H.E. Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon
President
Palacio Nacional
Mexico City DF
Mexico
Vienna, 11 April 2000
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI) strongly condemns the killing of Pablo Pineda, a reporter and photographer for La Opinion newspaper in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
On Sunday, April 9, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered the body of Pineda, 38, on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande near Harlingen, Texas. The agents watched two men crossing the river with a large package, which they assumed contained drugs. When nobody arrived to collect the bundle, the agents inspected it and found the dead journalist with a bullet wound in the back of the head.
We understand that Pineda’s aggressive style of reporting had made him unpopular with both the police and criminals. He had survived a previous attack by a gunman in December 1999 and was severely beaten three years ago. “He had a lot of enemies,” said Martin Castillo, La Opinion’s chief police reporter. “He was a strong person who wanted to discover and uncover anything criminal.”
IPI, the global network of editors and media executives, fears that Pineda may have been killed as a direct result of his activities as a journalist. We therefore urge that an immediate and thorough investigation into his killing is conducted and that those responsible for this heinous crime are brought to justice. We further urge that all possible steps are taken to ensure that journalists working in Mexico are allowed to freely and safely practice their profession.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director