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Articles - Mexico

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Mexico

Another investigative journalist killed in Veracruz

A woman investigative journalist working for a prominent national news magazine was found beaten and strangled to death in her home in the Veracruz state capital of Xalapa on 28 April, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Mexico

State responsible for most attacks on press, says ARTICLE 19 report

Mexico, 2011: 172 attacks on press freedom, including nine journalists and two media workers killed, two disappeared, and eight media outlets bombed. Most shockingly, the security forces and other state authorities were behind 40 percent of the attacks, while organised crime only accounted for 13 percent of cases.

Mexico

In landmark decision, Senate says attacks on journalists to be federal crimes

The Mexican Senate has finally approved a constitutional amendment that will enable federal authorities to investigate and prosecute certain attacks on the press and calls on authorities to end the widespread impunity for crimes against journalists, report ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Africa / Mexico / Russia

Recent advancements in criminal defamation laws in Africa, Mexico offset by setbacks in Russia

IFEX members have noted some significant advancements in the criminal defamation field these past weeks: the President of Niger has become the first head of state to endorse the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for repeal of criminal defamation and insult laws in Africa, and Mexico's Senate has unanimously approved to decriminalise slander and libel. But although Russia recently amended its defamation legislation, critics say it did not go far enough.

Mexico

Drug gangs continue hunt for anonymous netizens with barbaric beheading

The decapitated body of someone first believed to be the moderator of an online forum that reported on the activities of the Zetas drug gang was found in Nuevo Laredo province on 9 November, report the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Mexico

Draw attention to murdered writers by holding your own Day of the Dead event

Join PEN International in honouring fallen writers on Mexico's national Day of the Dead on 2 November. On Day of the Dead, an annual holiday in Mexico, people pay tribute to late friends and family members through numerous rites, including creating altars, visiting gravesites and cooking their deceased loved ones' favourite foods.

Mexico

News editor beheaded for condemning drug gangs on social media

At a time when the murderous spree of drug cartels in Mexico seemed it couldn't get any more horrific, the decapitated body of María Elizabeth Macías, news editor of "Primera Hora" was found on 24 September, report the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Adding to the atmosphere of despair, another journalist is missing, according to IAPA and RSF.

Mexico

Drug cartels target social media users as international community addresses journalists' safety at UN anti-impunity conference

Last week, a young man and woman were found hanging from ropes off a pedestrian bridge in Nuevo Laredo, northern Mexico. Accompanying their lifeless, mutilated bodies were handwritten signs that declared the two were killed for posting denouncements of drug cartel activities on a social network. With few reporters daring to cover Mexico's ongoing drug war for fear of becoming victims themselves, the murderers appear to have a new target: those using social media networks to cover the story, say the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and ARTICLE 19.

Mexico

Two women journalists found strangled in Mexico City

Two women journalists were found dead in a park in eastern Mexico City on 1 September, their bodies naked with their hands and feet tied, with signs of strangulation and at least one gunshot wound, report ARTICLE 19, Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Kidnapped journalist found dead

Missing Mexican journalist Humberto Millán Salazar was found dead on 25 August with a gunshot wound to the head, report ARTICLE 19, the Centro de Periodismo y Etica Publica (CEPET) and other IFEX members. Millán, a political reporter from Culiacán in Sinaloa state, was kidnapped the day before by armed men, say the members.

Mexico

Veteran reporter slain


The decapitated body of Mexican journalist Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz was found on 26 July in Veracruz, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members. A journalist for more than 20 years, Ordaz de la Cruz reported on crime and security issues. IFEX members are calling on the state prosecutor to investigate the case and put in place mechanisms to protect her colleagues.

Mexico

Journalist and his family killed amid relentless attacks on press

A journalist who wrote about security and drug trafficking was killed in his home with his wife and photographer son in the eastern port city of Veracruz on 20 June, underscoring Mexico's cycle of violence, report ARTICLE 19, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members, who are calling on the Mexican government to take "concrete" action.

Mexico

Missing journalist found dead; newspaper bombed

Mexican criminal gangs are using a variety of tactics to pressure the press into not reporting their activities, including murdering critical journalists. A journalist who disappeared in March was found buried in a grave in the state of Veracruz on 1 June, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of PEN International. Noel López Olguín was known for criticising local corruption in his articles.

Mexico

Media agree to guidelines for covering organised crime

Just moments before two journalists were found dead in the drug-riddled city of Monterrey last week, nearly 50 leading Mexican news organisations agreed on a code for covering drug-related violence and organised crime, report the Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

Violent attack on news outlet leaves media worker dead

A violent attack on two media companies in Torreón, Mexico, last week has left a TV engineer dead, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Another media worker killed in Ciudad Juárez

A woman who worked as a newspaper distributor in Ciudad Juárez was shot to death on 31 January while driving a vehicle bearing the logo of the media company, reports the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET).

Mexico

Reporter killed; IFEX members sceptical of government's journalist protection programme

On 5 November, yet another journalist in Mexico was lost to the drug war. At the same time, the government has finally come round to announcing a strategy to protect journalists from death threats from common criminals, drug cartels and even government officials. IFEX members ARTICLE 19, Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have strongly denounced the programme as it stands - having been devised and run entirely by government officials who have little understanding of what it's like to be a journalist operating in a climate of endemic impunity.

Mexico

IFEX members step up fight to protect journalists

Last month, when a photographer was shot dead in the drug-addled city of Ciudad Juárez, his newspaper ran a front-page editorial offering to compromise its drug coverage in an effort to keep its journalists alive. It was a stunning example of self-censorship, but unfortunately, not an isolated one. In response, IFEX members in recent weeks have gotten an audience with the President, used YouTube to campaign, and, united, have taken matters into their own hands to address the security needs of Mexican journalists.

Mexico

Journalist slain in Ciudad Juárez, newspaper makes plea to drug cartel

A photographer was shot dead in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez on 16 September, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. The brazen attack occurred in a mall parking lot and also injured another journalist. In response, the journalists' newspaper published an editorial openly offering to compromise its coverage in order to keep its journalists alive. Meanwhile, violence has escalated in other regions, says the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), with reports of a breakdown in security for journalists and media outlets in Zacatecas.

Mexico

CPJ report says violence against the press is a national crisis

A justice system controlled by criminals has created an environment of pervasive self-censorship with news outlets abandoning investigative reporting and basic daily coverage of crime and corruption in Mexico, says a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "Silence or Death in Mexico's Press" says systemic impunity has become entrenched at the state and local levels.

