The five journalists killed were radio reporters José Bayardo Mairena, Manuel Juárez, and David Mesa and recognized television reporters Joseph Hernandez and Nahúm Palacios. All five had been targets of intimidation and harassment. Palacios had received threats for months prior to his death, prompting the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to order the state to provide him with police protection, a demand the Honduran authorities failed to comply with. While the links between the attacks on journalists and their work remain unclear, political motives are suspected in several of the killings.
“Democracy is undermined when journalists face constant threats,” said Jennifer Windsor, executive director at Freedom House. “The widespread criminal violence and impunity that characterizes Honduran society leaves members of civil society and the press vulnerable, especially those who investigate sensitive topics like drug trafficking and political corruption.”
While the number of journalists killed in March is unprecedented, Freedom House has observed high levels of political intolerance, polarization, and violence ever since the coup that deposed President Manuel Zelaya in June 2009. Violence and intimidation have afflicted independent voices aligned with a range of political forces, but outspoken opponents of the coup have been particularly targeted.
“These acute tensions have resulted in an overall increase in harassment and threats against both media workers and human rights defenders,” said Viviana Giacaman, Senior Program Manager for Latin America at Freedom House. “As long as the killings remain unresolved, the risk of self-censorship and further abuses will remain high."
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