Freedom of Expression
Press Release R42/16
Office of the Special Rapporteur Condemns Killing of Journalist in El Salvador
March 22, 2016
Washington, D.C. – The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the killing of journalist Nicolás Humberto García, which took place on March 10 in the municipality of Tacuba, department of Ahuachapán, El Salvador, and urges the authorities to act promptly and opportunely to investigate the crime and identify and punish those responsible, both perpetrators and masterminds.
According to the available information, García worked at the community radio station Expresa "Voces al Aire" and was allegedly attacked by gang members due to his refusal to join that group and allow them to use his radio show to communicate their messages. The journalist had a program dedicated to the prevention of violence and gave air time to the Community Police.
This is the sixth murder of a journalist in the Americas in the year to date. The Office of the Special Rapporteur has reiterated that states have an obligation to adopt measures to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, and to protect those who are exposed to a particular risk due to the exercise of their fundamental rights. This obligation is particularly important in countries in which there is a risk of these incidents taking place and in specific situations in which authorities know or should know that there is a real and immediate risk of such crimes being committed.
The Office of the Special Rapporteur considers it essential that the State clarifies as soon as possible the motive behind this crime and urges the authorities to thoroughly investigate the hypothesis that the crime could have been associated with the journalist’s work. Moreover, the State should identify, prosecute, and punish those responsible; and adopt fair measures of reparation for the victim's family.
Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR states that "[t]he murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation."
The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression was created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to encourage the defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression in the hemisphere, given the fundamental role this right plays in consolidating and developing the democratic system.
R42/16