(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 […]
(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 the Guatemalan border.
Security Minister Óscar Álvarez said José Alfonso Morán, alias “Chimba”, and José Elenin Castañeda, alias “Garañón”, allegedly killed Rivas. Rivas was the first journalist assassinated in Honduras in 25 years.
Both of the accused have a criminal record, having been charged in the past with vehicle theft, homicides and drug trafficking. A third individual whose name is unknown is also being sought. Photographs and a police sketch of the alleged killers were distributed by the police, who are seeking the public’s assistance in capturing the criminals.
Álvarez said the government’s aim is to ensure that Rivas’s murder does not go unpunished. “We are appealing to the public to help us find the assassins so that we can identify those who ordered the journalist’s death,” the minister said. The authorities fear that the killers may have fled to Guatemala.
Regarding the motive for the murder, the authorities are still investigating whether it was a crime of passion, whether it was related to the journalist’s work or whether it was related to business dealings. The minister said no theory is being discarded and all avenues are being explored to ensure that those behind the murder are identified and captured.
Rivas survived an assassination attempt in February 2003 (see IFEX alert of 3 March 2003). At the time, the journalist did not wish to assign responsibility to any particular person or group and the authorities failed to investigate the incident. The journalist was known for his reports on matters linked to environmental issues and the illegal trafficking of cattle, coffee and other products.
Presidential Vice-Minister Rocío Tábora, the journalist’s sister, told the Committee for Free Expression (Comité por la Libre Expresión, C-Libre) that extensive efforts are being devoted to pursuing leads provided by witnesses so that those responsible will be apprehended.
For additional information on the case, see:
http://probidad.org/honduras/libexp/2003/006.html
This alert has been prepared by PFC with information from C-Libre.
