New York, March 25, 2004—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) sent a letter today to Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, governor of the State of Tamaulipas in northern Mexico, inquiring about the investigation into the murder of Roberto Javier Mora García, editorial director for the Nuevo Laredobased daily El Mañana. Mora, 42, was stabbed to death on Friday, March 19.
Local authorities discovered Mora’s body next to his vehicle, which was parked in front of his house, just before dawn last Friday. According to local press reports, Mora had arrived home from work at around 2 a.m. on March 19. He was stabbed more than 25 times. Police said that none of Mora’s belongings were taken.
Although Mora had not received any threats, many of his colleagues believe that the murder may be related to El Mañana‘s coverage of drug trafficking and corruption in Nuevo Laredo. The city, located on the U.S.-Mexico border, is notorious for its drug gangs and is plagued by violence.
In the letter, CPJ Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría asked that Governor Yarrington Ruvalcaba make available to CPJ any information regarding the case.
