Honduran journalist hospitalized after reported home invasion by local mayor, accomplice

Mexico City, Dec. 9, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Honduran authorities to swiftly and impartially investigate journalist Henry Torres’ attack in the western municipality of San Marcos Ocotepeque and fully hold those responsible to account.

Around 10:45 a.m. on December 4, Mayor Gerardo Antonio Mejía and his cousin and municipal employee, Jester Cardona Mejía, abruptly entered Torres’ home, according to a report by Honduran press freedom group C-Libre. The two men physically assaulted the journalist, throwing him to the ground and repeatedly striking him in the head and neck, a witness related to Torres told CPJ.

The two men fled the scene as Torres’ family called the police — which arrived two hours later and did not offer to take the journalist to the hospital, according to his family

“Public officials assaulting journalists is a grave attack on press freedom and creates a climate of fear intended to silence critical reporting,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator, in São Paulo. “Honduran authorities must fully hold those responsible accountable and ensure that Henry Torres can recover safely and continue his work without fear of retaliation.”

A day after the attack, Torres was taken to a local hospital due to the severity of his injuries, and doctors determined he required specialized medical examinations, including a head CT scan and an ultrasound, due to possible neurological and cervical injuries. Torres’ family is seeking to have him transferred to another city where such tests are available.

Torres posts about local politics on his Facebook page and operates a small food business and convenience store with his family. He has previously worked for news outlets HCH and TV Azteca. Torres’ family believe his attack may be retaliation in connection with his reporting on alleged nepotism in the San Marcos Ocotepeque government and his criticism of the recent electoral process, during which the Mayor Mejía declared himself the winner before official results were announced.

According to his family, Torres filed a complaint against the mayor with a local justice of the peace, but the Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office has not contacted them to pursue the case through the criminal justice system.

CPJ’s emails to the San Marcos Ocotepeque municipality, the Honduran National Police, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office for comment did not receive any reply.