Current:Home > BackMexican journalist abducted and killed after taking his daughters to school: "Every day we count victims"-LoTradeCoin
Mexican journalist abducted and killed after taking his daughters to school: "Every day we count victims"
View Date:2024-12-23 20:58:27
Mexican journalists held a vigil and protest Saturday a day after one of their colleagues was slain in the southern state of Morelos. They demanded a transparent investigation into the case and vented anger over the dangers news workers face in Mexico, which is one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists.
Dozens joined in the demonstration over the killing of Roberto Figueroa, who covered local politics and gained a social media following through satirical videos. After disappearing Friday morning, he was found dead inside a car in his hometown of Huitzilac in Morelos, a state south of Mexico City where drug-fueled violence runs rampant.
He was the first journalist to be killed this year in Mexico, which is the most dangerous country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere and has the highest number of missing journalists in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a press freedom watchdog.
In a tweet, press freedom organization Article 19 demanded that officials investigate and also called for protective measures for Figueroa's family and coworkers.
Mexican prosecutors promised a serious investigation, and the Morelos state government strongly condemned the killing.
But in a country where press activists say pervasive corruption and impunity long have endangered reporters, Figueroa's colleagues carrying signs saying "Investigation now!" and chanting outside government offices in Morelos said they were losing patience with authorities.
"Neither the state government nor the attorney general do anything to stop the crimes that are multiplying," Jaime Luis Brito, a correspondent for left-wing magazine Proceso wrote in a statement of protest. "No one in Morelos is safe. ... Every day we count victims."
Mexican media said Figueroa was abducted by gunmen after taking his daughters to school in Huitzilac, which is about 43 miles from Mexico City. The kidnappers called his family demanding a ransom in exchange for his life, but he was killed even though Figueroa's wife delivered the payment, the reports said.
Police discovered Figueroa's body along a dirt road Friday night. Prosecutors declined to discuss details or the case or speculate on who killed him and why.
Media workers are regularly targeted in Mexico, often in direct reprisal for their work covering topics like corruption and the country's notoriously violent drug traffickers.
Figueroa focused his reporting in recent months on the upcoming Mexican elections. His colleagues described him as critical of governance in Morelos.
Since 2000, 141 Mexican journalists and other media workers have been slain, at least 61 of them in apparent retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists says. 2022 was one of the deadliest years ever for journalists in Mexico, with at least 15 killed.
All but a handful of the killings and abductions remain unsolved.
"Impunity is the norm in crimes against the press," the group said in its report on Mexico last month.
"On the rare occasions when authorities do secure convictions, they tend to be against those who carried out the attacks but not those who ordered them," the report said.
Mexico has also seen a spate of violence targeting politicians this year ahead of the June 2 elections. Earlier this month, a candidate for mayor in norther Mexico was killed just as she began campaigning. At least 14 candidates have been killed since the start of 2024.
- In:
- Mexico
- Murder
- Journalism
veryGood! (566)
Related
- Tech consultant testifies that ‘bad joke’ led to deadly clash with Cash App founder Bob Lee
- Kelly Clarkson Shares How Her Ego Affected Brandon Blackstock Divorce
- Transcript: Ukrainian ambassador Oksana Markarova on Face the Nation, July 9, 2023
- Hundreds of Toxic Superfund Sites Imperiled by Sea-Level Rise, Study Warns
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Mixed Use
- How new words get minted (Indicator favorite)
- In the West, Signs in the Snow Warn That a 20-Year Drought Will Persist and Intensify
- Donations to food banks can't keep up with rising costs
- Why was Jalen Ramsey traded? Dolphins CB facing former team on 'Monday Night Football'
- China Just Entered a Major International Climate Agreement. Now Comes the Hard Part
Ranking
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- With Climate Change Intensifying, Can At-Risk Minority Communities Rely on the Police to Keep Them Safe?
- A Project Runway All-Star Hits on Mentor Christian Siriano in Flirty Season 20 Preview
- Wells Fargo to pay $3.7 billion settling charges it wrongfully seized homes and cars
- NFL Week 11 picks straight up and against spread: Will Bills hand Chiefs first loss of season?
- Louisville’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ Demonstrations Continue a Long Quest for Environmental Justice
- Our Shopping Editor Swore by This Heated Eyelash Curler— Now, We Can't Stop Using It
- Vermont Doubles Down on Wood Burning, with Consequences for Climate and Health
Recommendation
-
13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
-
6 killed in small plane crash in Southern California
-
Dwyane Wade Weighs In On Debate Over Him and Gabrielle Union Splitting Finances 50/50
-
Video: Access to Nature and Outdoor Recreation are Critical, Underappreciated Environmental Justice Issues
-
West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
-
Louisville’s ‘Black Lives Matter’ Demonstrations Continue a Long Quest for Environmental Justice
-
Fiancée speaks out after ex-boyfriend shoots and kills her husband-to-be: My whole world was taken away
-
How Britain Ended Its Coal Addiction