Court rules in favour of television station, granting it the right to broadcast in Tegucigalpa
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – The Supreme Court has ratified a ruling in favour of businessman Rafael Nodarse, owner of Canal 6 television station, based in the city of San Pedro Sula. The state, via the National Telecommunications Commission (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, CONATEL), had prevented the station from increasing its signal range to broadcast in Tegucigalpa and […]
Journalist found guilty of “defamation”
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 5 August 2004, journalist Adolfo Hernández, director of the “No se deje” television programme, broadcast on Channel 66 by the Corporación Maya TV company, in Tegucigalpa, was found guilty of “defamation”. Hernández was accused of having defamed the president of the Honduran Advertisement Agencies’ Association (Asociación de Agencias de Publicidad de Honduras, […]
Spanish citizen deported for criticising government
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – Economist Miguel de Arriba, a Spanish citizen, was expelled from Honduras on 4 July 2004 for having circulated on the Internet articles criticising President Ricardo Maduro’s government. The Interior and Justice Secretariat (Secretaría de Gobernación y Justicia) has argued that its decision to expel de Arriba was based on a Honduran law that […]
Television programme cancelled
(PROBIDAD/IFEX) – On 18 June 2004, Arnold Girón, host of “La voz del pueblo” programme, televised on Channel 45, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commissioner’s Office protesting the cancellation of his programme. According to Girón, on 9 June he received a letter from the station’s management advising him of the programme’s cancellation. […]
Newspaper editor-in-chief faces defamation complaint
(PFC/IFEX) – A defamation complaint has been launched against journalist Carlos Mauricio Flores, editor-in-chief of “El Heraldo” newspaper, which is published in the capital, Tegucigalpa. The complaint was filed by Gloria Maritza García Suárez, a lawyer who was mentioned in an October 2003 “El Heraldo” article about drug trafficking. On 29 April 2004, a Tegucigalpa […]
WPFC urges Congress to eliminate crime of “desacato” (“insult”) from legislation
(WPFC/IFEX) – The following is a 16 April 2004 WPFC letter to Congress President Porfirio Lobo Sosa: April 16, 2004 Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa President, Honduran Congress Tegucigalpa, Honduras Your Excellency: On behalf of the World Press Freedom Committee (www.wpfc.org), an umbrella organization representing 44 press freedom groups from throughout the world, I urge the […]
Organised crime groups possibly behind attack on journalist; another journalist threatened
(PFC/IFEX) – On 17 March 2004, Honduran police reported that organised crime groups may be behind a 12 March attack on journalist Edgardo Castro, of Canal 6 television station, which broadcasts in the northern city of San Pedro Sula, 250 kilometres from the capital, Tegucigalpa. Commissioner Danilo Valladares, of the Criminal Investigation Office (Dirección de […]
Police reveal identity of journalist’s alleged assassins
(PFC/IFEX) – On 10 March 2004, the Honduras police revealed the names of journalist Germán Rivas’s presumed killers. The former host of the CMV Noticias news programme, broadcast on Canal 7 television station, was assassinated on 26 November 2003 as he was heading to the station’s offices in Santa Rosa de Copán, western Honduras, near […]
Journalist Renato Álvarez given suspended jail sentence
(PFC/IFEX) – On 18 February 2004, the Supreme Court’s Third Chamber sentenced journalist Renato Álvarez to two years and eight months in prison for “slander” and “defamation”. The details of the verdict are described in an article entitled, “Laws and presiding judges condemn Honduran journalist Renato Álvarez”. Judges Félix Ávila, Thelma Cantarero and Geraldina Mejía […]
Journalist found guilty of “defamation”
(PFC/IFEX) – On 4 February 2004, a criminal court found journalist Renato Álvarez guilty of “slander” and “defamation”. Politician and former member of congress Eduardo Sarmiento pressed charges against Álvarez, after the journalist disclosed a report in June 2003 that revealed alleged links to drug trafficking in Honduras and that mentioned Sarmiento. Judges Felix Avila, […]
Court rules in favour of journalist in defamation case, another case still pending
(PFC/IFEX) – A court has ruled in favour of journalist Renato Álvarez in a defamation case. Álvarez is the host of the debate programme “Frente a Frente”, broadcast on Televicentro Corporation’s stations 3, 5 and 7. He will be going on trial again on 3 February 2004, for another defamation case. Both of the cases […]
Journalist assassinated in Santa Rosa de Copán
(PFC/IFEX) – On the night of 26 November 2003, journalist Germán Antonio Rivas was shot and killed. He was the managing director of Corporación Maya Visión-Channel 7 television station, which broadcasts from the western city of Santa Rosa de Copán, on the border with Guatemala. Rivas is the first journalist to have been killed in […]
Attorney General’s Office contests “desacato” provisions in criminal code
(PFC/IFEX) – On 23 October 2003, Attorney General Roy Edmundo Medina filed an appeal with the Supreme Court contending that Article 345 of the Criminal Code referring to the crime of “desacato” (“insult” or “disrespect”) is unconstitutional and should be repealed. According to the article, anyone who libels, slanders or in any way damages the […]
Journalist threatened with legal action after publishing article about drug trafficking
(PFC/IFEX) – Journalist Carlos Mauricio Flores, editor-in-chief of “El Heraldo” newspaper, which is published in the capital, Tegucigalpa, was threatened and verbally attacked following the publication of a 20 October 2003 article about links between Colombian guerillas and drug trafficking in Honduras. On 21 October, Ethalson Mejía, a Colombian citizen who was alleged to be […]
Camera operator assaulted
(PFC/IFEX) – A group of students and teachers from the Vicente Cáceres Central Institute, the main public high school in Honduras, apologised to Eduardo Irías, a camera operator for Canal 66 television station, for the attack he suffered during a student protest. On the afternoon of 8 October 2003, the Vicente Cáceres students held a […]
Resolution negotiated in one of three legal actions against journalist Renato Álvarez
(PFC/IFEX) – Journalist Renato Álvarez, host of the debate programme “Frente a Frente”, broadcast on Televicentro Corporation’s stations 3, 5 and 7, has negotiated a resolution to one of three complaints launched against him for disclosing a report in June 2003 that revealed alleged connections to drug-trafficking in Honduras. Resolution negotiated in one of three […]