Following the assassination of journalist Edgar Joel Aguilar on August 31, 2019 in Santa Rosa de Copán (west of the country), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Honduran authorities to prioritize the professional track in the investigation and calls on the government to a reform of the justice system and the National Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists.
Honduran journalist Edgar Joel Aguilarwas shot dead in the middle of the day on Saturday, August 31, in Santa Rosa de Copán, in the western province of Copán. He had just entered a barber’s shop, in front of which he had parked his motorcycle when an armed individual burst in and opened fire several times, fatally stabbing him in the face.
Edgar Joel Aguilar was a correspondent for the national television channel Canal 6 and worked for the local media Telemaya channel 12 and Cablemar TV , media for which he was responsible for criminal and judicial matters .
According to information collected by RSF, Edgar Joel Aguilar had personal problems with the mayor of Copán, Vicente de León, whose corruption he regularly denounced in his broadcasts. Edgar Joel Aguilar had in the past had links with a group of drug traffickers in the region, whose main members were arrested and extradited to the United States.
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