Mexico

Drug cartels terrorise media with car bombs and grenades

A car bomb exploded outside the offices of Mexico's largest media organisation, Televisa, on 27 August, days after it reported that 72 Central and South American migrants were killed by drug traffickers in the same region, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members. Two weeks ago, explosives ripped through facilities owned by the same media conglomerate in Tamaulipas and Nuevo León states.

Mexico

Journalists take to the streets demanding protection after recent kidnappings

The abduction of four Mexican journalists in Durango State illuminates how local governments are corrupted by organised crime as well as the dangers for journalists attempting to work under the control of drug traffickers, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. This case sparked an unprecedented show of solidarity and outrage against the kidnapping and killing of journalists. Journalists from all over the country and local and international IFEX members joined forces in protests attended by thousands over the weekend, demanding the right to inform, the right to know.

Mexico

Five journalists and media workers killed in two weeks

A Mexican radio journalist was abducted and found dead in a car last week, and in another part of the country, a former cameraman was shot dead as he sat in his car waiting for his girlfriend, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The murders come after three journalists were killed in two other states within the same two weeks. As the violence escalates, journalists live in constant fear of being kidnapped, tortured and murdered.

Mexico

Three journalists killed in two separate attacks

Three journalists have been killed in Mexico, including a husband and wife who were brazenly shot in an Internet cafe, and an editor known for his crime reporting in a different state, according to local and international IFEX members. The deaths followed three separate incidents in Coahuila state in which gunmen riddled the buildings of two media outlets with bullets and fired a grenade at another.

Mexico

Human rights defenders killed on mission; journalists attacked

A convoy of more than 40 international and local human rights defenders, activists and journalists were ambushed by gunmen in Mexico on 27 April in the town of San Juan Copala, Oaxaca state, report the National Center for Social Communication (CENCOS), ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Two rights defenders were killed.

Mexico

More journalists abducted and murdered

A Mexican journalist who reported on government policy, environmental issues and organised crime was abducted on 6 April, report the Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members. In the same week, another journalist was killed, report the International Press Institute (IPI), Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Mexico

Eight journalists abducted, two killed

In Mexico, information can be fatal. Eight journalists were abducted in separate episodes between 18 February and 3 March, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Three journalists were later released; one of them died as a result of being tortured. Mexican journalists in newsrooms remain silent about the kidnappings for fear of reprisals from drug traffickers. And in another part of the country also caught in the terror of drug cartels, another journalist was slain on 12 March.

Mexico

Public officials behind crimes against journalists

Mexico is the deadliest country in the Americas for journalists trying to do their job. Organised crime is often perceived as being predominantly behind attacks on the press, but a new report by ARTICLE 19 and the National Center for Social Communication (CENCOS) points to public officials as the main perpetrators. And there is a movement to challenge this culture of impunity with newspaper editors and journalists joining forces to urge the government to take action, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Mexico

Editor slain

A Mexican editor was shot in the face and killed on 29 January, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Body of young radio journalist found

The body of a radio journalist was found on 16 January, 17 days after he was kidnapped, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the International Press Institute (IPI) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Mexico

Kidnapped reporter murdered

A Mexican reporter was found dead on 8 January, a day after he was kidnapped, report the Centro Nacional de Comunicadión Social (CENCOS), Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión (OLA) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Editor killed; reporter kidnapped

A Mexican journalist who wrote about corruption in local politics was murdered on 22 December 2009, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Observatorio Latinoamericano para la Libertad de Expresión (OLA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and other IFEX members. The journalist's newspaper had received death threats in recent months and its printing press was fire bombed last November, says CPJ.

Mexico

Journalist's murder linked to reporting on environment

A Mexican journalist was found dead in his home in Jalisco State on 24 November; his hands tied with a cable, his body wrapped in a blanket, reports Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Press Institute (IPI).

Mexico

Committee to protect press freedom dissolved; journalist slain

A special government committee designed to combat crimes against Mexican journalists and news media has been disbanded, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA). Underscoring the urgent need for such a panel is the murder of yet another journalist in Mexico on 2 November, report the Centre for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Local crime critic slain

As the war between brutal drug cartels and militant authorities continues to unfold in Mexico, journalists who refuse to engage in self-censorship pay with their lives. In the most recent tragedy, a radio journalist was shot to death inside the station where he worked on 23 September, report the Centre for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Second investigator in journalist's murder case killed

Last November in Ciudad Juárez, Mexican crime journalist Armando Rodríguez was killed in front of his daughter on the way to school. In July, the federal investigator who was leading the Rodríguez case was gunned down, and less than a month later, his replacement suffered the same fate, say Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

Journalist murdered in gruesome fashion in Guerrero

Mexican authorities have found the battered body of a journalist near the southwestern resort city of Acapulco, report Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS), el Centro de Periodismo y Ética Pública (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), ARTICLE 19 and other IFEX members. They call on the Mexican authorities to thoroughly investigate the killing, and to put an end to the ongoing violence against Mexican journalists.

Mexico

Two journalists killed; radio station raided

Two Mexican journalists were murdered last week, with motives still unknown, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Mexico

Authorities don't see death threats as crimes

Lydia Cacho, an investigative journalist in Mexico who exposed a paedophilia network involving businessmen and government officials in her book, is facing a new round of death threats and surveillance.

Mexico

Crime reporter found dead in Durango

The body of a journalist who covered the police beat in northern Mexico was found on 26 May, a day after he was abducted from his home, report Centro Nacional de Comunicación (CENCOS), the Center of Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and other IFEX members.

Mexico

Reporter under threat killed on World Press Freedom Day

A Mexican journalist who was critical of local authorities in the northern state of Durango was assassinated on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN.

Mexico

MÉXICO GOBIERNO "PENALIZA" LA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN AL ATACAR ESTACIÓN DE RADIO

Mexico

LE GOUVERNEMENT « CRIMINALISE » LA LIBRE EXPRESSION EN CIBLANT UNE STATION DE RADIO

Mexico

GOVERNMENT "CRIMINALISES" FREE EXPRESSION BY TARGETING RADIO STATION

Tierra y Libertad is a community radio station in the northeast of Mexico that has for more than seven years provided the poorest neighbourhoods in Monterrey with info on workers' rights, health and legal assistance. But perhaps not for much longer, because the government says the station is operating without a licence. Employees are facing up to 12 years in prison and a fine of US$100,000 for operating illegally. ARTICLE 19 - Mexico, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) say it is an alarming case of the "criminalisation of free expression."

