The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression said he would ask the Honduran government permission to investigate the killings of 16 journalists in the Central American country since the June 2009 coup d'état, reported the news agency EFE.
The rapporteur and Guatemalan activist Frank La Rue is currently participating in a workshop in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa on impunity, freedom of expression and justice, hosted by the Dutch Cooperation Agency.
Next to Mexico, Honduras is the second most deadly country in Latin America for journalists, according to La Rue. The rapporteur visited Honduras at the beginning of August to investigate the state of human rights in the Central American country.
After meeting with journalists and human rights defenders, La Rue presented a report stating, "there is no freedom of expression in Honduras." Among the examples, La Rue cited that supporters of ex-President Manuel Zelaya were not allowed to demonstrate against the coup d'état; cameramen and photographers who challenged official facts were attacked by police.
