Dina Meza

Dina Meetabel Meza Elvir is a journalist, human rights defender, and founder of PEN Honduras, an organisation which supports at-risk journalists.

Biography Dina Meza was born in 1962 in Cofradía, Cortés Honduras.

Work and activism Meza's work focuses on the abuse and violation of human rights. In 1989, Meza's older brother was kidnapped and tortured by the military, and his experience motivated her to begin reporting on human rights abuses in Honduras.

Meza has worked as a journalist since 1992. In 2016, Meza reported on the murder of Berta Caceres, an environmental activist. She is the founder and current President of PEN Honduras, an organisation that supports journalists at risk.

Meza was named as one of Reporters Without Borders’ "100 Heroes and Heroines of Information" in 2014.

Threats and abuse The nature of Meza's work is such that she and her family have faced multiple threats of violence and instances of harassment, including explicit threats of sexual violence. In 2013, threats to her safety resulted in her spending five months in exile.

Awards In 2007, Meza received Amnesty International UK's special award for at-risk journalists. In 2014, she was awarded the Oxfam Novib/PEN International Freedom of Expression Award.