Ivon Montserrat ARITA GUZMÁN

Writer and journalist Ivon Montserrat Arita Guzmán has been subject to ongoing harassment since 2017, which continued in 2024. According to information received by PEN International, on 27 February 2024, between 2 am and 3 am, the security cameras outside Arita Guzmán’s house were cut, and the windows of her car were broken. Later that day, while she was driving with her mother, the car was intercepted by two unknown men on a motorbike who pointed a shotgun at her head and threatened to kill her. In April 2024, the Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists granted her protection measures due to her journalism and opinion articles; she was forced to leave her home for fear of attacks. 

Arita Guzmán’s harassment began in 2017 following her investigations into the public health system, after which officials threatened her in person. In 2022, officials began a smear campaign accusing her of stealing medicines, which resulted in harassment and unjustified dismissal. Arita Guzmán sued her aggressors in 2022 and, on 24 April 2023, the authorities ruled in her favour, convicting one person for the death threats she received. This was followed by several complaints lodged by Montserrat for a series of threats and insults by public officials, including a member of parliament. 

Ivon Montserrat Arita Guzmán (1976) is a Honduran journalist, writer, visual artist, playwright and human rights defender. She is author of the poetry collection Los miserables de Lázaro, haikus, short stories, paintings. She is a columnist for the El Heraldo newspaper, Radio House and Antorchas Verdaderas, among others. She has worked as a journalist since 2017 covering topics such as health, medicine, the cultural scene, social issues and corruption. She has founded theatre groups in which artists address health issues in Honduras.