The death of another journalist in Mexico was discovered days before a new report from the British organization found that 2022 was already the most violent year for the country’s press.
The body of Juan Arjón López, founder and editor of the Facebook news page “A Qué Le Temes”, was found in San Luis Río Colorado city on Tuesday 16th. He has been missing since August 9.
Under Article 19, at least 18 Mexican journalists have been killed this year. Nine of these had deaths related to the practice of the profession.
Journalist covers local crimes in Mexico
In its report, titled “Impunity and denial of extreme violence against the press continues,” the NGO warns that the continued violence underscores the authorities’ negligence in protecting media professionals.
12 journalists were killed in the first half of this year alone – an average of two crimes per month.
Most of the victims were reporters from local vehicles investigating irregularities committed by politicians or drug trafficking criminal groups.
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Juan Arjón López, 62, was also a regional journalist. She touched on crime, local politics and the environment on her Facebook page.
The most recent posts were on August 2, when the suspect reported two arrests for robbery and theft.
Humberto Melgoza, editor of the Contraseña website and a friend of Arjón, told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that the journalist had a troubled personal life and is currently living in a rehabilitation center for drug addicts.
“But he was a good guy,” Melgoza told CPJ. “It was very lively, very social.”
Before the page on the social network, she was a correspondent for the defunct radio station OmniCable.
Melgoza told CPJ that the town of San Luis Río, Colorado, in the state of Sonora, has recently seen an increase in the violence it attributes to criminal gangs.
“There are so many drug dealers here, there are so many gunshots,” he said.
The municipality had the fifth highest murder rate in Sonora last year, according to local newspaper La Tribuna de San Luis.
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On Wednesday 17, authorities told local media that a man had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a crime against Arjón, but did not elaborate on the motivations for the murder.
The state’s attorney’s office said in a statement that it has not yet ruled out any lines of inquiry.
“The tragic and brutal murder of Juan Arjón López is the latest event of a year that has been one of the deadliest in recent history for the Mexican press,” said CPJ Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen.
“While some arrests were made in previous press murder cases this year, an ongoing atmosphere of impunity continues to fuel these attacks.
Mexican authorities must conduct a swift and thorough investigation into Arjón’s murder and bring those responsible to justice.”
More than 300 attacks on journalists in Mexico
The death of journalist Juan Arjón López is the latest in an unprecedented escalation of violence against the press in Mexico.
In the first half of this year, Article 19 recorded 331 attacks against journalists and media outlets – a 51.83% increase in attacks on the press compared to the first half of 2016, when 218 attacks were recorded.
In the last six months, deaths, the NGO has also reported four cases of forced internal displacement (DIF) and two deportations so far.
The organization documented the continuing persecution of media professionals, highlighting the role of political actors in this movement.
“Regardless of the level of government or party, officials exempt themselves from responsibility and even justify violence against the press by classifying them as conservative, sold out or oppositional.”
Regarding digital violence, 105 of the 331 detected attacks took place online – 31.72% of the total.
Mexico City is the place with the most reports of violence against the media, with 49 attacks. Yucatán and Michoacán appear next, with 30 attacks each. The two cities saw a 9x increase in enrollments over the same period in 2021.
According to Article 19, the main attacks against journalists in the first half of the year were intimidation and harassment (101 cases), threats (66 cases), physical assault and illegitimate use of public power (45 cases).
As for the victims of violence, 219 attacks targeted male journalists (66,16). Female journalists were attacked 88 times, corresponding to 26.59%.
“The fact that the press is attacked every 14 hours in the first half of 2022 shows that the violence against journalists and the media has not stopped.
On the contrary, the rise in lethal violence speaks to worsening conditions of vulnerability under which the press operates.”
The NGO called for urgent action by the authorities to prevent, protect and suppress attacks on the press.
“It is urgent that the Mexican State fulfill its obligations and take decisive action through comprehensive public policies on freedom of expression, the fight against impunity, and access to information in the practice of journalism and therefore in the interest of society and democracy.”
Read the full report (in Spanish) here connection.
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source: Noticias
