Impunity / Honduras

WHEREAS In August 2012, within the framework of the Conference on Security, Protection, and Solidarity for Freedom of Expression promoted by the Inter American Press Association, the government of Honduras made a number of commitments to combat impunity in crimes against journalists and to improve their protection WHEREAS Those commitments were detailed in the Action Plan of Tegucigalpa, published at http://www.sipiapa.org/v4/comunicados_de_prensa.php?seccion=detalles&id=4748&idioma=us, and none of them has yet materialized; WHREAS Aggressive acts against journalists and social communicators continue to be reported, and these actions occur in an atmosphere of total impunity which leads ostensibly to self-censorship; WHEREAS States are responsible for violations of human rights, not only by action but also by omission when they fail to execute all of the actions necessary to prevent the commission of crimes, or to prevent impunity of the violations committed; WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Freedom of expression and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, intimidation, the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly.” THE MID-YEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES To demand that the State progress the timely and effective implementation of precautionary measures for the protection of journalists and social communicators in strict compliance with its obligations under the framework of the Inter American System of Human Rights, To demand that the government urgently meet the commitments it assumed through President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, as contained in the Action Plan of Tegucigalpa, To communicate to the Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States (OAS), and of the United Nations Organization (UN), on the situation existing in Honduras in terms of impunity and the lack of political will for the implementation of mechanisms for protection of journalists and other vulnerable groups in society.