Hundreds of soldiers and police officers launched tear gas bombs at the building and attacked the staff.
(C-Libre/IFEX) – On 15 September 2010, hundreds of soldiers and police officers attacked Radio Uno today and launched tear gas bombs and violently suppressed several dozen people who were outside the station. The incident took place in San Pedro Sula.
At the same time, thousands of people who belonged to the National Front for Popular Resistance (Frente Nacional de Resistencia Popular, FNRP) were also attacked while they were marching in the city centre to commemorate the 189th anniversary of the country’s independence.
Arnulfo Aguilar, the director of Radio Uno, said that army and police officers threw tear gas bombs at the first, second and third floors of the building, breaking all the glass windows. They also hit the staff and attacked sociologist and analyst Ernesto Bardales. They gouged one of his eyes, burned his skin and broke his knee, said Aguilar.
He described the scene as “an attack on freedom of expression and on the media.”
Aguilar also said that it had yet to be determined who would be held responsible for the incident.
A number of people who had gathered nearby to listen to local musicians were also attacked with tear gas bombs.
(Please note this is an abridged translation.)
