Six TV stations have been forced to close in Guatemala, as a result of political pressure. Local stations in Mazatenango, Southern Guatemala were closed by Cable DX, after local mayor Roberto Lemus told the company he would not stand for criticism of his administration. TVI, which is managed by the Mayor’s nephew, is the only TV station now allowed to remain on air.
A prosecutor in Burundi has requested a life sentence for a journalist facing charges of terrorism. Radio journalist Hassan Ruvakuki was arrested on 28 November 2011 after interviewing an alleged member of a rebel group based in Tanzania. The journalist and 22 others are charged with “participating in acts of terrorism”. Many of the defendants, including Ravakuki, refused to enter pleas, as they believe the trial violates procedural rules and basic defence rights. The court adjourned until 20 June.
A journalist and human rights activist has been found dead in Honduras. Erick Martínez Ávila, who worked for the Honduran LGBT group Kukulcán, was found dead in a roadside ditch on 7 May. The journalist was reported missing on 5 May, and had not been seen in public since he attended a demonstration with the LGBT community on 1 May. The motive for the murder remains unclear, but it is believed the journalist was strangled.
A radio journalist was murdered in the Philippines on Tuesday. Nestor Libaton, a news reporter for Catholic-run radio station dxHM in Mati City, was shot several times by men on a motorbike. The journalist was on the back of a motorbike being driven by his co-anchor, Eldon Cruz, after the pair had conducted an interview in a nearby city. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) believe the incident occurred as a result of the journalists work. Libaton is the fourth journalist to be killed in the Philippines since the start of 2012.