Journalist Arnulfo Aguilar believes the incident was linked to his coverage of a Wikileaks report implicating the Honduran Armed Forces in illegal arms sales.
(C-Libre/IFEX) – 28 April 2011 – On 27 April, at 11:30 p.m., journalist Arnulfo Aguilar was ambushed by a group of armed assailants. The incident occurred as the founder and director of Radio Uno was returning to his home in the Chamelecón neighbourhood, in San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortés department, where the station’s transmitters are also housed.
Aguilar was driving home after having finished his work day at 11:00 p.m. When he approached his house, he noticed about eight to ten armed men in the vicinity, some of whom were wearing balaclavas.
When the assailants realised it was Aguilar, they went after him but he managed to elude them. “I managed to get into the house’s front patio, and I thought all was fine but then the armed men surrounded the house and tried to climb over the wall. I started shouting for help. I called the police and they said they were on their way but they did not arrive until an hour later,” Aguilar told C-Libre.
Referrring to the attack as “attempted murder”, Aguilar linked it to one of the issues he had covered on his programme on the night of 27 April. He had referred to a Wikileaks report, implicating the Honduran Armed Forces in illegal arms sales.
Since the 28 June 2009 coup d’état, and because of its critical attitude, Radio Uno has been forced off the air a number of times and its members have been repeatedly harassed and threatened.
(Please note this is an abridged translation)
