Monday, October 27, marks the second anniversary of the killing in Mexico of Bradley Roland Will, a U.S. documentary filmmaker. Will was shot while covering clashes between anti-government protesters and government supporters in the southern state of Oaxaca. The investigation into the killing has become a source of great concern.
This month, the federal attorney general’s office charged three anti-government protesters in the killing, apparently disregarding considerable evidence indicating that armed government supporters were involved. CPJ sent a letter today to Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora expressing concern about the direction of the case. In our own 2007 investigation, “A Killing in Mexico,” CPJ found that witness statements, forensic evidence, and photographic documentation all pointed to pro-government gunmen.
The Will family has expressed dismay about the federal investigation. We are continuing to monitor the case closely to see that justice is served. More than 30 journalists have been killed and or have disappeared in Mexico since 2000.