It can be deadly to ask questions about multibillion-dollar drug cartels or government corruption in Mexico, where more than 100 journalists have been murdered since 2000.
Ninety percent of those cases remain unsolved.
At least five journalists have been murdered in the country so far this year:
1. Carlos Dominguez, 72
Dominguez, a newspaper reporter and political columnist in the violent northern state of Tamaulipas, was attacked as he drove in his car with his son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren on January 13.
His attackers broke the driver’s side window and stabbed him 21 times, according to police.
In his last column, Dominguez condemned the violence sweeping Mexico in the build-up to the country’s July 1 elections.
In March, six suspects were arrested in the case.
2. Pamela Montenegro, 36
A video blogger on YouTube, Montenegro was known for a satirical character, “Nana Pelucas,” who poked fun at local politicians and spoke out against corruption cases in the southern state of Guerrero.
She was shot dead by gunmen inside a restaurant she owned in the Pacific coast resort city of Acapulco on February 5.
3. Leobardo Vazquez, 42
Vazquez was gunned down on March 21 outside his home in the eastern state of Veracruz, the deadliest for journalists in Mexico.
He had recently resigned from the newspaper where he worked, and administered a regional news page on Facebook.
4. Juan Carlos Huerta, 45
Huerta, a radio and television journalist, was shot dead on May 15 as he left his home in a suburb of Villahermosa, the capital of the southern state of Tabasco.
Mexican authorities have been criticized for downplaying murdered journalists’ work as a motive in their investigations, but state Governor Arturo Nunez, who called Huerta a friend, was categorical: “It was not a robbery. They came to execute him,” he said.
5. Hector Gonzalez, 40
Gonzalez, a correspondent for national daily Excelsior and local radio and TV stations in Tamaulipas, was found beaten to death on a dirt road Tuesday.
He covered politics and general news, including recent stories on his colleague Dominguez’s murder and the movement demanding answers on the fate of tens of thousands of missing persons in Mexico.
AFP
