Two Journalists Who Reported on Mexico's Drug Violence and Corruption Killed in Just a Week
In just a week, a news photographer was killed in Tijuana and a reporter had been killed in Veracruz, marking a gloomy start to 2022 in Mexico, which is often regarded as one of the most dangerous locations for journalists.
Margarito Martinez Esquivel, a crime reporter, and photographer who frequently interacted with members of the international press was shot and killed outside his home in Tijuana, Mexico, on Monday afternoon.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything for him," Elena Martinez, his devastated wife, told the San Diego Union-Tribune - one of several foreign sources with whom the reporter has worked, including The Washington Post, BBC, and the Los Angeles Times.
Martnez's death came just a week after another journalist, José Luis Gamboa, was stabbed to death in Veracruz, Mexico's most violent state. Gamboa was the director of the online news site Inforegio.
"Gamboa had highlighted and harshly attacked the relations between local authorities and organized crime," according to press group Reporters Without Borders.
Two days earlier, Gamboa used Twitter to call for an appointment with an anti-drug tsar who might slow the decades-long escalation in bloodshed.
Last year, he lamented how, rather than fighting drug trafficking, portions of the government had become entangled in "a great criminal partnership" with the cartels.
"The Mexican people still don't understand how serious this is," Gamboa wrote on Twitter.
He suffered stab wounds from a possible robbery, according to reports.
He died on January 10 in a hospital in the state capital, but his family was not informed until January 14.
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Mexico One of the Most Dangerous Contries for Journalists
Outside of active war zones, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for reporters.
Martínez and Gamboa were the first two journalists killed this year.
The two journalist killings, which come after the assassination of nine journalists last year, triggered outrage and mourning in the Latin American country.
Yo S Soy Periodista (Yes, I'm a Journalist), a Tijuana-based press collective, has sought a prompt investigation into Martinez's death, who spent more than two decades investigating the border city's security issues.
The photographer also worked for the weekly newspaper Zeta.
Martinez was the 29th Mexican journalist killed since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December 2018 on a promise to bring peace to the country, according to the group.
As reports of Martnez's murder spread, letters from coworkers and politicians filled his Facebook page, where he would live-stream murder scenes to tens of thousands of followers.
According to Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, the government's inaction and impunity are to blame for the seemingly never-ending series of journalist killings.
"If you want to hurt a reporter in Mexico, you can do so with a very minimal chance of being discovered - and an even less chance of being put to prison," he explained.
Hootsen added that the Mexican government makes it quite easy for anyone who wants to hurt journalists.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Jess Smith
WATCH: Mexican photojournalist shot dead outside Tijuana home in second journalist killing of 2022 - from France 24 English
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