José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez y Manuel Juárez, journalists, assassinated

José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez

Two journalists in the eastern Honduran department of Olancho, José Bayardo Mairena Ramírez and Manuel Juárez, were killed today, riddled with bullets while they were riding in a vehicle, according to an official source from the Fire Department in the area.

“Bayardo Mairena was traveling from Catacamas to Juticalpa, along with Manuel Juarez when they were shot from another vehicle. They even got down to finish them off, “said the fire chief in Olancho, Colonel Rigoberto Contreras.

When firefighters arrived with an ambulance, Mairena Ramirez had already died while Juarez “bore signs of life.” He was seriously injured and transferred to the San Francisco hospital in Juticalpa, where he died within minutes, the report said.

The attack occurred at about 9:30 am, in the kilometer five of the road leading from the city of Juticalpa to Catacamas, about 200 kilometers east of the capital. Local radio stations reported that Mairena’s car was shot 21 times.

Both journalists were working in the news program “This is Olancho” in Channel 4 RZ, Excelsior Television and Radio, where Mairena Ramirez was manager.

Mairena was a member of the Honduran Association of Newspapers (APH) and third year student of journalism at the North-Eastern Regional University Center (CURNO), headquartered in Juticalpa. The double murder adds up to five journalists killed in the month in Honduras. On March 1, Joseph Hernandez Ochoa journalist was shot dead in Tegucigalpa, an attack in which the journalist Karol Cabrera was injured. On March 11 David Meza Montesinos was killed in La Ceiba, and on 14 March in Tocoa Columbus, Nahúm Palacios Arriaga was shot dead.

SOURCE: COMITE POR LA LIBRE EXPRESION/ C‐Libre

RELATED: Asesinan a otros dos periodistas (El Tiempo)

Posted in: Media Rights, Targeted assassinations