Mexico

UN AUTRE JOURNALISTE ASSASSINÉ; LE GOUVERNEMENT NE FAIT PAS ASSEZ POUR PROTÉGER LES MÉDIAS, DISENT LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX

Mexico

MÉXICO OTRO PERIODISTA ASESINADO; GOBIERNO NO ESTÁ HACIENDO LO SUFICIENTE PARA PROTEGER A LOS MEDIOS, DICEN MIEMBROS DE IFEX

Mexico

ANOTHER JOURNALIST KILLED; GOVERNMENT NOT DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT MEDIA, SAY IFEX MEMBERS

Jean Paul Ibarra Ramírez, a crime photographer for the local daily "El Correo", and crime reporter Yenny Yuliana Marchán Arroyo of the daily "Diario 21", were sent by their papers to cover a road accident in Iguala, Guerrero state on 13 February. But they didn't have a chance to file the story. According to the Center for Journalist and Public Ethics (CEPET), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other IFEX members, they were attacked by gunmen as they travelled to the scene. Ibarra was killed, while Marchán suffered serious injuries.

Mexico

LA VILLE DE CIUDAD JUÁREZ, INFESTÉE PAR LA DROGUE, EST LE PIRE ENDROIT DU MEXIQUE POUR LES JOURNALISTES, DIT UNE MISSION

Mexico

CIUDAD JUÁREZ, INFESTADA POR LAS DROGAS, ES EL PEOR LUGAR DE MÉXICO PARA LOS PERIODISTAS, DICE MISIÓN

Mexico

DRUG-INFESTED CIUDAD JUÁREZ WORST PLACE IN MEXICO FOR JOURNALISTS, SAYS MISSION

Last November, veteran crime reporter José Armando Rodríguez was shot to death at his home in Ciudad Juárez on the Texas border. His murder prompted a fact-finding mission by the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which found that journalists in the region face a terrible dilemma: "censor themselves, go into exile or risk an almost certain death that will go completely unpunished."

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 ET LE CENCOS DÉVOILENT UNE CAMPAGNE DE PROTECTION DES JOURNALISTES

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 Y CENCOS PRESENTAN CAMPAÑA PARA PROTEGER PERIODISTAS

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 AND CENCOS UNVEIL CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS

Last month, veteran crime reporter José Armando Rodríguez was shot to death at his home in Ciudad Juárez on the Texas border, setting off another round of condemnation from IFEX members about the relentless violence that is stifling critical journalism in Mexico.

Mexico

UN CHRONIQUEUR JUDICIAIRE CHEVRONNÉ EST ABATTU À CIUDAD JUÁREZ

Mexico

MÉXICO VETERANO REPORTERO POLICÍACO MUERTO A TIROS EN CIUDAD JUÁREZ

Mexico

VETERAN CRIME REPORTER SHOT DEAD IN CIUDAD JUÁREZ

A crime reporter was shot to death outside his home last week in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the Committee to Protect Journalists and other IFEX members.

Mexico

LES ASSASSINATS DE JOURNALISTES METTENT EN LUMIÈRE LA TENDANCE À LA VIOLENCE CONTRE LES MÉDIAS EN AMÉRIQUE LATINE

Mexico

ASESINATOS DE PERIODISTAS DESTACAN TENDENCIA DE VIOLENCIA CONTRA MEDIOS EN AMÉRICA LATINA

Mexico

JOURNALISTS' MURDERS HIGHLIGHT TREND OF VIOLENCE AGAINST MEDIA IN LATIN AMERICA

Last week, a bullet-ridden body was found in a garbage dump on the outskirts of Lázaro Cárdenas, a city in the western state of Michoacán in Mexico. It belonged to Miguel Ángel Villagómez Valle, the editor of a Michoacán newspaper. He was last seen leaving the office a day earlier, on 9 October.

Mexico

UN ANIMATEUR DE LA RADIO EST ABATTU DANS LE TABASCO

Mexico

LOCUTOR DE RADIO BALEADO EN TABASCO

Mexico

RADIO HOST GUNNED DOWN IN TABASCO

A radio announcer dedicated to fighting organised crime in his community was killed last week in Tabasco, southeastern Mexico, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET) and regional and international press freedom groups.

Mexico

AUTOR Y CINEASTA DE DOCUMENTALES ASESINADO

Mexico

UN AUTEUR ET UN DOCUMENTARISTE SONT ASSASSINÉS

Mexico

AUTHOR AND DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER MURDERED

Anthropologist, author and filmmaker Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez Ávila was apparently beaten to death in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero on 26 July 2008. The Writers in Prison Committee of International PEN (WiPC) says his murder may be related to his documentation of attacks against an indigenous community radio station.

Mexico

DIFUSIÓN COMUNITARIA ATACADA EN TRES PAÍSES Y PROMOVIDA EN URUGUAY

Mexico

POLICÍA FEDERAL CIERRA ESTACIÓN DE RADIO COMUNITARIA

Mexico

LA POLICE FÉDÉRALE FERME UNE STATION DE RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE

Mexico

FEDERAL POLICE CLOSE COMMUNITY RADIO STATION

Tierra y Libertad is a community radio station in Monterrey in the northeast of Mexico with a broadcasting radius of four kilometres - just far enough to hit some of the poorest neighbourhoods in Monterrey's west end. It's been on the air for seven years, giving the locals news and analysis on education, health, culture, human rights and labour issues. So it came as some surprise when a large armed police contingent surrounded the station and forced its closure one Friday this month, in what ARTICLE 19 - Mexico and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) say is an alarming case of the "criminalisation of free expression."

Mexico

FUNCIONARIO CALIFICA A DEFENSORA DE LIBRE EXPRESIÓN DE "ENEMIGA DEL ESTADO" DURANTE MISIÓN

Mexico

LORS D'UNE MISSION, UN RESPONSABLE GOUVERNEMENTAL QUALIFIE UNE CHAMPIONNE DE LA LIBRE EXPRESSION D'« ENNEMIE DE L'ÉTAT »

Mexico

OFFICIAL CALLS FREE EXPRESSION ADVOCATE "ENEMY OF THE STATE" DURING MISSION

The international vice-president of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) was called an "enemy of the state" by a high-ranking government official while on a free expression mission to Mexico.

