Mexico City launches investigation into journalist’s murder News
Mexico City launches investigation into journalist’s murder

[JURIST] Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera [official website] said Monday he plans an exhaustive investigation into the murders of a photojournalist and four women last week. The photojournalist, Rueben Espinosa, and four women were found murdered [Proceso report, in Spanish] on Friday in Mexico City. Mancera stated [El Universal report] that the Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal (PGJDF) [official website] would be investigating the crime. Mancera stressed

We are all outraged by this crime, by the homicide and femicides that took place. I have given instructions to the attorney general (Rodolfo Ríos) that he is not to skimp on the efforts to find the responsible parties of this multiple homicide. No recourse should be ignored. Absolutely none.

Espinosa had fled to Mexico City from his home state of Veracruz because of previous threats stemming from his work. The UN Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] expressed a most firm condemnation [El Universal report] of the murder, and called it a “grave act against freedom of expression”.

Violence against journalists has been an issue that has plagued Mexico for years. In April 2012, the Mexican Senate unanimously passed [JURIST report] legislation [text, in Spanish] that would amend Article 73 of the Constitution to make attacks against journalists a federal crime. While the amendment was lauded as a great progress, many were still skeptical [JURIST op-ed] that it would be ratified at all, and if it was, that it would be upheld and the local level where it is most important. Just a few months later, UNESCO [official website] expressed concern [JURIST report] over three Mexican journalists found murdered in Veracruz. One month later, UN experts and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) [official website] urged [press release] an end to the threats and killings [JURIST report] of human rights advocates and journalists in Mexico. The UN and IACHR called on the Mexican government to implement the “Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists” in order to avoid the imminent threats faced by these two groups in Mexico.

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