TFHO1: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION POST

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000633 SIPDIS STATE FOR A/S TOM SHANNON E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2019 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM HO SUBJECT: TFHO1: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION POST COUP Classified By: Ambassador Hugo Llorens, E.O. 12958 1.4 (b & d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The mainstream Honduran media and the de facto regime have attempted to shape international perceptions of the June 28 coup through an evident reporting bias, intimidation, the closure of media outlets, and violence. While the pressure exerted by the de facto regime on the media has eased over the last two weeks, pro-Zelaya media outlets continue to report intimidation and targeted power outages. End Summary. -------------- PREJUDICED PRESS -------------- ¶2. (C) The President of the College of Journalists, Elan Reyes, said July 9 that the Honduran mainstream media's largely pro-coup stance is contributing to the polarization of society. According to Reyes, apart from the military shutting down or censoring media outlets, the owners of all the mainstream media have also been manipulating the reporting on protest movements. Participation in pro-Zelaya protests has been deliberately understated, and the size of anti-Zelaya demonstrations has been exaggerated. Manipulation has gone to the extent of doctoring photos. For example, the photo of slain protester Isis Obed Murillo in the July 6 edition of "La Prensa" was doctored to erase the blood dripping from the bullet hole in his head and smeared on his shirt. (Comment: On July 8 "La Prensa" came clean and showed both the original photo and the doctored photo. End Comment.) -------------- VIOLENCE DIRECTED AT NEWS MEDIA -------------- ¶3. (U) After spending all day covering pro-Zelaya protests for numerous radio stations, including Radio America, Radio journalist Gabriel Fino Noriega was gunned down on July 2 in Atlantida Department by two masked men. A grenade exploded at the offices of Channel 11 and "Tiempo" newspaper in San Pedro Sula on July 4. An unexploded hand-grenade was found at offices of Radio Globo in the days after the coup. The offices of Radio Juticalpa in Olancho Department received five gunshots in the early morning of June 28. Dozens of radio, television, and print journalists from pro-Zelaya media claim to have received death threats in anonymous text messages and phone calls. Some anti-Zelaya journalists have also reported receiving threats. -------------- CLOSING OF MEDIA OUTLETS -------------- ¶4. (U) Immediately after the coup, the military took over various media outlets including both cable and internet companies; television channels: 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 22, 30, 33, 36, 54 and 57; as well as several radio stations including: Radio America, Radio Progreso, Radio Globo, Radio Marcala, and Radio Juticalpa. The channels considered to be pro-Zelaya (8, 11 and 36) remained off the air for several days. ¶5. (C) Human rights NGOs claim members of Congress have told them that there is a bill awaiting passage that would ban certain television stations from transmitting their signals over cable. This would severely hamper the national coverage of several television stations that do not own equipment to transmit over the air nationally. (Comment: It has been suggested that this decree was written to specifically cut the transmission of Channel 36. End Comment.) ¶6. (C) Esdras Lopez, owner of Channel 36, which is back on the air, claims that he has been threatened by Attorney General Luis Rubi, who is building a financial fraud case against him thanks to his close ties to Zelaya and year-long feud with Roberto Micheletti. He said his problems with Micheletti began during last year's primary campaign, when channel 36 criticized Micheletti and then lost its rights to broadcast from the National Congress. Despite wide speculation otherwise, Lopez denies that his channel was receiving money from President Zelaya to promote Zelaya's TEGUCIGALP 00000633 002 OF 002 Fourth Urn campaign. Pro-Zelaya journalist Eduardo Maldonado's "Hable Como Habla" show returned to Honduran airwaves July 13. The Attorney General told Poloff July 9 that Maldonado had been off the air because of an internal conflict between the owners of his show and the Maya TV network. -------------- INTIMIDATION AND DETENTION -------------- ¶7. (U) More than a dozen international journalists have been momentarily detained by the military since the June 28 coup. Eleven from the Venezuelan-based "TeleSUR" television network were arrested on July 11 upon returning to their hotel just before the 11 p.m. curfew by 15 policemen on charges relating to an allegedly unpaid rental car bill. The journalists were held until 3 a.m., when Venezuelan Ambassador Jose Armando Laguna intervened on their behalf. All eleven made official complaints with Human Rights Prosecutor Sandra Ponce July 12 and left the country as they had been advised to do by the police. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Post will continue to investigate and report on alleged violations of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. As the days pass, the de facto government has increasingly relaxed its attempts to control the press, but there are still complaints of targeted power outages to prevent the reporting of sensitive topics, as well as pressure on media outlets to self censure the news. End Comment. LLORENS