2012 Predators of Press Freedom: Honduras - Miguel Facussé Barjum, Businessman and landowner
- Document source:
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Date:
4 May 2012
An uncle of former President Carlos Flores Facussé (1998-2002), agro-industrialist Miguel Facussé Barjum is a member of one the powerful oligarchic families that control Honduras' wealth. He heads Dinant, a company specializing in producing and marketing palm oil, and was one of the leading supporters of the June 2009 coup that toppled President Manuel Zelaya and paved the way for a still-continuing crackdown on opposition and grass-roots media. Its targets include small radio stations that defend the interests of local communities and often challenge those of big landowners such as Facussé.
Facussé has a private militia that can count on support from the police and army to impose his will. A total of 26 journalists have been killed in Honduras in the past decade, 19 of them since the 2009 coup.
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