21 December 2023 | RSF
Honduran TV reporter killed
Shooting
Local Canal 24 TV reporter Francisco Ramírez was ambushed and killed on 21 December in Danlí, Honduras, a city 100 km southeast of the capital in El Paraíso department. This was despite having a permanent police bodyguard since an earlier murder attempt in May.
The 39-year-old Ramírez had stopped working out of concern for his safety since the shooting attack in May, but he was well known for his coverage of criminal groups in the Danlí region, whose activities include drug trafficking, and he continued to be under threat.
He was driving back to his home in Danlí on the night of 21 December when gunmen opened fire on his car, hitting him five times and killing him instantly. His police bodyguard sustained two gunshot wounds and was later reported to be in a stable condition in hospital.
RSF voiced concern about the precarious state of the national mechanism for protecting journalists in August 2022, after much of it was dismantled as a result of the new government’s decision to fire many of its employees. This latest murder shows that the media continue to be the targets of attacks and that the mechanism must be reinforced.
Read the original article: https://rsf.org/en/honduras-must-strengthen-protection-mechanism-after-tv-reporter-s-murder
