TEGUCIGALPA / GENEVA (31 October 2023) — The legal and judicial system in Honduras has failed to ensure justice and accountability for the most serious crimes and threats to the safety of human rights defenders, journalists and social communicators, a UN expert said. “Hondurans working on issues related to land, the environment, corruption, organised crimes, agrarian and mining conflicts remain at high risk of violence, online and gender-based attacks, intimidation, smear campaigns, and judicial harassment,” said Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, at the end of an official visit to the country. “Almost every journalist I spoke to – whether in mainstream media, online media, or community radio, male, female or gender diverse – claimed that intimidation has reached such a high level and the measures offered by the Protection Mechanism are so inadequate that they feel compelled to self-censor in order to protect themselves and their families,” she said. The expert called for a major overhaul of the Protection Mechanism, which was created in 2015. “Many of the individuals I met gave concrete examples of long delays in response or no response at all, risk assessments that fail to take into account the context and environment in which people live, work and are endangered, and the absence of gender considerations although many of those seeking support are women or LGBTQI individuals,” she said. Khan welcomed the repeal of the Public Secrets Law and encouraged the Government to continue to expand access to public information, including for marginalised and Indigenous communities. She noted that community media is an important vehicle for preserving Indigenous culture and languages, and the primary means by which people in rural areas receive information. The expert urged the Government to ensure that adequate legal and operational conditions are created for the operation of community radios. She urged authorities to accede to the Escazu Agreement to strengthen access to information, promote public participation and protect environmental human rights defenders. “Honduras must decriminalise the crimes against honour (slander and libel), and revise the crime of usurpation, which is used to criminalise those protesting peacefully in defence of their rights to land and livelihoods,” the Special Rapporteur said. “The highly polarised political environment has eroded trust in the integrity of information, poisoned public discourse and endangered dissenting voices,” the Special Rapporteur said. “Labelling critical reporting as “fake news” not only undermines and delegitimises journalists, but it also makes them more vulnerable to threats and attacks,” she said. “I urge the Government to uphold the right to freedom of expression as a vital tool to advance its ambitions for sustainable development and inclusive democracy,” she said. *Ms. Irene Khan was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression on 17 July 2020. Ms. Khan is the first woman to hold this position since the establishment of the mandate in 1993. She teaches at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and was previously Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2001 to 2009 and Director General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) from 2012 to 2019. The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity. For additional information and media requests, please contact Laurens van der Woude (laurens.vanderwoude@un.org) For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org) Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts. Concerned about the world we live in? Then STAND UP for someone"s rights today. #Standup4humanrights and visit the web page at http://www.standup4humanrights.org