Freedom of the press is under a severe threat in Mexico as drug cartels are becoming increasingly aggressive against journalists and politicians who dare to expose or confront them.
Journalists reporting on drug related topics report being confronted by gang members who try to destroy their equipment at a minimum, and resort to torture and murder at a maximum.
“Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world,” said Carlos Lauria, the senior Americas Program coordinator with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Recent reports of Mexican journalists facing kidnapping, harassment, and death have increased over the last year. Press freedom watchdogs CPJ and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have recorded some of the most dangerous incidents in Mexico.
In January, CPJ reported the case of Valentín Valdés Espinosa, 29, who was abducted, tortured, and killed after he and colleagues published a story about Mexican army raids that exposed the name of a drug cartel leader. The story had been published without a byline. His abductors left a note with Valdés’s body reading,“This is going to happen to those who don’t understand. The message is for everyone.”
Journalists reporting on the drug trade or law enforcement issues face not only attacks by criminal groups, but possible harassment by police or military forces as well.
On May 6, in El Porvenir in Chihuahua, reportedly Mexico’s most violent state, a reporter was threatened by soldiers and put at gunpoint while covering a story about three missing public officials, reported CPJ.
Even though the Mexican Constitution supports freedom of expression, Mexican journalists are restricted when it comes to reporting on criminal acts. “It’s related to the wars between the drug cartels,” said Lauria.
In April, two journalists were found in the mountains after they escaped an ambush on a human rights convoy they were accompanying. The workers were bringing relief to the village of San Juan Copala.
RSF said that state police had to be pressured by the reporters’ families, their employer, Contralínea newsweekly, and other media before they would send out a search party.
“Mexican society should have the right to freedom of expression,” said Lauria.
In the run up to elections on July 4, drug gangs have also threatened a number of anti-drug political candidates, killing at least one.
Journalists reporting on drug related topics report being confronted by gang members who try to destroy their equipment at a minimum, and resort to torture and murder at a maximum.
“Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists in the world,” said Carlos Lauria, the senior Americas Program coordinator with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Recent reports of Mexican journalists facing kidnapping, harassment, and death have increased over the last year. Press freedom watchdogs CPJ and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have recorded some of the most dangerous incidents in Mexico.
In January, CPJ reported the case of Valentín Valdés Espinosa, 29, who was abducted, tortured, and killed after he and colleagues published a story about Mexican army raids that exposed the name of a drug cartel leader. The story had been published without a byline. His abductors left a note with Valdés’s body reading,“This is going to happen to those who don’t understand. The message is for everyone.”
Journalists reporting on the drug trade or law enforcement issues face not only attacks by criminal groups, but possible harassment by police or military forces as well.
On May 6, in El Porvenir in Chihuahua, reportedly Mexico’s most violent state, a reporter was threatened by soldiers and put at gunpoint while covering a story about three missing public officials, reported CPJ.
Even though the Mexican Constitution supports freedom of expression, Mexican journalists are restricted when it comes to reporting on criminal acts. “It’s related to the wars between the drug cartels,” said Lauria.
In April, two journalists were found in the mountains after they escaped an ambush on a human rights convoy they were accompanying. The workers were bringing relief to the village of San Juan Copala.
RSF said that state police had to be pressured by the reporters’ families, their employer, Contralínea newsweekly, and other media before they would send out a search party.
“Mexican society should have the right to freedom of expression,” said Lauria.
In the run up to elections on July 4, drug gangs have also threatened a number of anti-drug political candidates, killing at least one.
