The SRFOE condemns acts of violence against journalists and media outlets in Mexico

November 4, 2024

Washington D.C. - The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (SRFOE) of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the acts of violence against journalists and media outlets in Mexico. This Office calls on the State to carry out diligent and exhaustive investigations, as well as to identify and punish those responsible. It also expresses its willingness to dialogue with government representatives on the serious situation of violence faced by journalists in the country.

In 2024, the Office of the Special Rapporteur has recorded with concern the murder of at least seven media professionals, including journalists Enrique Hernández Avilez, Roberto Figueroa, Víctor Morales, Alejandro Martínez Noguez, Mauricio Cruz Solís and Patricia Ramírez González, as well as radio broadcaster Martín Antonio Olivier Rodríguez.

The most recent murder was that of journalist Patricia Ramírez González, which occurred on October 30 in Colima, Michoacán. According to available reports, the journalist was attacked with a firearm while she was in a commercial establishment. The Colima State Attorney General's Office has indicated that the assailant went to the place, fired and then fled. The Special Rapporteurship has recorded the announcement of investigation made by the Prosecutor's Office, which reported on the collection of evidence and the initiation of a thorough investigation to clarify the motives of the attack and locate those responsible.

The Special Rapporteurship also recorded the murder of journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís, which occurred on October 29 in Uruapan, Michoacán. According to public reports, the reporter for Minuto X Minuto Michoacán was shot at after conducting an interview with the municipal president. The Michoacán State Attorney General's Office has announced the opening of an investigation, informing that they are carrying out investigations at the scene in accordance with the protocol on crimes against journalists and human rights defenders.

This Office also learned of the murder of journalist Enrique Hernández Avilez, whose body was found on September 3 in a clandestine grave in the community of Espejo Potrero, located in Taxco de Alarcón, Guerrero. The journalist had been reported missing on June 20, after having been seen for the last time on June 18, according to information provided by the General Secretariat of Government. The Guerrero State Attorney General's Office has indicated that agents of the Taxco municipal police were involved in the crime. According to official reports, these agents were detained on August 29 and subsequently presented before a judge, who on August 31 ordered “justified preventive detention” for their alleged participation in the crime of forced disappearance.

In light of these facts, the Office of the Special Rapporteur emphasizes that the murder of journalists is the most extreme form of censorship and cannot be tolerated in democratic societies. It is the duty of States to prevent and investigate these crimes, punish those responsible and guarantee adequate reparations to the victims. According to Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR, “the murder, kidnapping, intimidation and threats to communicators, as well as the destruction of media outlets, violate fundamental rights and severely restrict freedom of expression”. The SRFOE has pointed out that these acts generate an effect of self-censorship that inhibits journalistic work and compromises the right of people to access and share information and ideas of all kinds.

In addition to these crimes, there are reports of aggressions, threats, kidnappings and attacks against the press and its facilities. For example, on October 17, the SRFOE documented an armed attack against the newspaper El Debate in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where armed individuals shot at the facilities, causing damage to several vehicles, including two of the newspaper's own. The following day, El Debate reported the kidnapping of its deliveryman, Sergio Cárdenas Hernández. The Special Rapporteurship takes note of the statements of the governor of Sinaloa and the mayor of Culiacán, who condemned the attack and pledged to improve the security of the media and journalists.

Likewise, the SRFOE registered the kidnapping of Alberto Toledo, son of journalist Marco Antonio Toledo, which occurred on the night of October 29 in Taxco, Guerrero, and lasted about nine hours. According to public reports, the journalist and his family had been kidnapped previously in November of last year.

In addition to these public events, journalists and communicators have directly informed the Office of the Special Rapporteur about deficiencies in the effectiveness of the protection measures assigned, as well as the weaknesses of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. This set of factors has generated a generalized feeling of fear, insecurity and lack of protection among press professionals, which in many cases has led them to self-censor, go into exile or abandon their profession. This, in turn, has contributed to the formation of zones of information silence in the country.

Faced with these facts, the SRFOE reiterates its call to the Mexican authorities to carry out diligent, thorough and impartial investigations in cases of crimes against journalists and attacks on the media.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur takes note of the efforts of the Government of Mexico to strengthen the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, as well as initiatives at the federal and state levels to address violence against journalists. According to information provided by the State to this Office, the budget for this mechanism has increased between 2018 and 2024 compared to previous years. For 2024, a budget of more than 599 million pesos has been authorized, which, according to the State, reflects its commitment to the protection of human rights defenders and journalists.

However, monitoring and reports received by this Office suggest that these efforts may be insufficient. Given the seriousness of the situation, the Office of the Special Rapporteur expresses its willingness to dialogue with government representatives in order to learn about the actions being implemented and to contribute to the strengthening of the measures adopted by the new administration to address the phenomenon of violence against journalists in Mexico. In this context, it also urges the Mexican State to maintain and deepen the efforts of the Working Group for the Strengthening of the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression is an office created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to stimulate the hemispheric defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression, considering its fundamental role in the consolidation and development of the democratic system.

No. R277/24

2:57 PM