The International Press Institute (IPI) today urged Mexican authorities to investigate the recent murder of journalist Mario Ricardo Chávez near Ciudad Victoria in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. IPI, which has counted the murder of at least seven journalists in Mexico in 2012 and two in 2013, urges authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine whether Chávez’s murder was related to his profession.
Forensic experts in Tamualipas confirmed Chávez’s death on Thursday, June, 27. Police noted that the journalist had been kidnapped over two weeks ago. According to local reports, Chávez, who recently founded the news website “El Ciudadano,” was apprehended by a group of armed men while leaving a movie theatre with his family in Ciudad Victoria.
The Mexican press freedom watchdog, Casa de los Derechos de Periodistas (House of Journalist’s Rights), said that Chávez’s body was found partially buried alongside the decapitated corpse of an unidentified female victim.
Chávez’s Twitter feed had been silent since May 22.
“We are deeply troubled by the recent murder of Mario Ricardo Chávez and send our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues,” IPI Press Freedom Manager Barbara Trionfi said. “The situation for journalists in Tamaulipas, and in many regions of Mexico is extremely dire. The Mexican federal government has committed to ending the cycle of impunity for crimes committed against the media and we expect federal authorities to take the lead in this case, and local authorities to do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
In February, IPI together with the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) <media 5014>visited Mexico</media> to urge the federal government to effectively implement recent measures designed to improve journalist safety, including a rapid-response system to aid reporters under threat.
Chávez Jorge is the second journalist murdered in Mexico this year and the 56th killed in the country since 2006. Jaime Guadalupe González Domínguez was shot dead Sunday, March 3 in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. According to reports, González, the editor of the news site ojinaganews.com.mx, was intercepted by a group of unidentified men while returning to the site’s offices in Ojinaga, a small town along the Mexico-U.S. border. He was reportedly shot at least 18 times with a high-powered rifle before the assailants stole his camera and fled.
The country has witnessed a massive increase in violence since the beginning of the “War on Drugs,” which was initiated in 2006 under former president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.
