13 January 2010
Kidnapped reporter murdered
Soldiers on patrol in northern Mexico where journalists are especially under threat from drug cartels: a reporter was recently killed.
via IPI
Assailants shot and tortured Valentín Valdés Espinosa and then left his body in front of a local hotel, report IFEX members. He was found with a note that said: "This is going to happen to those who don't understand. The message is for everyone."
He was abducted with a colleague who was severely beaten and released.
Valdés Espinosa covered local news and crime for "Zócalo Saltillo" in the city of Saltillo, Coahuila State. The newspaper has been targeted with threats and attacks in the past.
The Coahuila State Attorney General's Office is investigating the case and has called a press conference to provide information, report CENCOS and ARTICLE 19, but many journalists in fear of reprisals have decided not to attend.
Northern Mexico is a combat zone for rival drug cartels and one of the world's most dangerous regions for journalists, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
RSS