro,” he added.
The IAPA stressed that the National Protection Mechanism is not functioning and that journalists feel obliged to self-censor to protect themselves and their families, while others have chosen to flee the country.
She also noted that the Mechanism itself, created in 2015, “has been dismantled by long delays in response or lack thereof, risk assessments that do not take into account context and environment, and a lack of considerations of gender and sexual orientation.”
The organization recalled that during a visit to the country by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 2023, the National Protection Mechanism issued a report on 185 active cases, although six cases with precautionary measures granted by the IACHR absorbed 83% of its budget.
The IAPA also referred to the murder on September 14 of Honduran environmentalist Juan López, who was subject to precautionary measures from the IACHR. In this regard, it indicated that many organizations have complained to President Castro about the murder of Juan López and asked her to improve the protection mechanism.
The SIP report adds that on September 24, the closure of the news program and analysis forum ‘Interpretando la Noticia’ was announced on Radio Globo, which broadcasts from Tegucigalpa, “due to pressure and threats from the government against the owner to take it off the air, according to its hosts.”
“The program was owned by journalist David Romero Ellner, who died in 2020 after contracting Covid-19 in prison, where he was serving a 10-year sentence for slander and defamation against a former prosecutor,” the report concludes.
The SIP is made up of media owners.
