The IFEX-ALC network condemns the arbitrary detention of journalists Miriam Grizel and Cesario Padilla in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and calls on the national authorities to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of expression and the work of journalists and civil society organisations. Grizel and Padilla are journalists for the Comité por la Libre Expresión, (Committee for Free Expression, C-Libre), an IFEX-ALC member organisation.
In their work for C-Libre, Grizel and Padilla are part of a team responsible for issuing alerts about aggressions against journalists and providing accompaniment to those journalists. They were detained on 2 November, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
Grizel was detained when she asked police who had installed a checkpoint not to occupy the whole street, completely blocking movement. She was detained after making the comment and after identifying herself as a journalist. Her colleague, Cesario Padilla, who filmed her detention, was also taken into custody.
Padilla and Elvir were taken to four different police stations, making it difficult for their families and others to determine their whereabouts. They were detained for more than eight hours and were only released after signing a document conceding that they had committed an offense and agreeing not to publicise information about what had taken place.
Organisations such as C-Libre have been denouncing human rights infringements perpetrated by the Honduran authorities, including violations of freedom of expression and information rights. They have also been speaking out against the increasingly repressive environment in the country, which has worsened since the onset of the pandemic. This has been reflected, for example, in a pattern of journalist detentions at checkpoints established to control movements.
The 24 member organisations of IFEX-ALC express their solidarity and support for C-Libre and its team members, and call on the national authorities to:
- Investigate and punish those responsible for the human rights violations committed against Miriam Grizel and Cesario Padilla.
- Guarantee the security of journalists in Honduras.
- Abstain from using state apparatuses and armed security forces to attack and censor critical voices.
- Comply with international commitments contained in human rights instruments ratified by Honduras. These instruments guarantee the full exercise of professional and independent journalism in order to provide trustworthy information on issues of public interest, protecting the right of citizens to be informed and ensuring respect for and promotion of the free flow of information.
About IFEX-ALC:
IFEX-ALC, which forms part of the global IFEX network, is comprised of 24 organisations in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries dedicated to defending freedom of expression and press freedom.
