massacre! Within 48 hours, two prominent Mexican journalists were killed, and the press demanded justice from the prosecutor's office

Source: Global Times

According to Mexican media reports on the 2nd, Mexico is experiencing a black week in the press - two famous journalists have been killed in less than 48 hours. On October 28, Mexican journalist López Arevaro was shot dead in front of his home in Chiapas. A day later, a group of militants attacked another photojournalist, Alfredo Cadoso — kidnapping and imprisoning him for several hours before throwing him on a street after being shot five times, eventually dying of ineffective medical treatment. Nine media workers have been killed in Mexico so far this year, more than last year combined.

According to Agence France-Presse reported on the 1st, Sagardo, the governor of The Mexican state of Greiro, wrote on social media on the same day: "I would like to express my condolences to the family of the newsman Cardoso, and I deeply regret the loss of their loved ones." Sagardo said he had ordered the judiciary to follow up on the progress of the case.

Cardoso worked as a photojournalist in the state of Acapulco and recently founded an online news site. On Thursday, multiple men in hooded shirts broke into Cardoso's home to kidnap him and threaten his family. The next day, Cardoso was found lying in his car by a road and shot five times. He was immediately taken to hospital for treatment, but died three days later because of his injuries.

The city of Acapulco, where Cadoso is located, is near the sea and was once hailed as a pearl of Mexican tourism. Over the past decade, though, the city has emerged as a hotbed of drug violence in Mexico. Hernandez, another photojournalist in the city of Acapulco, said worriedly, "The situation for journalists in Acapulco and the whole of The State of Greyro is deteriorating." Some were threatened and had to move elsewhere. The situation is really dangerous. ”

Arévalo, who was previously killed, worked as a central American correspondent for Mexico's Financier and Cosmos newspapers, and is currently the head of Jovel magazine. A native of Chiapas, Arevaro has worked in journalism in Chiapas since the age of 21 and has since worked as a journalist for some media outlets in Mexico City, where he enjoys a high profile. Chiapas Governor Rutirio Escandon also tweeted: "I strongly condemn the murder of journalists, no crime will go unpunished, the investigation is ongoing, and I express solidarity with his family and friends." ”

The murder of two prominent journalists made local public opinion extremely angry. The Mexican press expressed its condolences and asked the Public Prosecutor's Office to do justice to the journalists killed. On Sunday, a group of Mexican journalists protested in the city of Acapulco to demand a thorough investigation of the murder of journalist Cardoso.

According to a report by Journalists Without Borders (RSF), 8 Mexican journalists were murdered in 2020, and Mexico was ranked as the deadliest country in the press. So far this year, nine journalists have been killed in Mexico. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) questioned the Mexican government's lack of support and protection for journalists and condemned most murders without conviction and the masterminds still at large.

CpJ also released the results of the annual Global Impunity Index, with Mexico ranking sixth for two consecutive years, behind Somalia, Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Afghanistan. According to the group's report, mexico has attacks on media workers every 13 hours.

Britain's Guardian said the country's murder rate has been steadily rising since Mexico's then-president, Calderon, announced a militarized crackdown on drug cartels in 2006. At the same time, attacks on journalists have increased dramatically. Analysts say the most dangerous are those journalists who cover local politics and the drug trade. NBC also reported on the 1st that most of the murders of journalists are because journalists are doing reports that expose corruption or organized crime. According to a U.S. State Department report, 94 percent of crimes committed in Mexico go unreported or investigated.

Calderón Infographic. Image source: Visual China

A Mexican civil society group estimates that nearly 9 of the 10 homicides in Mexico went unpunished. According to data provided in October by Alejandro Encinas, Deputy Minister for Human Rights, Population and Migration, there have been 47 killings of journalists and 97 killings of human rights defenders in Mexico in the last three years.