MEDIA REACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, MARCH 1, 2005

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000460

SIPDIS

FOR WHA/PDA, WHA/PPC, WHA/CEN, AND DRL/CRA
FOR IIP/G/WHA AND IIP/T/ES
EMBASSIES FOR PAOS, IOS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PHUM PREL KPAO HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT, MARCH 1, 2005



1. The Tegucigalpa-based moderate daily "El Heraldo" carried a
full-page article titled "Private security behind executions"
with the subheading "According to a State Department report,
there is collusion among public and private security corps to
organize death squads to execute young people." It also ran a
story entitled "Investigation unit without support or financial
resources."


2. The San Pedro Sula-based liberal daily "Tiempo" ran a full-
page EFE story titled "Summary executions persist in Honduras"
with the subheading "The annual report of the State Department
says that former public security officials have worked with
members of the business community to organize death squads." The
paper also carried an article containing a statement of the
Honduran Deputy Minister of Public Security Armando Calidonio
titled "Their investigations are not scientific," as well as a
statement by Oscar Alvarez, Minister of Public Security, who said
"Some human rights organizations are trying to tarnish the image
of Honduras to get more funds from abroad."


3. The Tegucigalpa-based liberal newspaper "La Tribuna" ran an AP
story containing a summary of the Human Rights Report from all
Central American countries and the Dominican Republic titled
"According to a U.S. report, members of the police committed
extrajudicial killings."

Palmer