Mexico / Americas

  
Carmen Aristegui, pictured at a news conference in July, is being sued by MVS, the broadcaster she used to work for. Changes to a law on fines in civil cases is making journalists in Mexico vulnerable. (AFP/Alfredo Estrella)

Change to Mexican law leaves critical journalists at risk of steep fines

Sergio Aguayo, one of Mexico’s most prominent political commentators, said he was taken by surprise when he heard he was being sued for “moral damages.” The plaintiff, Humberto Moreira, is a former governor who faced allegations that he severely mishandled the state’s finances, was involved in graft and corruption, and had ties to organized crime.…

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A photographer sets his camera beside a plaque commemorating photojournalist Ruben Espinosa and four women murdered with him in Mexico City in 2015 on the anniversary of their deaths, July 31, 2016. Espinosa worked with the investigative magazine Proceso and other media in the state of Veracruz at the time of his murder. (AP/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican reporter wounded in Veracruz shooting

Mexico City, August 22, 2016 – Authorities in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz should credibly investigate a shooting attack against freelance journalist Lucia López Castillo and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. López Castillo was shot last night in front of her home in Poza Rica, north of…

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Police tape cordons off the road outside the home of Pedro Tamayo Rosas, a Mexican journalist who was shot dead on July 20. (Roberto Mendez/AFP)

Veracruz journalist under police protection shot dead

Mexico City, July 22, 2016–Mexican federal authorities must conduct a credible and thorough investigation into the July 20 killing of Pedro Tamayo Rosas, a Veracruz journalist who was shot while under the protection of state authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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A protester from the CNTE crouches near a barricade during clashes with riot police in Nochixtlán. Journalists covering the unrest say they have been harassed and attacked. (Reuters/Jorge Luis Plata)

In Oaxaca, reporters covering teachers’ union protests face violence, threats

The atmosphere in Nochixtlán, a small, rural community in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, was tense on June 20. The day before, members of a dissident teachers’ union had clashed with federal and state police while protesting education reform. Shots were fired and, by the end of the day, nine people had died and dozens…

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Protesters fight with police near Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, Mexico, June 19, 2016. (Luis Alberto Cruz Hernandez/AP)

Mexican reporter killed covering protests

Oaxaca, Mexico, June 21, 2016 — Mexican federal authorities should thoroughly investigate the case of a journalist killed on Sunday in the southern state of Oaxaca while covering protests, establish a motive, and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Miguel Angel Mancera, the mayor of Mexico City, casts his vote on June 5. Journalists were threatened and harassed in the lead up to state elections. (Reuters/Edgard Garrido)

In Mexico, covering state elections brings risk of threats and violence

As the June 5 elections approached, the anonymous phone calls to Mexican journalist Pedro Canché became more frequent and more ominous. “The Caribbean is a big sea, you’ll never be found,” one said. “I hope you’ve written a will,” said another. A third caller told Canché, “Remember what happened to Rubén Espinosa,” referring to the…

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Mexican reporter killed in Veracruz

New York, May 17, 2016 – Mexican authorities should thoroughly investigate the killing of journalist Manuel Santiago Torres González, who was shot to death on Saturday in the city of Poza Rica, in the eastern coastal state of Veracruz, and bring all those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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Mexican newspaper faces harassment

Mexico City, May 12, 2016 – The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the increasing harassment of the Mexican daily newspaper Vanguardia and its staff. In recent weeks, Vanguardia’s website was attacked, police raided its owner’s ranch, a former local official sued the newspaper, and unknown men followed one of its reporters home, according…

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Violence has spiked in Guerrero state, where Francisco Pacheco Beltrán was killed. Pictured, relatives protest the disappearance of 43 students in the state in 2014. (AP/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican reporter shot to death in Guerrero state

Mexico City, April 25, 2016 – Mexican journalist Francisco Pacheco Beltrán was shot to death in front of his home in the city of Taxco, Guerrero state, on Monday, according to local press reports. Pacheco was a reporter for several regional newspapers and a regular contributor to a radio station.

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Police detain Mexican journalists covering protest

Police on April 6, 2016, briefly detained two journalists covering a protest at the seat of government for the Múgica municipality in the central Mexican state of Michoacán.

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