Mexico

MISIÓN INTERNACIONAL SE DIRIGE A MÉXICO PARA INVESTIGAR INFRACCIONES

Mexico

LA MISSION INTERNATIONALE SE REND AU MEXIQUE POUR FAIRE ENQUÊTE SUR DES VIOLATIONS

Mexico

INTERNATIONAL MISSION HEADS TO MEXICO TO INVESTIGATE VIOLATIONS

On the heels of the murder of two female indigenous radio broadcasters, an international mission has gone to Mexico to assess the country's deteriorating press freedom situation.

Mexico

REPORTERA DE INVESTIGACIÓN MEXICANA GANA PREMIO A LALIBERTAD DE PRENSA UNESCO

Mexico

UNE JOURNALISTE D'ENQUÊTE MEXICAINE REMPORTE LE PRIX DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE DE L'UNESCO

Mexico

MEXICAN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER WINS UNESCO PRESS FREEDOM PRIZE

A Mexican reporter who has been the target of death threats, sabotage, defamation suits and police harassment because of her work uncovering prostitution and child pornography networks is this year's winner of the prestigious Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, awarded by UNESCO.

Mexico

« POUVOIRS PARALLÈLES » : PRINCIPALE MENACE À LA LIBRE EXPRESSION AU MEXIQUE, CONCLUT LE CEPET

Mexico

"PODERES PARALELOS" SON LA PRINCIPAL AMENAZA A LA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN EN MÉXICO, ENCUENTRA CEPET

Mexico

"PARALLEL POWERS" MAIN THREAT TO FREE EXPRESSION IN MEXICO, FINDS CEPET

"Parallel powers" ("poderes paralelos") were behind almost a third of all attacks on free expression last year in Mexico, says a new report by the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET).

Mexico

UNO DE CADA DOS TRABAJADORES INDEPENDIENTES MEXICANOS HA SIDO ACOSADO, DICE ESTUDIO

Mexico

UN PIGISTE MEXICAIN SUR DEUX CONSULTÉS A ÉTÉ HARCELÉ, DIT UNE ÉTUDE

Mexico

ONE IN TWO MEXICAN FREELANCERS SURVEYED HAS BEEN HARASSED, STUDY FINDS

One in two freelance newsgatherers in Mexico, the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists, has been threatened or attacked, says a new survey by the Rory Peck Trust, an organisation dedicated to supporting and protecting freelancers. And more than half of those attacks come from local government, police and the military, the trust says.

Mexico

LE GOUVERNEMENT RESTE SILENCIEUX AU SUJET DE LA VAGUE RÉCENTE D'ATTAQUES CONTRE LA PRESSE

Mexico

GOBIERNO GUARDA SILENCIO SOBRE RECIENTE OLEADA DE ATAQUES CONTRA LA PRENSA

Mexico

GOVERNMENT SILENT ON RECENT SPATE OF ATTACKS ON PRESS

Three journalists killed. A crime reporter goes into exile. A newspaper is forced to cut down on crime reporting for security reasons. Dozens of journalists attacked or threatened. All this in Mexico so far this year - and the government has once again failed to respond, say ARTICLE 19 - Mexico, the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) - Mexico, the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), the National Center for Social Communication (CENCOS) and other Mexican rights groups.

Mexico

BALEAN Y MATAN A REPORTERO LOCAL

Mexico

UN REPORTER LOCAL EST ABATTU

Mexico

LOCAL REPORTER SHOT DEAD

A newspaper reporter who covered agriculture and occasionally crime in the central state of Michoacán, Mexico was shot dead last weekend, report the Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (Centro de Periodismo y Etica Publica, CEPET), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Mexico

SUPREMA CORTE FALLA CONTRA PERIODISTA LYDIA CACHO

Mexico

LA COUR SUPRÊME TRANCHE CONTRE LA JOURNALISTE LYDIA CACHO

Mexico

SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST JOURNALIST LYDIA CACHO

IFEX members have condemned the Mexican Supreme Court's decision on 29 November that a local governor did not violate the rights of a journalist who had exposed a paedophile ring when he had her jailed on defamation charges.

Mexico

TRES TRABAJADORES MUERTOS A TIROS EN VEHÍCULO DE PERIÓDICO

Mexico

TROIS TRAVAILLEURS ABATTUS DANS LE CAMION DE DISTRIBUTION D'UN JOURNAL

Mexico

THREE WORKERS SHOT DEAD IN NEWSPAPER VAN

Three distributors of the newspaper "El Imparcial del Istmo" were attacked and shot dead on 8 October on a highway in Oaxaca, following weeks of threats made to the paper, report Mexican member the National Centre for Social Communication (Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social, CENCOS), ARTICLE 19 and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

MIEMBROS DE IFEX Y SOCIOS INTENSIFICAN ORGANIZACIÓN DE CAMPAÑA POR LA LIBERTAD DE PRENSA

Mexico

MEMBRES ET PARTENAIRES DE L'IFEX ACCENTUENT LEUR CAMPAGNE EN FAVEUR DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE

Mexico

IFEX MEMBERS AND PARTNERS STEP UP PRESS FREEDOM CAMPAIGNING

In Mexico, now the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists after Iraq, press freedom advocates and journalists have teamed up to fight against free expression violations and restrictions in the country.

Mexico

GOBIERNO MEXICANO ES INEFICAZ PARA PROTEGER PERIODISTAS, DICEN MIEMBROS DE IFEX

Mexico

LE GOUVERNEMENT MEXICAIN INCAPABLE DE PROTÉGER LES JOURNALISTES, DISENT LES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX

Mexico

MEXICAN GOVERNMENT INEFFECTIVE IN PROTECTING JOURNALISTS, SAY IFEX MEMBERS

Mexico is the second most dangerous country after Iraq for journalists, and the Mexican government is to blame for being grossly ineffective in protecting journalists and the right to freedom of expression, five IFEX members and three other human rights groups told the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

Mexico

TROIS MEMBRES DE L'IFEX DEMANDENT DES LOIS DÉMOCRATIQUES SUR LES MÉDIAS COMMUNAUTAIRES

Mexico

TRES MIEMBROS DE IFEX PIDEN LEYES DE MEDIOS COMUNITARIOS DEMOCRÁTICAS

Mexico

THREE IFEX MEMBERS CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY MEDIA LAWS

IFEX members ARTICLE 19, the National Centre for Social Communications (Centro Nacional de Comunicacíon Social, CENCOS) and the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) are demanding that Congress proceed with major reforms to the Radio and Television Law that would allow for more diversity in the media.

