Reply #34: In Honduras, a wave of deadly violence against media

[Judi Lynn]

In Honduras, a wave of deadly violence against media

http://cpj.org.nyud.net:8090/Honduras1.3.30.10.jpg

A police officer conducts surveillance during a
crime-fighting operation in Tegucigalpa. (AP/Eduardo Verdugo)

New York, March 29, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Honduran authorities to fully investigate last week’s murders of two journalists, part of a month-long wave of lethal violence that has resulted in the slayings of five reporters over all and led to widespread self-censorship in the local media.

http://cpj.org.nyud.net:8090/Honduras.Mairena_By_Francisco%20Sevilla.jpg

José Bayardo Mairena
(Photo: Francisco Sevilla)

José Bayardo Mairena and Manuel Juárez, journalists for radio stations Excélsior and Super 10, were attacked Friday while driving from Catacamas and Juticalpa, in the province of Olancho, 75 miles (125 kilometers) north of Tegucigalpa. Around noon, unidentified gunmen in a vehicle pulled alongside the journalists’ car and fired at least 26 times, local press reports said. Mairena died at the scene, while Juárez was pronounced dead in a hospital in Juticalpa, according to local news outlets.

“We call on Honduran authorities to put an end to this unprecedented wave of violence against the press,” said Carlos Lauría, CPJ’s senior program coordinator for the Americas. “These attacks are seriously restricting freedom of expression and undermine citizens’ right to be informed on issues of public interest.”

Mairena, 52, a veteran journalist, handled general assignments that included coverage of organized crime and a land dispute in the Aguán region, Omar Said Mejia, owner of Super 10, told CPJ. Juárez, 54, was a news presenter. Local authorities have not disclosed possible motives or identified any suspects, Honduran press reports said.

http://cpj.org/2010/03/honduras-deadly-violence-against-news-media.php