Mexico Journalists Engage in Protests Calling Government for Protection Following Reporters' Death This Year

Mexico journalists staged a nationwide protest on Tuesday, calling on the government to protect them after three reporters were killed in the country this year.

According to The Hill, the demonstration occurred in at least 28 cities across Mexico on Tuesday.

The Washington Post noted that protests were held in the state of Vera Cruz, San Luis Potosí, Nayarit, and Durango. Demonstrations were also evident in the central boulevard of Tijuana, as well as Mexico City's National Palace.

According to reports, journalist protesters gathered under placards reading "Not one more journalist killed," and "The truth can't be killed."

In Tijuana, journalists were seen holding signs saying, "Stop the Killing of Journalists, Not One More Death."

Meanwhile, in Mexico City, photojournalists laid their cameras down outside the National Palace. The said spot was also decorated with flowers in early Tuesday with small signs reading "Press, don't shoot." Photos of the three recent reporters killed were also erected in the area.

UN, Groups Urge Mexico to Protect Journalists

Several entities and groups expressed their thoughts on the danger that Mexican journalists face in the country, as they demanded the federal government to protect media personnel from attacks.

Advocacy group Article 19 posted a statement in the light of the protests, demanding state and federal officials to protect the reporters of Mexico.

"It is a matter of urgency that state and federal authorities prevent attacks, protect journalists when they are victims, and investigate crimes committed against the press with due diligence," Article 19 said in a statement.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez's office also urged Mexico officials on Tuesday to take action on the violence against the journalists present in the country, AFP reported.

"We call on Mexican Authorities to strengthen the protection of journalists, in particular, to take further steps to prevent attacks on them, including by tackling threats and slurs aimed at them," Gutierrez's spokesman Stephanie Dujarric said.

The protests and statements from different entities came after three journalists named Lourdes Maldonado López, Margarito Martínez, and José Luis Gamboa Arenas were killed in January.

On Tuesday, Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke with the reporters during his daily briefing, reiterating that the ones responsible for the latest slaying of reporters will be punished. The president also vowed that there would be no more impunity against the Mexico journalists.

Mexico Protection on Journalists

In 2012, Mexico introduced a program that seeks to protect journalists. The said program is called "Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists," which currently "safeguards" at least 496 reporters.

Maldonado was one of the journalists protected by the mechanism, as she was given police guards for a year when leaving and arriving at her home.

However, Tijuana reporter Sonia de Anda blasted the program, noting that the "mechanism failed again when journalists feel most vulnerable."

Director of the weekly news magazine Proceso, Jorge Carrasco, is also one of the journalists protected by Mexico's program. Carrasco noted that the mechanism worked in his case, but he alleged that the program was "overwhelmed."

"In my case, it worked. But the mechanism was overwhelmed. There were so many cases," Carrasco noted, alleging insufficient commitment from other state institutions.

It can be recalled that at least seven journalists were murdered in Mexico in 2021, but it was not determined if their killings were linked to their reports. Reports noted that Mexico remains to be the most dangerous place for journalists in the western hemisphere.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: 'Killing the journalist won't kill the story': reporters launch Mexican cartels project - From Guardian News