Mexico

L'ANNÉE 2006 AURA ÉTÉ LA PIRE DE L'HISTOIRE POUR LES MÉDIAS MEXICAINS, CONCLUT UN RAPPORT

Mexico

EL AÑO 2006 FUE EL PEOR PARA MEDIOS DE MÉXICO, AFIRMA INFORME

Mexico

2006 WORST YEAR YET FOR MEXICO'S MEDIA, REPORT FINDS

State authorities, armed groups and drug cartels made 2006 the worst year on record for Mexico's media, say ARTICLE 19, the National Center for Social Communication (Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social, CENCOS), Fundación Manuel Buendía, and Mexico's press union (Sindicato Nacional de redactores de la prensa, SNRP) in their annual assessment of press freedom in the country.

Mexico

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX FONT CAMPAGNE CONTRE LES PUISSANCES EN PLACE; UN REPORTER EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

MIEMBROS DE IFEX HACEN CAMPAÑAS CONTRA PODERES PARALELOS; REPORTERO ASESINADO

Mexico

IFEX MEMBERS CAMPAIGN AGAINST RULING POWERS; REPORTER MURDERED

The same day that Latin American members of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) gathered in Mexico City to discuss how to hold the "poderes paralelos", or "ruling powers", to account for the increase in attacks on the media, a journalist was kidnapped in the northwestern part of the country. He was found murdered a week later, on 23 April, according to Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

UN CORRESPONDANT DE LA TÉLÉVISION ABATTU DANS UNE VAGUE D'HOMICIDES

Mexico

CORRESPONSAL DE TV BALEADO EN MEDIO DE OLA DE ASESINATOS

Mexico

TV CORRESPONDENT GUNNED DOWN AMID WAVE OF KILLINGS

Press groups worldwide are demanding justice for a TV correspondent who was gunned down in southern Mexico on 6 April in an apparent premeditated hit. His murder added to a flurry of killings across the country that left 14 dead in a 24-hour period.

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 ENCUENTRA QUE LIBERTAD DE EXPRESIÓN EN EL PAÍS SIGUE LIMITADA

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 CONSTATE QUE LA LIBERTÉ D'EXPRESSION EST TOUJOURS LIMITÉE DANS LE PAYS

Mexico

ARTICLE 19 MISSION FINDS FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION STILL LIMITED

Despite ground-breaking steps by the Mexican government to broaden access to information, freedom of the media in the country remains "particularly troubling and worrisome," an ARTICLE 19 mission has found.

Mexico

ON EXIGE LA PROTECTION DES STATIONS DE RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE

Mexico

PIDEN PROTECCIÓN PARA ESTACIONES DE RADIO COMUNITARIAS

Mexico

PROTECTION URGED FOR COMMUNITY RADIO STATIONS

Following increased threats and attacks on community radio stations in Mexico, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR) has urged the Mexican government to ensure the safety of community radio workers and protect their freedom of expression.

Mexico

NUEVE PERIODISTAS MUERTOS EN 2006

Mexico

NEUF JOURNALISTES TUÉS EN 2006

Mexico

NINE JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2006

It has been a bloody year for journalists in Mexico, with nine killed in 2006, according to Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Mexico

MÉXICO ENCUENTRAN MUERTO A PERIODISTA DESAPARECIDO

Mexico

UN JOURNALISTE QUI ÉTAIT PORTÉ DISPARU EST TROUVÉ MORT

Mexico

MISSING JOURNALIST FOUND SLAIN

Police in the Mexican state of Veracruz are investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder of reporter Adolfo Sánchez Guzmán, whose body was found near Mendoza on 30 November 2006.

Mexico

LE NOMBRE DES MEURTRES DE JOURNALISTES CONTINUE DE S'ACCROÎTRE

Mexico

ASESINATOS DE PERIODISTAS CONTINÚAN EN ASCENSO

Mexico

OTRO PERIODISTA ASESINADO

Mexico

MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS CONTINUE TO RISE

In Mexico, at least five journalists have been killed this year, prompting IFEX members to express serious concern for press freedom in the country. On 21 November 2006, Roberto Marcos García became the latest casualty, the third in November alone.

Mexico

UN AUTRE JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

ANOTHER JOURNALIST KILLED

Eleven days after journalist Misuel Tamayo Hernández was found dead in a motel room in Zihuatanejo in the Mexican state of Guerrero, another journalist has been killed, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Mexico

ASESINAN A EDITOR DE DIARIO EN ESTADO DE GUERRERO

Mexico

LE RÉDACTEUR EN CHEF D'UN QUOTIDIEN DE L'ÉTAT DE GUERRERO EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

EDITOR OF GUERRERO STATE DAILY MURDERED

Misael Tamayo Hernández, editor and owner of the daily "El Despertar de la Costa", was found dead in a motel room in Zihuatanejo, a Pacific coastal resort town in the southern state of Guerrero, on 10 November 2006, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Mexico

PERIODISTA MUERTO Y FOTÓGRAFO HERIDO EN ENFRENTAMIENTOS EN OAXACA

Mexico

UN JOURNALISTE EST ASSASSINÉ ET UN PHOTOGRAPHE BLESSÉ DANS DES AFFRONTEMENTS À OAXACA

Mexico

JOURNALIST KILLED, PHOTOGRAPHER WOUNDED IN OAXACA CLASHES

A U.S. journalist has been killed and a Mexican photographer wounded in the state of Oaxaca while covering clashes between protesters and paramilitary groups linked to the ruling provincial PRI party, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Mexico

MANIFESTANTES TOMAN ESTACIONES DE RADIO

Mexico

DES PROTESTATAIRES S'EMPARENT DE STATIONS DE RADIO

Mexico

PROTESTERS SEIZE RADIO STATIONS

In the Mexican state of Oaxaca, one of the poorest in the country, tensions are high following the takeover of 12 private radio stations by demonstrators protesting low teaching wages and government corruption, report the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS).

