Three Honduran journalists killed in space of two weeks
July 9, 2015
According to Reporters without Borders, three journalists have been killed in Honduras in the space of two weeks.
On the third of July, Joel Aquiles Torres, the owner of TV Centro (Canal 67), a TV station in Comayagua, central Honduras, was shot dead while driving his car on a highway. His killers were riding a motorcycle, and fired 29 bullets into his car before speeding off. Aquiles Torres was also shareholder in a local cable TV company.
On the 25th of June, Jacobo Montoya Ramirez, a TV journalist in Copan, eastern Honduras, was shot on his doorstep. His killers later followed the wounded reporter into the house, where they continued to shoot. His mother reportedly witnessed the killing.
Two days earlier, Juan Carlos Cruz Andara, a reporter for Canal Teleport, in Puerto Cortes, norethern Honduras, was also killed. In February, he had reported receiving death threats to the police. He was a known activist in the local LGBT community. The organization did not say what work, if any, may have led to the deaths of the three reporters.
According to Reporters without Borders, 28 journalists have been killed in Honduras since 2000. It is the fourth most dangerous country in the world for journalists (after Mexico, Colombia and Brazil) and ranks 132 out of 180 on the organizations World Press Freedom Index.
Spanish source: Reporters sin Fronteras
