CPJ Blog: Mexico's Special Prosecutor Hesitates Over Early Cases Committee to Protect Journalists
go to original August 7, 2013

Organized crime capos and corrupt politicians have been getting away with murdering journalists in Mexico for so long that there isn't a reliable count on the number of the dead or a useful way to measure the crushing effects on a democracy when a country's press is afraid to tell the truth. CPJ research shows that, of 69 journalists killed since 1994 in Mexico, 28 were clearly killed because of their work, and nearly all of those directly targeted for murder. But the killing started years before that, the numbers are not dependable, and the motives are often unknown, because the professionalism of the investigations is doubtful. Mexico's state governments have simply failed to find those responsible, and journalists working outside of the capital have for the most part decided their only protection is to not cover stories the killers don't want covered.

However, there are precise numbers to show the country's response to the problem: On June 6, 2012, Mexico's constitution was amended to give the federal government authority over crimes involving the press. Then, on May 3 this year, a law went into effect to spell out how that amendment would be implemented. The law was passed overwhelming by Congress and gave great powers to the federal attorney general in cases where journalists are victims of violence. The federal government can take any serious case it wants to away from any state. This, finally, all seemed very good. But wait a minute.

There is a new law, but is it going to mean a genuine change?

Read the rest at Committee to Protect Journalists

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