Six journalist killed in Mexico this year

Mexican journalist Norma Sarabia Garduza, who reported on organized crime in the country’s southeast Tabasco State, was sixth journalist who was killed in Mexico since beginning of the year, as to the Organized crime and corruption reporting project.. At least five other reporters have been killed in the country this year, according to Reporters sans frontieres and BBC, including: Francisco Romero Díaz, a freelance reporter enrolled in the Mexican government's protection programme for journalists and human rights activists, murdered in Quintana Roo state in May Telésforo Santiago Enríquez, founder of a community radio station, killed in Oaxaca state in May Santiago Barroso, radio journalist, shot dead in Sonora state in March Jesús Ramos Rodríguez, radio journalist, killed in Tabasco state in February Rafael Murúa Manríquez, director of a community radio station, killed in Baja California Sur state in January The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned of often attacks against journalists in Mexico and called on the country’s authorities to “immediately and transparently investigate” the killing of reporter Norma Sarabia and the abduction of Marcos Miranda. “Even as journalists like Norma Sarabia and Marcos Miranda Cogco are brutally killed and disappeared, Mexican authorities appear unable to stem the violence that has afflicted the press across the country,” the CPJ said. Earlier this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the International Criminal Court to investigate violent crimes against journalists in Mexico from 2006 to 2018, suggesting that “many murders and abductions of journalists who try to inform the public about organized crime, corruption and collusion between crime cartels and officials… must be regarded as crimes against humanity”. Mexico occupies the low 144th place at the 180 countries-long list of RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index. Organized crime and corruption reporting project, BBC, RSF, CPJ