Mexico

REPORTERO VETERANO ASESINADO

Mexico

UN REPORTER CHEVRONNÉ EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

VETERAN REPORTER MURDERED

Mexican authorities are investigating the death of Enrique Perea Quintanilla on 9 August 2006 in the city of Chihuahua to determine whether he was killed for his work as a journalist, report the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS), the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

INSTAN A CANDIDATOS PRESIDENCIALES A PROMOVER TRANSPARENCIA

Mexico

LES CANDIDATS À LA PRÉSIDENCE SONT PRIÉS DE PRENDRE POSITION EN FAVEUR DE LA TRANSPARENCE

Mexico

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES URGED TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY

As Mexicans await the final results of the most closely contested presidential election in the country's history, the National Centre for Social Communication (Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social, CENCOS) and ARTICLE 19 have joined 13 other civil society organisations in urging the new government to publicly pledge its commitment to transparency, accountability and the right to access information.

Mexico

LES RÉFORMES DU DROIT DES MÉDIAS BIEN ACCUEILLIES

Mexico

ENCOMIAN LEY DE MEDIOS

Mexico

MEDIA LAW REFORMS HAILED

Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has passed two bills that would eliminate criminal defamation, libel and slander laws from federal statutes, and protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources to authorities, a move applauded by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Mexico

DES JOURNAUX S'UNISSENT POUR COMBATTRE L'IMPUNITÉ QUI ENTOURE LES MEURTRES DE JOURNALISTES

Mexico

PERIÓDICOS SE UNEN PARA COMBATIR LA IMPUNIDAD EN ASESINATOS DE PERIODISTAS

Mexico

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).

Mexico

DEUX JOURNALISTES SONT ASSASSINÉS

Mexico

DOS PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS

Mexico

TWO JOURNALISTS MURDERED

Two journalists were murdered in Mexico last week, prompting the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to call for thorough investigations into the deaths.

Mexico

LA VIOLENCE ET LA PEUR DÉSORGANISENT COMPLÈTEMENT LES MÉDIAS D'UNE VILLE FRONTALIÈRE MEXICAINE, DIT LE CPJ

Mexico

VIOLENCIA Y TEMOR CAUSAN CONFUSIÓN EN MEDIOS DE CIUDAD FRONTERIZA: CPJ

Mexico

VIOLENCE AND FEAR WREAK HAVOC ON MEXICAN BORDER CITY'S MEDIA: CPJ

In the border city of Nuevo Laredo in Northern Mexico, where violent crime and corruption are rampant, local media have been cowed into silence and self-censorship, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

UN PROCUREUR SPÉCIAL FERA ENQUÊTE SUR LES MEURTRES DE JOURNALISTES

Mexico

FISCAL ESPECIAL INVESTIGARÁ ASESINATOS DE PERIODISTAS

Mexico

SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO PROBE JOURNALISTS' SLAYINGS

Mexican president Vicente Fox has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against journalists in response to a rash of murders that have fostered a climate of fear among media organisations in the country's border regions, reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

DES JOURNALISTES S'APPRÊTENT À ENQUÊTER SUR LES ASSASSINS DE LEURS COLLÈGUES

Mexico

JOURNALISTS TO PROBE COLLEAGUES' MURDERS

Journalists from Mexico have announced plans to conduct joint investigations into the unsolved murders of colleagues, following a meeting in Nuevo Laredo organised last week by the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Mexico

MEXIQUE: LA SIP FAIT CAMPAGNE CONTRE L'IMPUNITÉ

Mexico

MÉXICO: CAMPAÑAS DE SIP CONTRA IMPUNIDAD

Mexico

MEXICO: IAPA CAMPAIGNS AGAINST IMPUNITY

4 October 2005

Mexico

LA SIP EXERCE DES PRESSIONS SUR LE GOUVERNEMENT À PROPOS DES ASSASSINATS DES JOURNALISTES

Mexico

SIP PRESIONA A GOBIERNO POR ASESINATOS DE PERIODISTAS

Mexico

IAPA PRESSES GOVERNMENT ON JOURNALISTS' MURDERS

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has urged Mexican President Vicente Fox to make crimes against freedom of expression federal offences and to stiffen penalties for those found guilty of them.

Mexico

MÉXICO: REPORTERO POLICIACO DESAPARECIDO

Mexico

MEXIQUE : UN CHRONIQUEUR JUDICIAIRE EST PORTÉ DISPARU

Mexico

DES MEMBRES DE L'IFEX EXIGENT LA FIN DE L'IMPUNITÉ

Mexico

MEXICO: CRIME REPORTER MISSING

28 June 2005

Mexico

IFEX MEMBERS CALL FOR END TO IMPUNITY

The unsolved murders of journalists working in northern Mexico near the US border have perpetuated a climate of impunity that makes the region one of the most dangerous in Latin America for the media, say the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF).

Mexico

LES CENTRES DU PEN SE JOIGNENT À UNE COALITION DE LUTTE CONTRE L'IMPUNITÉ

Mexico

CENTROS PEN SE UNEN A COALICIÓN CONTRA IMPUNIDAD

Mexico

UNE JOURNALISTE SUCCOMBE À SES BLESSURES

Mexico

REPORTERA HERIDA MUERE

Mexico

WOUNDED REPORTER DIES

Mexican reporter Dolores Guadalupe García Escamilla, who was shot nine times by an unidentified gunman on 5 April 2005 in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, has died, report the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Mexico

DES JOURNALISTES VISÉS PAR LES TRAFIQUANTS DE DROGUE

Mexico

PERIODISTA ATACADO POR TRAFICANTES DE DROGAS

Mexico

JOURNALISTS TARGETED BY DRUG TRAFFICKERS

In Mexico, journalists risk grave danger in covering drug trafficking. In 2004, two journalists were murdered in the cities of Tijuana and Matamoros because of their work. In the past two weeks, an editor was gunned down, a crime reporter narrowly survived an assassination attempt and a correspondent specialising in drug trafficking went missing, reported IFEX members.

Mexico

UN PHOTOGRAPHE EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

FOTÓGRAFO MUERTO

Mexico

PHOTOGRAPHER KILLED

On 27 November 2004, Mexican photographer Gregorio Rodríguez was gunned down in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, reports the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

Mexico

LE CPJ ENQUÊTE SUR UN MEURTRE À TIJUANA

Mexico

CPJ INVESTIGA ASESINATO EN TIJUANA

Mexico

CPJ INVESTIGATES TIJUANA MURDER

For Jesús Blancornelas, editor of Mexico's muckraking newspaper "Zeta," the price for investigating Tijuana's powerful drug cartels has been very high. He is a virtual prisoner, moving only between home and office accompanied by 20 heavily armed bodyguards. Three "Zeta" staff members have been murdered, the most recent being Blancornelas' co-editor, Francisco Ortiz Franco, gunned down in front of his children in June 2004.

