Nahúm Elí Palacios Arteaga
Encyclopedia
Nahúm Elí Palacios Arteaga (? - March 14, 2010) was a Honduran
journalist
and reporter. Arteaga was the news director
for the Canal 5 television network
in Aguán and the host of a news program on Radio Tocoa within the Colón Department along the Caribbean
coast.
An investigative reporter, Arteaga focused on local politics
, drug trafficking and violence in Honduras. He was also known for reporting on an ongoing conflict between landowners and peasant farmers in the northern Aguán region of the country. Arteaga reportedly received threats from members of the Honduran military in June 2009 for critical coverage of the 2009 Honduran coup d'état which ousted former President Manuel Zelaya
. He also received anonymous death threats from criminal organizations operating in the country. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(IACHR) urged the government to specifically protect Arteaga in July 2009.
Arteaga was shot and killed at the age of 36 while driving to his home at approximately 10:30 p.m on March 14, 2010. Arteaga was driving in the northern city of Tocoa
when two car came alongside his car and fired at his vehicle with AK-47
assault rifles. Arteaga, who was shot several times, died at the scene of the attack. The car in which Arteaga was travelling received 42 bullet holes in the attack. A woman in his car was treated for injuries at a local hospital, while a cameraman escaped the attack unharmed.
Arteaga's killing triggered protests by dozens of journalists on March 15, 2010, in the city of San Pedro Sula
. The journalists demanded an end to violence against colleagues in the country.
Arteaga was one of five journalists to be killed in Honduras in March 2010.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and reporter. Arteaga was the news director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
for the Canal 5 television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
in Aguán and the host of a news program on Radio Tocoa within the Colón Department along the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
coast.
An investigative reporter, Arteaga focused on local politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, drug trafficking and violence in Honduras. He was also known for reporting on an ongoing conflict between landowners and peasant farmers in the northern Aguán region of the country. Arteaga reportedly received threats from members of the Honduran military in June 2009 for critical coverage of the 2009 Honduran coup d'état which ousted former President Manuel Zelaya
Manuel Zelaya
José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is a politician who was President of Honduras from January 27, 2006 until June 28, 2009. The eldest son of a wealthy businessman, he inherited his father's nickname "Mel," and, before entering politics, was involved in his family's logging and timber businesses.Elected...
. He also received anonymous death threats from criminal organizations operating in the country. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
(IACHR) urged the government to specifically protect Arteaga in July 2009.
Arteaga was shot and killed at the age of 36 while driving to his home at approximately 10:30 p.m on March 14, 2010. Arteaga was driving in the northern city of Tocoa
Tocoa, Colón
Tocoa, Colón is a municipality and a city in the northern Honduran department of Colón in the valley of Aguán on the right side of the river, and is slightly inland. The elevation is 38 meters. It is situated between Garcia and La Visinia hills, 67 km from Trujillo, 30 km from Sabá, 70 km from...
when two car came alongside his car and fired at his vehicle with AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
assault rifles. Arteaga, who was shot several times, died at the scene of the attack. The car in which Arteaga was travelling received 42 bullet holes in the attack. A woman in his car was treated for injuries at a local hospital, while a cameraman escaped the attack unharmed.
Arteaga's killing triggered protests by dozens of journalists on March 15, 2010, in the city of San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
. The journalists demanded an end to violence against colleagues in the country.
Arteaga was one of five journalists to be killed in Honduras in March 2010.