Freedom of the Press Freedoms of speech and of the press are
constitutionally protected in Honduras, but the killing and
intimidation of journalists continued to limit press freedom in
practice during 2011. The ongoing lack of accountability since
the 2009 coup has had a negative effect on freedom of
expression. Honduras Human Rights Commissioner Ramón Custodio
has failed to provide for serious investigations in a number of
cases of murdered journalists, and despite President Porfirio
Lobo’s expressed determination to bring perpetrators of such
crimes to justice, little had been done by year’s end. Given
this culture of impunity, many journalists fear that the
killings are carried out on the orders of, or with the concealed
approval of, the police, the military, and other governmental
authorities. Despite the 2005 abolition of the penal code’s
desacato (disrespect) provision, which was aimed at protecting
the honor of public officials, restrictive press laws are still
used to subpoena and punish journalists w