WHEREAS the country is going through a critical stage for press freedom, manifested in attacks against journalists and media outlets
WHEREAS the country is going through a critical stage for press freedom, manifested in attacks against journalists and media outlets
WHEREAS the combination of criminalizing laws, stigmatization campaigns, unsanctioned violent attacks, and increasing control of digital discourse creates a hostile environment
WHEREAS the criminalization of expression through Penal Code provisions that facilitate persecution and self-censorship, the state regulation of digital content through the Secretariat of Strategic Planning to “monitor fake news,” and other proposed state regulations, are some of the main legal and institutional challenges facing the press
WHEREAS institutional stigmatization and campaigns to discredit journalists and media continue through actions by General Roosevelt Hernández of the Armed Forces, as well as official publications and public campaigns containing messages of hate
WHEREAS violence, threats, and the widespread impunity of recent murders and attacks against journalists, religious leaders, and human rights defenders generate a climate of fear and intimidation
WHEREAS, in the context of the November 2025 elections, it is essential that the State act with urgency
WHEREAS the Declaration of Chapultepec, in its first principle, states: “No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people,” and its fourth article affirms that murder, intimidation, and “violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly.”
THE 81st GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
To urge the Honduran State to eliminate the criminalization of expression, restore protection for digital journalism, and cancel state surveillance initiatives
To guarantee institutional transparency and State neutrality
To investigate and diligently sanction all aggressions, and strengthen protection mechanisms for journalists and defenders
To comply with international commitments and the recommendations of the UN and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights regarding the state of press freedom in the country.