Mexico

LE GOUVERNEMENT MANIFESTE SON APPUI À LA RADIO COMMUNAUTAIRE

Mexico

GOBIERNO DA SEÑAL DE APOYO PARA RADIO COMUNITARIA

Mexico

GOVERNMENT SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY RADIO

The Mexican government is sending "positive signals" to supporters of community radio in the country, saying social groups and communities should be given equal opportunities to access public airwaves, reports the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).

Mexico

AGISSEZ ! MEXIQUE : LA SIP PRESSE À L'ACTION CONTRE L'IMPUNITÉ

Mexico

¡ACTÚE! MÉXICO SIP INSTA A REALIZAR ACCIONES CONTRA IMPUNIDAD

Mexico

TAKE ACTION! MEXICO: IAPA URGES ACTION AGAINST IMPUNITY

5 October 2004

Mexico

UN CHRONIQUEUR EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

COLUMNISTA ASESINADO

Mexico

COLUMNIST MURDERED

IFEX members have condemned the killing of Mexican newspaper columnist Francisco Arratia Saldierna, who was beaten to death by unidentified assailants in the northern border city of Matamoros on 31 August 2004.

Mexico

LES AUTORITÉS FÉDÉRALES PRENNENT EN MAIN L'ENQUÊTE SUR LE MEURTRE D'UN JOURNALISTE

Mexico

AUTORIDADES FEDERALES SE HACEN CARGO DE INVESTIGACIÓN DE ASESINATO

Mexico

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES TAKE OVER MURDER INVESTIGATION

An investigation into the June 2004 murder of Mexican journalist Francisco Javier Ortiz Franco is now being taken up by federal prosecutors, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontierès, RSF).

Mexico

L'OEA VEUT UN RAPPORT DU GOUVERNEMENT SUR L'AFFAIRE D'UN JOURNALISTE ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

OEA BUSCA INFORME GUBERNAMENTAL SOBRE PERIODISTAS ASESINADOS

Mexico

OAS SEEKS GOVERNMENT REPORT ON MURDERED JOURNALIST

The Organization of American States' Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, has requested a report from the Mexican government concerning the murder of journalist Roberto Mora García, citing inconsistencies in the official investigation into the case.

Mexico

LES MEMBRES DE L’IFEX CONDAMNENT LE MEURTRE D’UN JOURNALISTE

Mexico

MIEMBROS DE IFEX CONDENAN ASESINATO DE PERIODISTA

Mexico

IFEX MEMBERS CONDEMN JOURNALIST'S MURDER

Seven IFEX members have expressed outrage at the murder of respected Mexican journalist Francisco J. Ortiz Franco, who was gunned down in broad daylight on 22 June 2004 in Tijuana, northern Mexico.

Mexico

DECRECEN ATAQUES CONTRA MEDIOS EN 2003, PERO LIBRE EXPRESIÓN SIGUE OBSTACULIZADA

Mexico

AGISSEZ! MEXIQUE : LE GOUVERNEUR DU CHIAPAS EST PRIÉ D'ABOLIR LES RÉCENTES « RÉFORMES » RÉPRESSIVES DU CODE PÉNAL

Mexico

LE NOMBRE DES ATTAQUES CONTRE LES MÉDIAS A DIMINUÉ EN 2003, MAIS LA LIBRE EXPRESSION EST TOUJOURS ENTRAVÉE

Mexico

MEDIA ATTACKS DOWN IN 2003, BUT FREE EXPRESSION STILL HINDERED

Even though there was a 50 per cent drop in direct attacks on journalists in Mexico in 2003, the Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (National Center for Social Communication, CENCOS) says there were still 260 cases of free expression violations registered.

Mexico

LE CHEF DE LA RÉDACTION D'UNE PUBLICATION EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

DIRECTOR EDITORIAL ASESINADO

Mexico

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR MURDERED

Journalists Against Corruption (Periodistas frente a la corrupción, PFC), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) are calling on Mexican authorities to investigate the murder of journalist Roberto Javier Mora García, who was killed in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo on 19 March 2004.

Mexico

DES JUGES ET DES JOURNALISTES MEXICAINS ENTAMENT LE DIALOGUE

Mexico

JUECES Y PERIODISTAS MEXICANOS INICIAN DIÁLOGO

Mexico

MEXICAN JUDGES, JOURNALISTS ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE

Judges and journalists from Mexico will be engaging in dialogue this week to deepen understanding on press freedom and the law, reports the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Mexico

LE RAPPORTEUR DE L'OEA EN VISITE AU MEXIQUE

Mexico

RELATOR DE LA OEA VISITARÁ MÉXICO

Mexico

OAS RAPPORTEUR TO VISIT MEXICO

The Organization of American States' Special Rapporteur on Free Expression, Eduardo Bertoni, will visit Mexico from 18 to 26 August to assess the state of free expression there, reports the Rapporteur's Office.

Mexico

SIP ENCOMIA NUEVA LEY DE ACCESO A LA INFORMACIÓN

Mexico

LA SIP SALUE LA NOUVELLE LOI D?ACCÈS À L?INFORMATION

Mexico

IAPA PRAISES NEW ACCESS TO INFORMATION LAW

The government of Mexico has passed the country's first access to information law, drawing praise from the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and the Organisation of American States' Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression. Passed by Congress on 30 April, the Law on Transparency and Access to Public Information is a good first step, says IAPA, although "much needs to be done" to ensure "all Mexican citizens will have access to information when they request it."

Mexico

PERIODISTA ASESINADO; GENERAL DEL EJÉRCITO LIBERADO

Mexico

UN JOURNALISTE PERD LA VIE; UN GÉNÉRAL DE L'ARMÉE EST LIBÉRÉ

Mexico

JOURNALIST KILLED; ARMY GENERAL FREED

Julio Samuel Morales Ferron, a columnist for the daily "El Sol de Medio Día", was murdered on 1 February in Mexico City, becoming the second journalist in two weeks to be killed in the country. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that the body of the 79-year old journalist was found in the offices of the Mexican Radio and Television Association (MRTA). His throat had been slit. Morales Ferron was the president of MRTA and also wrote for a number of other media outlets. RSF says a Mexico City prosecutor is rejecting claims that Morales Ferron's death was politically motivated or the subject of a robbery. "El Sol de Medio Día" editor Humberto Hernández says the columnist was not conducting any investigative activities at the time of his murder and his criticisms were not polemic.

