As President Xiomara Castro Sarmiento's government ends and internal and general elections approach, the tense and hostile environment against the press is becoming increasingly recurrent.
As President Xiomara Castro Sarmiento's government ends and internal and general elections approach, the tense and hostile environment against the press is becoming increasingly recurrent.
Official intolerance to criticism has escalated, manifested through threats, intimidation, stigmatization, selective physical aggression, insults, disqualifications, and arbitrary detentions. The Observatory for Democracy noted that 15 senior officials of the current government lead this policy of violence. According to C-Libre, over 199 attacks against 64 media outlets have been recorded in the last 18 months.
The current policy intimidates the media to prevent the disseminating of government decisions and corruption cases. Several civil society organizations and churches asked the government to improve protection mechanisms for journalists, justice operators, and environmental defenders, but this did not happen. Several cases remain unsolved, such as that of Juan López, who was murdered on September 15, 2024. López opposed the megaproject to extract open-pit iron oxide, which, according to his complaints and those of dozens of environmental defenders in the country, would kill the Guapinol River.
On September 24, 2024, David Romero Edler, the space's owner, announced the closure of the program "Interpreting the News" on Radio Globo. It was one of the most emblematic programs during the coup against Mel Zelaya and his government. Its hosts included journalist Lidieth Diaz, who harshly criticized President Xiomara Castro's administration.
The Inter American Press Society (IAPA) urged the National Emergency System 911 to desist from a defamation lawsuit against journalists from the newspaper El Heraldo. The lawsuit was initiated in apparent retaliation for publishing a series of reports related to investigations by El Heraldo Plus on contracts for a project to install five thousand security cameras.
The lawsuit, announced by the president of the SNE-911 Intervention Commission, Miroslava Cerpas, also includes those who approved its publication.
The IAPA also condemned a "harassment campaign" by the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces Chief, Roosevelt Hernández, against journalists and media outlets. The high command of the Honduran military pushed for judicial actions to force more than a dozen media outlets to reveal their sources.
The military chiefs' harassment has specifically targeted El Heraldo, La Prensa, La Tribuna, Corporación Televicentro, Abriendo Brecha, Radio América, Radio Cadena Voces (RCV), Hable Como Habla (HCH), Proceso Digital, CHTV, Q'Hubo Tv, Hondudiario, Criterio HN, and Noticias 24/7.
The College of Journalists of Honduras denounced the "growing judicialization, intimidation, and escalation of attacks" from the government and official sectors.
The IAPA also expressed concern about the criminal lawsuit filed on March 18 by the Ministry of Finance (Sefin) against Dagoberto Rodríguez, director of RCV, following the publication of a report on alleged irregularities in the management of public funds. RCV denounced an overdraft of 6.5 billion lempiras—more than USD 250,000—in the General Treasury of the Republic, allegedly intended to organize primary elections.
A judge of the Sentencing Court ruled to declare inadmissible the lawsuit filed by the Minister of Finance, Christian Duarte Chávez, against the former president of the College of Journalists of Honduras and director of Radio Cadena Voces, Dagoberto Rodríguez Coello. According to the Criminal Procedure Code, the decision was based on the fact that the action or omission reported does not constitute a crime.
A second lawsuit filed by the General Treasurer of the Republic, Salomón Hernández Rodríguez, against Rodríguez Coello was similarly dismissed by the Sentencing Court under the same terms. The publication generated controversy, allegedly linking senior officials to the misuse of state resources for political activities. In response, Minister Duarte filed a criminal lawsuit against the journalist, arguing that the statements published in the media affected his honor and public image.
European Union (EU) ambassadors accredited in the country expressed their support for press and expression freedoms during a meeting with the Honduran Media Association (AMC).
Esdras Amado López, journalist and owner of Cholusat Sur, Canal 36, was detained at his residence in the Tepeyac neighborhood, Tegucigalpa, MDC, following a complaint of family abuse, aggression, and injuries filed by his wife, Milagros González. With excessive use of force, more than 20 National Police officers proceeded to arrest him. López denied the accusations. The College of Journalists considered the operation disproportionate.
