Honduras: PEN International, alongside free expression organisations condemn serious attacks on the press
10 June 2025: PEN International, alongside PEN Honduras, ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America, ASOPODEHU, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), expresses deep concern over recent attacks against journalists and media outlets in Honduras, amid increasing harassment, threats, criminalisation, and stigmatisation by state actors.
On 18 May 2025, journalist Frank Mejía was harassed at his home in Comayagüela, where agents of the National Police allegedly entered illegally, claiming they were searching for a missing person. During the incident, Mejía was reportedly handcuffed, beaten, threatened with death, and stripped of his personal belongings. The journalist expressed fear for his own safety, as well as for his family and colleagues.
The harassment against Mejía is part of a wider pattern of judicial criminalisation targeting media outlets and journalists. At least 12 media outlets — including El Heraldo, La Prensa, La Tribuna, Radio América, Abriendo Brecha, CHTV, HCH, Criterio HN, Noticias 24/7, Q’Hubo TV, Hondudiario, and RCV — are currently facing legal complaints filed with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. These proceedings are reportedly being driven by state authorities, including senior military officials, as retaliation for coverage of issues of public interest.
On May 26, the official publication of the Armed Forces, FF.AA. Digital, released an article titled “Hitmen of the Truth,” unjustifiably accusing three journalists —Rodrigo Wong Arévalo, Dagoberto Rodríguez, and Juan Carlos Sierra— of being enemies of the state. The publication included their photos, aiming to stigmatise, intimidate, and criminalise their journalistic work.
This attack followed a report published by Abriendo Brecha, led by Wong, exposing the misappropriation of funds by the Armed Forces, as well as Rodríguez’s show of solidarity during the reception of the Álvaro Contreras Award from the Honduran Journalists' Association. It came after a joint statement by the Secretariat of National Defence and the Armed Forces condemning Wong. The attack also followed Dagoberto Rodríguez’s denunciation of irregularities in the delivery of electoral materials – an Armed Forces responsibility - during the award ceremony.
On June 1, 50-year-old Salvadoran journalist Javier Antonio Hércules Salinas was shot and killed in Santa Rosa de Copán, western Honduras, while driving a taxi home. According to public reports, two men on a motorcycle shot him inside the vehicle. Hércules had been under state protection through the Protection Mechanism since 2023, following threats and a kidnapping in November of that year. He worked for the channel ATN a Todo Noticias.
A day after Hércules' case became public, reporter Gustavo Bustillos and his cameraman from Televicentro were victims of pursuit and intimidation. On Monday, June 2 , after a live broadcast at around 6 a.m., while in a vehicle, an unknown man on a motorcycle repeatedly made his presence known. He followed them along San Isidro Avenue from Central Plaza to La Ceiba’s City Hall, where they sought refuge in the National Police facilities. On June 3, one of them was informed that two armed men had visited their office asking about both of them.
In the department of Colón, journalism remains at risk. Land and territorial conflicts, exacerbated by the presence of organised crime, increase the likelihood of violence against journalists covering these issues. This includes the case of Héctor Madrid from TN5 in Tocoa, who was attacked nearly a year ago when his vehicle was damaged, and now faces stigmatising accusations and threats to his physical safety.
The signatory organisations have submitted a report to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review Working Group, warning of the ongoing crisis of freedom of expression in Honduras. The analysis covers laws restricting freedom of expression and the press; killings and assaults against journalists, as well as community and indigenous media; threats to academic freedom; limited equal participation of women journalists and authors in media and publishing; and violence against women journalists and historically marginalised communities.
The report underscores that Honduras faces one of the most complex and unstable human rights situations in Latin America, demanding urgent attention from the international community. Conditions for exercising freedom of expression and press freedom have deteriorated amid ongoing political polarisation. Impunity remains widespread, and with the extension of the state of emergency, the outlook for the general elections on 30 November is deeply concerning.
The organisations call on the State of Honduras to:
Immediately and thoroughly investigate the attack against Frank Mejía and the murder of Javier Hércules, ensuring justice and full reparation for their families and the journalism community.
Guarantee effective and immediate protective measures for all journalists facing threats, especially Rodrigo Wong Arévalo, Dagoberto Rodríguez, and Juan Carlos Sierra.
End the use of criminal legislations to intimidate or censor media and journalists, dismiss ongoing legal complaints, and ensure editorial independence.
Halt stigmatisation and smear campaigns against independent media promoted by state institutions, including the Armed Forces.
Ensure conditions for the free and safe practice of journalism during the pre-election period and beyond, fostering an environment that respects pluralism and public criticism, and improve the functioning of the Protection Mechanism to address violence against journalists as well as uphold the public’s right to access information.
Note to Editors:
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