"It was unclear whether the killing of the 36-year-old was related to his work as a journalist." - AP report Honduras: Killing of TV journalist spawns protest
Unclear "whether his death was related to his work as a journalist"?
This sentence by AP not being quoted from any police authority or not revealing its source at all, just evidences how big media outlets like Associated Press and many others intend to hide what is happening in Honduras, and never hesitate in reporting falsities and hiding crucial details when convenient. Furthermore, this makes it clear that these media outlets work for US interests as well as the Honduran economic elite, because for them it is elementary that Lobo acquires recognition worldwide, no matter how many murders take place under his pariah regime, on the contrary, it is necessary to hide them, since the international community has conditioned the recognition of Lobo unless his government starts by respecting human rights, which is the first step towards national reconciliation, something he has not taken any single step for, on the contrary, he employed the Coup General to be the manager of the state telecommunication company, Hondutel.
As to the Associated Press article deliberately ignoring many things surrounding the murder for the reasons mentioned above, Reporters Without Borders, COFADEH, and even the Inter American Commission on Human Rights contradict this statement, because Mr. Palacios had protective measures from the human rights organization since JULY last year, after the coup, because he was reporting the resistance protests and started getting death threats, and the military even raided his home, threatened and intimidated his family, and seized his equipment. Why is Associated Press deliberately hiding this fact? Mr Palacios was even protected by an international journalist association called C-Libre due to the harassment he received.
Mr. Palacios blamed on Friday, on his radio program, Miguel Facussé Barjum of anything that may happen to him, since he had been receiving threats for covering the situation in Bajo Aguan.
This is the Reporters Without Borders article on Nahum Palacios assassination and the details that Associated Press would rather ignore:
Murdered third journalist in less than a fortnight
Published on March 16, 2010
The latest victim was Nahum Palacios, a 34-year-old news director of Aguán Televisora, Channel 5. The journalist was killed March 14 during an ambush in Tocoa, located 400 km north of the capital. The vehicle had more than 40 bullet shots, the body of the journalist, some thirty. The two companions of Nahum Palacios, including a cameraman, were wounded.
A priori, this crime is the trace of organized crime, the Atlantic region is a hotbed of drug trafficking, although there may be other motives. After the coup of 28 June 2009, Nahum Palacios had suffered abuses and harassment by the military, who had even confiscated his equipment, according to the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre). This organization also said that the journalist and one of his colleagues had received telephone threats warning them to stop "defending the poor."
Just a week ago, a journalist from the same region, David Meza Montesinos, was killed in a similar fashion, ten days after the killing of another colleague, Joseph Ochoa, in Tegucigalpa. Honduras is, after Mexico, the continent's most dangerous country for journalists.
http://www.rsf.org/NAsesinan-a-un-periodista-de-la.html
IACHR knew of threats to Tocoa journalist killed last night in Colon
The journalist Nahum Palacios was killed at ten on Sunday night near his home in Colonia Los Pinos Tocoa, were his girfriend was seriously woundedand another companion who is hospitalized.
Palacios, 33 years-old, was director of Channel 5 Television Station Aguán, was shot dead by strangers carrying AK-47s causing his death instantly.
In the context of the coup Palacios was the victim of attacks against freedom of expression in Honduras by the military in Tocoa Colon, who went the extreme of confiscating his equipment. According to what he told the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre) he said "I am outraged, they grabbed my kids with rifles, raided my house, seized my car, they caught me, the second officer in charge of the Armed Forces, Navy Captain Tercero , threatened me, I began to see the sun and when he realized that I was with the Human Rights Commissioner he started treating me different, "said Palacios.
"In Honduras constitutional guarantees of citizens are lost, one is worthless, you cannot say anything, they returned my equipment but with conditions."
Following allegations of assaults, intimidation and threats by the military at the Naval Base of Puerto Castilla in Trujillo, Colon, journalist Palacios and members of social organizations that were being persecuted for their demonstrations against the coup d'etat met during their visit to Honduras with the Inter American Human Rights Commission who came up to Tocoa to hear the voices of the affected .
On 24 July 2009, the IACHR granted precautionary measures to the journalist and several leaders in Colon, but no mechanism was ever implemented to provide security and protection for his life.
In communication with the attorney Fernando Grifin, advisor to the Minister of Security, an integral part of the Secretariat at the Interinstitutional Commission on Human Rights High Level, responsible for implementing the precautionary measures requested by international agencies and monitor the cases before the International Court and the IACHR, said they didn't know if they had requested protective measures for the journalist Nahum Palacios.
"I'd have to search the record to say, every day we go up to two requests, it is difficult to remember all the names" Grifin said.
Palacios recently was giving coverage to the agrarian conflict that exists in the Aguán between Unified Peasant Movement (MUCA), and business landowners Miguel Facussé, Rene Morales and Rafael Canales, persecution faced by farmers for land claims.
He interviewed farmers on the land taken and he said: "Here these people do not look like terrorists, they are humble(very poor) people" in reference to the publication of La Prensa newspaper on March 4 that links MUCA to guerrilla groups and drug gangs.
In the course of his work last week Palacio published scenes unprecedented in the Channel 5 Television Station Aguán dismantling a drug operation center in the community The Tascoza in Trujillo.
He was the only journalist who witnessed and filmed in the early morning police action which captured 18 people and the seizure of weapons and drugs in the place.
Palacios, 33 years-old, was director of Channel 5 Television Station Aguán, was shot dead by strangers carrying AK-47s causing his death instantly.
In the context of the coup Palacios was the victim of attacks against freedom of expression in Honduras by the military in Tocoa Colon, who went the extreme of confiscating his equipment. According to what he told the Committee for Free Expression (C-Libre) he said "I am outraged, they grabbed my kids with rifles, raided my house, seized my car, they caught me, the second officer in charge of the Armed Forces, Navy Captain Tercero , threatened me, I began to see the sun and when he realized that I was with the Human Rights Commissioner he started treating me different, "said Palacios.
