Freedom of Expression
Press Release R120/19
The Office of the Special Rapporteur condemns the continuance of murders of journalists and communicators in Mexico and urges the State to implement decisive measures to protect and combat impunity
May 17, 2019
Washington
D.C.- The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder of
Mexican journalists Francisco Romero and Telésforo Santiago Enríquez. Notes
with concern that this is the sixth murder against journalists so far this
year, and that most of them could be linked to the exercise of their function,
a painful indicator of the persistence of violence against journalists in
various regions of the country. The Office of the Special Rapporteur urges the
Mexican State to fully, effectively and impartially investigate these crimes,
clarify their motives and determine the relationship they may have with
journalism. At the same time, the State must review and implement decisive
measures to strengthen the mechanism for protecting journalists in line with
the recommendations made by the Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression in its
recent special Report on the Situation of Freedom of Expression in Mexico.
According
to preliminary reports of public knowledge, Francisco Romero, administrator and
director of the Facebook information page "Ocurrió Aquí," had protection
measures of the Protection Mechanism of the Mexican Government Secretariat due
to previous aggressions. The journalist's body was found in the city of Playa del
Carmen, Quintana Roo, on May 16 next to his motorcycle, with a shot in the head
and signs of beatings in his body.
According
to the information provided by the State of Mexico, the Attorney General of the
State of Quintana Roo initiated an investigation regarding the murder of Romero
taking into account all the lines of investigation, including his work as a
journalist.
On May
3, while World Press Freedom Day was being celebrated, the media in Mexico
reported on a new attack against the press in the municipality of San Agustín
Loxicha (Oaxaca) that ended in the murder of journalist Telésforo Santiago
Enríquez, founder of the indigenous community radio "El cafetal de San
Agustín" and defender of indigenous languages. With a long career, the
communicator was known for his analytical and critical coverage of the
municipal authorities for alleged diversion of resources. Likewise, he was a
candidate for the municipal presidency of his region on several occasions.
The
General Coordinator of Social Communication of the Presidency of Mexico, Jesús
Ramírez Cuevas, acknowledged the work of the journalist and committed himself
to investigating the crime on his Twitter account: "Telésforo Santiago
Enríquez was murdered this afternoon. He founded the community radio station El
Cafetal de San Agustin Loxicha, municipality of the southern highlands of
Oaxaca. From the Government of Mexico, we take on the commitment to find those
responsible for attacking Mexican journalism."
This
aberrant crime, adds to several cases of communicators who lost their lives
this year: Samir Flores in Morelos (February 20), Jesús Ramos in Tabasco
(February 9), José Rafael Murua in Baja California (January 20) ), and the
indigenous communicator Gustavo Cruz in Oaxaca (January 20), who were allegedly
murdered due to the journalistic and communicational work that they carried
out.
The
State of Mexico informed the Special Rapporteurship that regrets the succession
of cases of murdered journalists. Moreover, expressed that investigative
efforts are being made by the different Prosecutor's Offices. The State
informed that not all cases reported might be related to journalistic activity.
According
to data from the National Human Rights Commission [Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos] (CNDH), several Mexican states
present a panorama of serious violence and silencing against journalists and
communicators since 2000. In that sense, the most dangerous states for
journalism are Veracruz (22 murders), Tamaulipas (16), Guerrero (16), Oaxaca
(16), and Chihuahua (14).
"The
alarming cases of journalists murdered in Mexico continue, as had been the case
in previous years. This is an urgent call for the State to adopt decisive
measures to strengthen the mechanism to protect journalists and strengthen the Special
Prosecutor's Office for Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of
Expression [Fiscalía Especial para la
Atención de Delitos cometidos contra la Libertad de Expresión]
(FEADLE)", indicated the Special Rapporteur of the IACHR, Edison Lanza.
The
rapporteurs for Freedom of Expression of the IACHR and the United Nations
presented the Special Report on the Situation of Freedom of Expression in
Mexico a few months ago, as a result of the visit accepted by the State in
December 2017. Its conclusions and recommendations underscore that attacks
against journalists "persist, accompanied by a continuous sense of
insecurity and impunity." "The systematic nature of this violence
requires not only specific individual measures but also measures of a structural
nature." [...] "Compliance by the PGR of its responsibility to
identify and investigate the risks faced by beneficiaries should be perceived
as an essential aspect of any protection program," they added.
A
positive sign in that sense is the reactivation of the Contingency Plan to
prevent aggressions against journalists and activists that is implemented in
Mexico for the State of Chihuahua. "We urge the Mexican government to
intensify early warnings and other preventive measures, in line with its
international obligations, taking into account the specific nature of the risks
and their particular contexts," Lanza explained.
With
regard to justice and impunity, the Office of the Special Rapporteur recalls
that in the conclusions and recommendations presented in the Special Report on
the Situation of Freedom of Expression in Mexico 2018, it should "give
priority to investigating a series of cases of journalists whose contribution
was fundamental for their communities. "
Both
the Commission and the Court have referred several times to the chilling effect
of crimes against journalists and other media professionals, as well as
citizens who report on abuse of power or unlawful acts of any kind.
Principle
9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR states:
"[t]he murder, kidnapping, intimidation of, and/or threats to social
communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media
violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of
expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such
occurrences, to punish their perpetrators, and to ensure that victims receive
due compensation."
The
Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression was created by the
IACHR to encourage the defense of the right to freedom of thought and
expression in the hemisphere, given the fundamental role this right plays in
consolidating and developing the democratic system.
R120/19