5 April 2006
NEWSPAPERS UNITE TO FIGHT IMPUNITY IN MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS
More than 100 newspapers in Mexico have published the first of a series of investigative articles aimed at breaking through the mystery surrounding the unsolved murders of journalists in the country, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).
On 3 April 2006, newspapers simultaneously published a report on the disappearance of Alfredo Jiménez Mota, 26, who covered drug trafficking for "El Imparcial", a daily newspaper in Hermosillo, Sonora, which is near the U.S. border. Jiménez Mota has not been seen since 2 April 2005.
At the time of his disappearance, he was investigating drug traffickers and organised crime, who are responsible for the majority of journalists murdered in recent years.
The report named and described familes in Sonora who have ties to drug trafficking, and pointed to evidence that Jimenez's likely abductor was Raul Enriquez Parra, an alleged smuggler whose tortured body was found in November 2005 after being thrown from a plane.
Dubbed the Phoenix Project, the collaboration between Mexican newspapers comes in response to worsening violence against the press and lack of government will in solving the murders of journalists. Since March 2004, 11 journalists have been killed in the country, according to IAPA.
With support from the Knight Foundation, IAPA has been supporting efforts to fight impunity in Mexico. Last August, IAPA organised a meeting of publishers and editors from northern Mexico, where a declaration was signed by 40 news executives who pledged to work together to fight impunity.
The Phoenix Project is made up of a team of eight reporters from various newspapers who are tasked with investigating crimes against journalists. IAPA says it hopes other journalists, including those from radio and television, will participate in the project to widen coverage of the investigations.
Visit these links:
- Report on Jiménez Mota: http://www.impunidad.com/toplevel/fenixEn.htm
- IAPA Report on Mexico: http://www.sipiapa.com/pulications/informe_mexico2006.cfm
- RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16921
- CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/04/ap/world/mainD8GORNP81.shtml
- IPI Report on Mexico: http://tinyurl.com/meded
- "Not One More" Campaign: http://www.cepet.org
(Photo of Alfredo Jiménez Mota)
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