A wave of violence against media professionals in Latin America has demanded more victims, with two journalists killed in less than a month in Ecuador.
Reporters Gerardo Delgado and Mike Cabrera died within three weeks in parallel cases. In both crimes, freedom of the press organizations request investigations from the authorities regarding their professional activities.
The year 2022 is already considered the most tragic year for the press in the region: 23 journalists have been killed so far, and 13 deaths have been recorded in Mexico alone. Haiti (3), Honduras (2), Brazil (1), Guatemala (1) and Chile (1) also committed crimes.
Journalist shot in car with daughter in Ecuador
Journalist Gerardo Delgado was the owner of the OlaManta tool, which maintains pages on Facebook and Instagram posting public service information and citizen complaints.
He was also a preliminary candidate for the council of the city of Manta.
He was shot on Wednesday (10) while driving with his teenage daughter in the state of Manabí.
Delgado did not recover from his injuries, but the boy was unharmed. Police detained two suspects in connection with the incident.
The reporter’s colleagues held a peaceful rally the day after the murder to pressure the authorities to investigate the causes of the crime.
Weeks ago, on July 24, journalist Mike Cabrera was also killed in Manabi state.
According to the Inter-American Press Association (SIP in Spanish), Cabrera was attacked while talking to other people on a street in the city of Portoviejo.
Two gunmen on a motorcycle shot them six times.
The 33-year-old reporter was in charge of the Nexo Digital page on social networks, where he posted topics of interest to the local community.
The IAPA condemned the crimes and demanded a system of protection for media professionals in Ecuador as provided for in the Communications Act.
“These new killings are a strong argument for the government to immediately activate a protection mechanism for journalists, such as those already in Brazil, Colombia, Honduras and Mexico,” said IAPA presidents Jorge Canahuati and Carlos Jornet. note. Chairman of the Press and Information Freedom Committee.
We ask the authorities to deepen the investigations, find those involved, ensure justice and prevent crimes from going unpunished, without giving up their journalistic activities,” he said.
Also Read | Press freedom in Latin America: Brazil among the ten worst countries, reveals global study
Mexico is the deadliest country for journalists in 2022
The high journalist mortality rate in Latin America is inflated by figures from Mexico: at least 13 media workers were killed in the country in 2022.
The figure warns journalists’ organizations that closely monitor the cases and put pressure on the Mexican government to protect the work of the press.
One of the most recent cases was: Antonio de la Cruz, 47 years oldWorking for the regional newspaper Expresso for almost 30 years.
He was shot dead on June 29 as he was leaving his home in Ciudad Victoria, in northeastern Mexico. His 29-year-old daughter was also shot and died in hospital.
De la Cruz reported on rural and social problems in the city, which borders the state of Tamaulipas, which is plagued by violence and organized crime.
As in Ecuador, in the country led by President Andrés Manuel Lopéz-Obrador, all deaths were journalists from community tools or local blogs.
This also happened in Brazil; Givanildo Oliveira of Ceará was killed in February after reporting on the news portal that a man accused of murder had been arrested.
Also Read | UNESCO world director calls for investigation to probe journalist’s death in Ceará
In July, Mexican journalist Rodolfo Fontes, who received death threats, took a drastic step to avoid the same fate as other colleagues killed in the country: he called directly to president Andrés Manuel López Obrador for security at a daily press conference. Leader in the press from the country.
In a compelling speech, he took advantage of the last moment of the session, broadcast live on YouTube to talk about the threats and denounce the escort’s withdrawal by the government. The protest made news all over the world.
The reporter tearfully said that the threats came from the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel, but he suspected that a public official may have been involved.
He therefore assured that he would uphold his complaint and present evidence against the official before the Special Prosecutor’s Office (Feadle) for Assisting Crimes Against Freedom of Expression.
Also Read | Crying Mexican reporter threatens death to López Obrador at live press conference
source: Noticias
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