Honduras: one year after the military coup, press freedom remains under siege

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the military coup d’état that drove now former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya from power. Since January of 2010, eight journalists have been assassinated, making Honduras the most dangerous country for journalists working in Latin America, and many radio and TV stations, serving local and national audiences, have been closed. In July of 2009, the de facto government, led by Roberto Micheletti, officially suspended civil liberties including press freedom and the freedom of assembly. In September, military troops forcibly closed the offices and seized the equipment of news organizations critical of the coup, including Radio Globo, Canal 36 and its radio subsidiary, and Radio Coco Dulce. Hours after the offices of Radio Globo were closed, station employees relocated to a private home and began live streaming its broadcasts online.

In an interview with Reuters, Radio Globo Director David Romero commented [ES]:

Nos prohíben usar la frecuencia de radio, pero no la internet. Este es un espacio no regulado…[u]na vez que la gente se dio cuenta que estábamos por internet fue como la bola de nieve comunicada por mensajes de celular. Todo el mundo comenzó a sintonizarlos en la red.

[EN]: They’ve prohibited us from using the radio waves, but not the Internet. This is an unregulated space…as soon as people realized that we were on the Internet, there was snowball effect as the news spread via text message. Everyone started tuning in online.

Since the November election of current President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, a coup supporter, rule of law has technically been restored, but official limitations on press freedom have remained in place, and violations of human rights and civil liberties have continued. This has brought massive repercussions for media outlets throughout the country, as journalists continue to face threats of kidnapping, torture, and assassination, crimes that have not been thoroughly investigated by police authorities. Although the Internet has provided a vital alternative for news organizations to continue operating, ONI experts fear that it may become subject to political filtering in the near future.