Mexico Journalist Killings: Death Toll Rises to 7 After Another Reporter Was Killed in Zacatecas
The death toll of Mexico Journalist killings rose to seven on Friday, after another reporter was killed in the country's central state, Zacatecas.
The victim was identified as Juan Carlo Muñiz, a journalist known to cover crime stories for the online news website Testigo Minero in Fresnillo, Mexico, per Associated Press.
Muñiz's death was confirmed by Governor Monreal on Friday, as well as the media outlet he worked for, El País reported.
It was unclear how the journalist died on Friday, but authorities assured that the investigation about Muñiz's death is underway.
"At this time the first investigative procedures are carried out and the data that leads to establishing the line of investigation is collected," the Zacatecas prosecutor's office said in a statement on Twitter.
Aside from being a reporter, fellow journalist Alfredo Valadez said that Muñiz also drove a taxi in the city to make ends meet.
In addition, reports also mentioned that Muñiz also collaborated with other media outlets in making news stories during his career.
Entities Condemn the Recent Mexico Journalist Killing
In the light of Muñiz's killing, his company Testigo Minero, Miner's Witness in English, commented on the death of the Mexican journalist through a statement posted on social media.
The outlet noted that the "cowardly murder" of their colleague and friend did not only shock the state and society of Fresnillo, but also the journalist guild.
"All of us who work in Multimedios Witness Minero, condemn the murder of our fellow journalist Juan Carlos Muñiz, occurred today Friday, March 04, 2022, in the municipality of Fresnillo, Zacatecas," the media outlet underscored.
Testigo Minero also directly asked the attorney general of the state justice to take over Muñiz's case.
Zacatecas Governor David Monreal ávila also sympathized and "condemn" the death of a Mexican journalist.
"We express our solidarity with his family, friends, and colleagues," the Zacatecas governor highlighted.
Muñiz's death came as Mexico continues to be known as one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.
Associated Press noted that journalists are often killed in Mexico by drug cartels who seek to intimidate the press to manipulate the coverage of their activities and their rivals.
Meanwhile, Zacatecas, the state where the seventh Mexican journalist died, was known to be one of Mexico's most violent states.
"Violence is an abnormal act in our society, it is a clear reflection of the social decomposition that has leaked into our state and society, which has overflowed; however, that does not mean that we should get used to living in fear," Testigo Minero said, condemning the violence in their state.
Mexico President on Journalist Killings
The impunity against journalists in Mexico has reached the United States, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken commenting on the issue and calling out for "accountability," The Hill reported.
However, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador rebuked Blinken's statement saying that the Mexican government is acting on all the cases of journalist killings and that "there is no impunity" in the country.
"[I would] as [Blinken] as a favor to get informed and for them not to act in an interventionist manner," López Obrador said, adding that Mexico is not a colony of the United States nor its protectorate.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Sharp Rise in Murders of Journalists in Mexico Prompts Calls for Change - From PBS NewsHour