Last Updated: Monday, 05 June 2023, 10:55 GMT

Journalists Killed in 2007 - Motive Confirmed: Carlos Salgado

Publisher Committee to Protect Journalists
Publication Date January 2008
Cite as Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Killed in 2007 - Motive Confirmed: Carlos Salgado, January 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e64962a1c.html [accessed 6 June 2023]
DisclaimerThis is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Radio Cadena Voces
October 18, 2007, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Unidentified individuals intercepted Salgado, host of the radio program "Frijol el Terrible," as he was leaving the studios of Radio Cadena Voces at 4 p.m. The assailants shot Salgado at close range at least seven times and sped away in a gray Toyota 4Runner, according to witnesses quoted in local press reports.

Dagoberto Rodríguez, director of Radio Cadena Voces, said he believed the killing was in retaliation for the station's critical reporting on official corruption. The Honduran Commissioner of Human Rights, Ramón Custodio López, told CPJ no other motive had come to light. Police said Salgado's murder was unrelated to his work, but they did not disclose any other motives, local press freedom advocate Thelma Mejía told CPJ.

Salgado, 67, was noted for his satirical criticism of the country's political system, according to Rodríguez. His show combined humor with coverage of everyday problems, such as the prices of food and transportation. "Frijol el Terrible," which was on the air for more than 20 years, reached a nationwide audience, Rodríguez said. He described Salgado as respected by his colleagues and admired by his listeners.

Rodríguez told CPJ that Radio Cadena Voces had been harassed continuously for its reporting on government corruption. Over the last two years, he said, hackers had repeatedly erased information on the radio station's Web site, the staff had received anonymous telephone threats, and at least one journalist had been attacked by a local government official. Rodríguez and his family were themselves forced to flee Honduras on November 1, after police informed the journalist that his name had appeared on a hit list, Custodio told CPJ.

Sandra Aguilar, the victim's wife, described Salgado as a quiet man who divided his time between the radio station and his small study at home. Aguilar told CPJ her husband had never had problems or received any threats. Several days after Salgado's murder, hundreds of journalists protested in the streets of Tegucigalpa. They called on local authorities to ensure justice.

On October 26, authorities arrested German David Almendárez Amador after witnesses identified him as the gunman, the Tegucigalpa-based daily El Heraldo reported. Almendárez was not immediately charged but was placed in preventive detention. Almendárez and his family insisted that he was innocent and had an alibi, local news reports said.

Medium:Radio
Job:Columnist / Commentator
Beats Covered:Corruption
Gender:Male
Local or Foreign:Local
Freelance:No
Type of Death:Murder
Suspected Source of Fire:Criminal Group
Impunity:Yes
Taken Captive:No
Tortured:No
Threatened:Yes

 

Copyright notice: © Committee to Protect Journalists. All rights reserved. Articles may be reproduced only with permission from CPJ.

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