Honduras policeman apologizes to journalists

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – An officer in a special forces team of Honduras' National Police has apologized to a journalist and paid for breaking her camera during a 2011 protest. It's an unusual gesture in a country where journalists face some of the worst violence in the world.

Reporter Sandra Sanchez says she hopes the apology from officer Jhonny Alexander Carrasco will set a precedent.

The leader for Honduras' Committee for Free Expression calls the apology "historic." But Hector Becerra adds that the problem goes far beyond Carrasco, who broke Sanchez's camera while trying to keep her from taking pictures of tear gas being used against a bus.

U.N. agencies say 23 journalists have been killed in Honduras since 2006. The Honduran government human rights prosecutor puts the figure at 31.