The International Press Institute (IPI) today wrote an open letter to Honduran President Porfirio ‘Pepe’ Lobo Sosa, calling on him to ensure that the murders of journalists in the Central American country are promptly investigated and that the perpetrators are brought to justice before a climate of impunity takes firm root in the country. IPI also called on him to publicly denounce the killings.

In the past two weeks, three journalists – Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, David Meza Montesinos and Joseph Hernández Ochoa – have been killed and a number of their colleagues have been wounded.

In 2009, five Honduran journalists were killed – Rafael Munguía Ortiz, Bernardo Rivera, Osman López, Marco Antonio Estrada Oria and Gabriel Fino Noriega.  All had been shot, some several times. These figures made Honduras the third most dangerous country in Latin America and the sixth most dangerous country in the world for journalists in 2009, according to the IPI Death Watch.

The three murders in recent weeks have made Honduras the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists so far this year. The most dangerous country so far this year for journalists is Mexico, which to date has reported four murders.

Honduras has seen a worrying upsurge in the number of killings of journalists in the last year. Eight of the 10 journalists murdered because of their job in Honduras since IPI began keeping records on journalists’ deaths in 1997, have been killed since the beginning of 2009.

H.E. Porfirio Lobo Sosa

President
Republic of Honduras

Casa Presidencial
Boulevard Juan Pablo II
Colonia Florencia Oeste
Tegucigalpa
Honduras

Vienna, 17 March 2010

Your Excellency,

The International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors and journalists campaigning for press freedom, is writing to express our grave concern over the growing number of journalists murdered in Honduras.

Eight of the 10 Honduran journalists killed because of their job since 1997 have been murdered since the start of 2009.

IPI respectfully calls upon your Excellency to publicly denounce these killings, and requests that they be fully investigated and that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

Failure to stem a worrying tide of impunity in Honduras will embolden the killers of journalists.

Whilst we appreciate that investigations may take some time, we urge you to publicly denounce these killings and to commit to bringing the killers to justice.

The toll on the media community in Honduras in the last two weeks has been grim:

On Monday, 1 March, Joseph Hernández Ochoa, 24, a journalism student at the University of Honduras, and a former entertainment presenter on the TV station Canal 51, was shot and killed whilst travelling in a car with radio presenter Carol Cabrera. Ms. Cabrera was broadcasting live on air for her show “El ángel de la controversia” on Radio Cadena Voce, via her telephone, when the attack happened in Tegucigalpa. She was injured in the attack, suffering a broken arm and ribs, and underwent emergency surgery. Their car had been fired on at least 36 times. It is believed that Ms. Cabrera was the intended target.

On Thursday, 11 March, David Meza Montesinos, a reporter at radio station El Patio for more than 30 years, was killed while driving home in La Ceiba. His car was shot at from another vehicle, causing him to lose control and crash into a house near his own home.

On Sunday, 14 March, Nahúm Palacios Arteaga, 36, the news director for television channel Canal 5 in Aguán and host of a news programme on Radio Tocoa, was shot dead in Tocoa, Colón. Another person travelling in the car with him was severely wounded, and a cameraman riding in the back was grazed by a bullet. The car was riddled with 42 bullet holes.

Ms. Cabrera, Mr. Meza and Mr. Palacios had all received death threats prior to the attacks on them, according to Honduras media reports.

Journalists, anywhere in the world, must be able to work free from the fear of attacks or death, and those who attack journalists must be brought to justice.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely yours,

Alison Bethel McKenzie
Deputy Director
International Press Institute