Freedom House mourns the tragic death of journalist Angel Alfredo Villatoro, who was found dead last night in the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, and calls on Honduran authorities to follow through on their stated commitment to bring his killer to justice, and to do more ensure the protection of journalists.
Freedom House is deeply concerned by the increase in attacks against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) human rights defenders in Honduras, including the recent murder of Erick Martinez Avila, an LGBT activist, who was found dead yesterday morning in Tegucigalpa after going missing two days earlier. Freedom House asks authorities to conduct a swift and exhaustive investigation of Avila’s death, and to not rule out that the motive may have been related to Avila’s work.
The recent murders of two journalists amid ongoing violence against the media in Honduras, as well as the failure of Honduran authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice, are further indications of the country’s alarming decline in press freedom, according to Freedom House.