Kaine Statement On The Murder Of Carlos Mejia Orellana In Honduras

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the murder of Carlos Mejia Orellana in Honduras:

“I was shocked to learn of the murder of Carlos Mejia Orellana, journalist and marketing director of Jesuit founded Radio Progreso in Honduras.  My prayers go out to Carlos’s friends and family in the  El Progreso community that welcomed me as a young student in the 1980’s.

“Too often, Honduran officials have dismissed threats and attacks against journalists, and questioned whether the violence was connected to the victims’ profession.  In Carlos’s particular case, police have announced possible conclusions without even the start of an investigation.    Premature and speculative judgments cannot be allowed to stand in the way of a thorough investigation.  This must not be yet another homicide in Honduras that goes unpunished.

“Honduran police failed to protect Carlos, despite repeated requests to do so from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.  The police need to take immediate steps to protect Carlos’s surviving colleagues at Radio Progreso and its research arm, ERIC, who also live under constant threat.” 

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