Mexico

EDITOR ASESINADO

Mexico

ASSASSINAT DU DIRECTEUR D?UNE PUBLICATION

Mexico

EDITOR ASSASSINATED

Félix Fernández Garcia, editor of the magazine "Nueva Opcion", was shot and killed on the night of 18 January in the Mexican border town of Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, after two individuals sprayed machine-gun fire at him from a passing vehicle, report the National Center for Social Communication (CENCOS) and the International Federation of Journalists' Human Rights Section for Latin America (IFJ/L). Fernández Garcia, accompanied by bodyguards Martín Acosta and Carlos Domínguez, was shot while exiting a restaurant half a block away from the Municipal Palace. Acosta and Dominguez survived the shooting and were taken to a local jail for questioning.

Mexico

UN AUTRE JOURNALISTE TUÉ PRÈS DE LA FRONTIÈRE AMÉRICAINE

Mexico

MÉXICO: OTRO PERIODISTA ASESINADO CERCA DE FRONTERA CON ESTADOS UNIDOS

Mexico

MEXICO: ANOTHER JOURNALIST KILLED NEAR U.S. BORDER

Saúl Antonio Martínez Gutiérrez, deputy editor of the daily "El Imparcial" published in Matamoros, was found dead on 24 March, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Martínez Gutiérrez was found by police between the towns of Matamoros and Río Bravo, near the border with Texas, with four 9mm bullets in the head, says RSF. Bruises on his body suggest that he had been tortured, adds CPJ. The journalist disappeared the evening before, while he was investigating Ignacio Coronel, a narcotics trafficker in the region, says RSF.

Mexico

EN ESTADO FRONTERIZO, NUEVO PRESIDENTE SE COMPROMETE A NO REGULAR PRENSA

Mexico

LE NOUVEAU PRÉSIDENT S?ENGAGE À NE PAS RÉGLEMENTER LA PRESSE

Mexico

JOURNALIST KILLED IN BORDER STATE, NEW PRESIDENT PLEDGES NOT TO REGULATE PRESS

José Luis Ortega Mata, publication director for the weekly "Semanario de Ojinaga", was shot twice in the head and killed by two assassins on 19 February, according to Reporters sans frontières (RSF). The weekly is circulated in the northern region of Chihuahua state and on the other side of the U.S. border, in the cities of Odessa and Milan in Texas. On 15 February, the journalist published information on drug trafficking in the region, reports RSF. "Northern Mexican states, bordering on the United States, are a particularly dangerous region for journalists," says RSF. At least two other journalists have been killed for their work in Chihuahua state since 1991.

Mexico

EL PRI RETIENE CONTROL DE LOS MEDIOS

Mexico

LE PRI PRÉSERVE SON CONTRÔLE SUR LES MÉDIAS

Mexico

PRI RETAINS CONTROL OVER MEDIA

The Mexican media continues to face "unofficial censorship" from the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) despite the recent win of Vincente Fox, of the National Action Party (PAN) in the presidential elections in July, writes Federico Campbell Pena in an article published by "Index on Censorship". Although PAN's victory has ended 70 years of PRI's presidential power, it is insufficient to breaking the party's stranglehold on the media, says Campbell. "Years of corruption in Mexican politics have severely challenged the independence of the country's media," and "true press freedom will remain a chimera in Mexico for the foreseeable future."

Mexico

CONTINÚAN LAS VIOLACIONES A LA LIBRE EXPRESIÓN, DICE INFORME DE CENCOS

Mexico

LES VIOLATIONS DE LA LIBERTÉ DE LA PRESSE SE POURSUIVENT, DIT CENCOS

Mexico

FREE EXPRESSION VIOLATIONS CONTINUE, SAYS CENCOS REPORT

Despite the fact that in the last five years, the fight for free expression has become stronger, paradoxically or perhaps consequently, the large number of attacks and restrictions placed on the media continues to threaten the journalistic profession, says the Centro Nacional de Comunicacion Social (CENCOS) in its review of press freedom in Mexico in 1999. Over the course of 1999, there were 135 registered cases of attacks on media and journalists, a 33 per cent decrease from the 202 cases in 1998 and a 28 per cent decrease from the 187 cases documented in 1997. The decrease in the number of attacks, however, does not necessarily mean that free expression has improved, states CENCOS, noting that the figures were lower in 1995 and 1996 than in 1999.

Mexico

CONTRÔLE TRÈS SERRÉ DES INFORMATIONS AU CHIAPAS

Mexico

NOTICIAS ESTRECHAMENTE CONTROLADAS EN CHIAPAS

Mexico

NEWS TIGHTLY CONTROLLED IN CHIAPAS

The flow of information is tightly controlled in Chiapas by both the authorities and the Zapatista rebels, reports the International Press Institute's (IPI) "IPI Report" (Fourth Quarter 1998.) James Smith of the "Los Angeles Times" reports for IPI on his trip to Chiapas in an article entitled "In Chiapas, the Search for Truth is Frustrating." Smith describes his journey to the conflict-ridden state of Chiapas in southern Mexico as one series of roadblocks after another. Since the 1994 uprising by the rebels, the government has kept a heavy army presence in the state. They set up roadblocks into zones declared autonomous by the Zapatistas and their supporters - who in turn set up their own roadblocks at the entrance to each community. Sometimes Smith was unable to obtain permission to talk to anybody, other times he had to wait at length for an official Zapatista spokesperson to comment on the current situation. Since the massacre in December 1997 of 45 Zapatista supporters in Acteal, the region has been very tense, and there have been "increasingly bloody clashes," says Smith.

Mexico

PERIODISTA ESTADOUNIDENSE PHILIP TRUE ASESINADO

Mexico

LE JOURNALISTE AMÉRICAIN PHILIP TRUE EST ASSASSINÉ

Mexico

US JOURNALIST PHILIP TRUE MURDERED

Journalist Philip True, Mexico correspondent for the United States-based "San Antonio Express-News" was found murdered in Mexico earlier this month in suspicious circumstances, report the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters sans frontières (RSF) . CPJ says, "Because of the circumstances of this crime, we fear that True may have been murdered in reprisal for his work as a journalist." According to his editors and family members, True left his home in Mexico City on 28 November for a ten-day reporting trip through the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental of Nayarit and Jalisco states. After visiting the region earlier this year, True had filed a memo with his editors at the paper in April outlining a major project on the local Huichol Indians. True was last seen alive in the village of Chalmotitia on 4 December.