Since the coup of 28 June and the establishment of a de facto government in Honduras, many voices were raised within the solidarity movement to condemn the aggression against the independent press and the silence of major local media. Laviana Alarcon, English journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Venezuela, traveled to Tegucigalpa to cover events there. Back in Caracas, she gives us his impressions on the media situation. She chose to do so using a pseudonym because, she says, appearing under his real name could cause problems to get back to Honduras.
What is the current situation of the press in the country?
There is clearly a persecution against journalists. The few stations that tried to inform about the situation have been closed and occupied by the military, but many have reappeared in passing underground. The public broadcaster has been closed the day of the coup and subsequently reopened. Today this network has reached a level of manipulation that I had never imagined. They constantly move videos to brainwash people on the "peace" and what they see as "democracy" propaganda glorifying the "new president constitutional "against the legitimate government and against the demonstrations demanding the return of President Zelaya.
There is also a campaign against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, referring to his" Castro-communist regime, "denigrating the voting system Venezuela, and denouncing the alleged repression that exists in this country. All this is intended to frighten the population.
We wanted to interview some figures known for our public television documentary, but they were afraid to testify. In Many people are afraid and are continuing. The famous Allan McDonald Honduras cartoonist, whose cartoons are published in the journal including El Heraldo and site Rebelion.org , was arrested at night, held for a day before be released.
private channels for their support for the dictatorial government. This is also true of the press. One of the main newspapers, La Tribuna belongs to Carlos Flores Facussé, a man close to Micheletti and suspected of being one of the main ideologists the coup. Facussé was also President of Honduras between 1998 and 2002. It is a very powerful man.
As a journalist, how did you feel about that?
The street is in the hands of military and police. Just arrived in Tegucigalpa with my cameraman colleague, police arrived at our hotel to ask us, they looked at our papers, they wanted to know everything about us. During the demonstration on Sunday, July 5 at the airport (where President Zelaya tried to land), we were all there, both the public that journalists and the army fired without distinction. I saw the ball fall to less than two meters from me. I tried to shelter and bullets rained from all sides. I was terrified. There was no respect for the international press.
How do people react to her face this situation?
People are eager to have the media there, no matter where they come from. I had never seen it, they applaud the press, they need it. That the police fired on a demonstration and disarmed the local press did not say a word the next day is something terrible. The presence of alternative media and community is very important. But they are very small because it is very difficult to enter the country as a journalist, especially if it comes from one of the progressive countries of Latin America. Venezuelans, for example, are demonized.
What do you think the work done by the string of Latin American TeleSUR whose correspondents have been expelled recently from Honduras?
The Honduran population is so desperate to silence the media side that the work of TeleSUR was fundamental to them. They consider its journalists as true heroes. In addition, people are afraid because the correspondents are leaving. Now that the journalists leave, there will be more repression. Those who do not leave on their own have been expelled, as happened to the team TeleSUR. The fact that they evicted the journalists who are more informed gives an idea of what is happening in Honduras.
Article published in the Swiss daily Le Courrier July 17, 2009.
What is the current situation of the press in the country?
There is clearly a persecution against journalists. The few stations that tried to inform about the situation have been closed and occupied by the military, but many have reappeared in passing underground. The public broadcaster has been closed the day of the coup and subsequently reopened. Today this network has reached a level of manipulation that I had never imagined. They constantly move videos to brainwash people on the "peace" and what they see as "democracy" propaganda glorifying the "new president constitutional "against the legitimate government and against the demonstrations demanding the return of President Zelaya.
There is also a campaign against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, referring to his" Castro-communist regime, "denigrating the voting system Venezuela, and denouncing the alleged repression that exists in this country. All this is intended to frighten the population.
We wanted to interview some figures known for our public television documentary, but they were afraid to testify. In Many people are afraid and are continuing. The famous Allan McDonald Honduras cartoonist, whose cartoons are published in the journal including El Heraldo and site Rebelion.org , was arrested at night, held for a day before be released.
private channels for their support for the dictatorial government. This is also true of the press. One of the main newspapers, La Tribuna belongs to Carlos Flores Facussé, a man close to Micheletti and suspected of being one of the main ideologists the coup. Facussé was also President of Honduras between 1998 and 2002. It is a very powerful man.
As a journalist, how did you feel about that?
The street is in the hands of military and police. Just arrived in Tegucigalpa with my cameraman colleague, police arrived at our hotel to ask us, they looked at our papers, they wanted to know everything about us. During the demonstration on Sunday, July 5 at the airport (where President Zelaya tried to land), we were all there, both the public that journalists and the army fired without distinction. I saw the ball fall to less than two meters from me. I tried to shelter and bullets rained from all sides. I was terrified. There was no respect for the international press.
How do people react to her face this situation?
People are eager to have the media there, no matter where they come from. I had never seen it, they applaud the press, they need it. That the police fired on a demonstration and disarmed the local press did not say a word the next day is something terrible. The presence of alternative media and community is very important. But they are very small because it is very difficult to enter the country as a journalist, especially if it comes from one of the progressive countries of Latin America. Venezuelans, for example, are demonized.
What do you think the work done by the string of Latin American TeleSUR whose correspondents have been expelled recently from Honduras?
The Honduran population is so desperate to silence the media side that the work of TeleSUR was fundamental to them. They consider its journalists as true heroes. In addition, people are afraid because the correspondents are leaving. Now that the journalists leave, there will be more repression. Those who do not leave on their own have been expelled, as happened to the team TeleSUR. The fact that they evicted the journalists who are more informed gives an idea of what is happening in Honduras.
Article published in the Swiss daily Le Courrier July 17, 2009.
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