"In Honduras constitutional guarantees of citizens are lost, one is worthless, you cannot say anything, they returned my equipment but with conditions."
Following allegations of assaults, intimidation and threats by the military at the Naval Base of Puerto Castilla in Trujillo, Colon, journalist Palacios and members of social organizations that were being persecuted for their demonstrations against the coup d'etat met during their visit to Honduras with the Inter American Human Rights Commission who came up to Tocoa to hear the voices of the affected .
On 24 July 2009, the IACHR granted precautionary measures to the journalist and several leaders in Colon, but no mechanism was ever implemented to provide security and protection for his life.
In communication with the attorney Fernando Grifin, advisor to the Minister of Security, an integral part of the Secretariat at the Interinstitutional Commission on Human Rights High Level, responsible for implementing the precautionary measures requested by international agencies and monitor the cases before the International Court and the IACHR, said they didn't know if they had requested protective measures for the journalist Nahum Palacios.
"I'd have to search the record to say, every day we go up to two requests, it is difficult to remember all the names" Grifin said.
Palacios recently was giving coverage to the agrarian conflict that exists in the Aguán between Unified Peasant Movement (MUCA), and business landowners Miguel Facussé, Rene Morales and Rafael Canales, persecution faced by farmers for land claims.
He interviewed farmers on the land taken and he said: "Here these people do not look like terrorists, they are humble(very poor) people" in reference to the publication of La Prensa newspaper on March 4 that links MUCA to guerrilla groups and drug gangs.
In the course of his work last week Palacio published scenes unprecedented in the Channel 5 Television Station Aguán dismantling a drug operation center in the community The Tascoza in Trujillo.
He was the only journalist who witnessed and filmed in the early morning police action which captured 18 people and the seizure of weapons and drugs in the place.
Source: movimientomuca.blogspot.com
With murders regime defies international human rights system
The remains of the mudered journalist are being laid to rest in community Rigores, Trujillo, Colon
Palacios was killed at 11 pm on Sunday, March 14, the criminals shot him 28 times with AK-47s, before reaching his home in the neighborhood of Tocoa Los Pinos, in the department of Colon, when driving in a vehicle.Palacios along with another person was seriously injured. He was director of television Aguán, Channel 5.
Oliva also said that with this situation COFADEH will activate again urgently an international warning system, since there are more communities threatened by their practice of journalism, to the detriment of freedom of expression and information referred to in international treaties and conventions and the Constitution of Honduras .
Nahum Palacios, is one of the journalists, who on July 24 last year was heavily harassed by the repressive bodies for disseminating information on popular protests against the coup, the product of which the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, IACHR, had granted precautionary measures.
In recent days Palacios was transmitting much information about the conflict in Lower Aguán, where about three thousand families are being subjected to harassment by powerful landowners, including Miguel Facussé Barjum, who wants to own them and he has built a strong campaign in media with related interests, to try to delegitimize the struggle for land.
Since July 2009 COFADEH requested precautionary measures on behalf of journalist
On 10 July 2009 the Committee of Relatives of Detained and Disappeared in Honduras, COFADEH, requested the IACHR precautionary measures to several journalists who were suffering repression by the regime of Roberto Micheletti, including Palacios.
On 28 June 2009, elements of the Naval Base at Puerto Castilla, three colonels in command came in person to the Television of the Aguan, Channel 5, where they threatened the journalist Nahum Palacios, and they seized his equipment.The operation was commanded by Captain Tercero, who ordered the arrest of four staff members working at Tele-Five program which airs at 6 pm and the Meridian report transmitted at 12:00 by Johny Nahin Palacios, Dariel Hernandez, Angel Nolasco and Elmer.
Subsequently, on 29 June at 6:40 am, the same command of the army under the command of Naval Base Commander, named Tercero raided his house, and sentenced him that must only relate things related to the new government(Micheletti). At the same time, they physically abused the four children of journalist Palacios, forcing them to see the sun.Journalist Palacios was arrested on charges of calling to disorder and insurrection, he remained at the police station for an hour, was released by the intervention of the judge Suyapa Baca who appointed a public defender.During the arrest, Captain Tercero verbally abused him and told him he had no constitutional rights.
That same day they raided the home of the owner of the channel Mrs. Elia Suyapa Trejo, who was verbally assaulted while hitting the furniture to intimidate her and searched the drawers.
Friends and family at the funeral of journalist Nahum Palacios
Through MC 196/09 , the IACHR requested the Honduran State to safeguard the lives and safety of Palacios for the risky situation in which he found himself, while they, at the same time, requested information on the implementation of measures required in 29 July 2009.
Although Palacio's life was at risk the whole time, the Honduran State never implemented precautionary measures. Asked by COFADEH, Fernando Griffin, delegate of the Ministry of Security to carry out this task, said it was not possible because we are still waiting for instructions from higher authorities of this dependence.
Three journalists killed in less than a month
On March 11, under similar circumstances David Meza Montecinos was killed, a reporter for Radio El Patio de La Ceiba, a correspondent for Radio America and the BNG Noticiero.
On March 02 men who were driving a motorcycle shot him more than forty times Joseph Ochoa, who was traveling with the communicator, Karol Cabrera, who was injured in the attack.
There is a very delicate situation right now in the country that can bring fatal consequences for most journalists, among these is the popular struggle for the reestablishment of Honduras, the land conflict where powerful landowners are involved, the activation of a campaign of an alleged armed struggle by the social groups that are driving radical changes in the nation, as a way to discredit the peaceful struggle.
No comments:
Post a Comment