Rising Violence Against Journalists in Mexico: The Urgent Call for Justice

Mexico’s alarming crisis of violence against journalists has once again come into the spotlight following the tragic murder of Alejandro Gallegos León, Editor-in-Chief of La Voz del Pueblo. His body was recently discovered in the southern state of Tabasco, prompting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to urge Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. The OHCHR emphasized that the probe should not only identify the perpetrators but also examine whether Mr. León’s journalistic work played a role in his killing.

Gallegos León was a widely respected journalist, known for his insightful political and social commentary in major Mexican publications. Beyond journalism, he was a distinguished scholar, serving as a professor at the Autonomous University of Tabasco and participating in numerous research initiatives across Mexico. His family reported losing contact with him on January 24 while he was returning home from his newsroom, marking the beginning of the investigation into his disappearance and subsequent death.

The murder of Gallegos León is not an isolated incident. Just a month earlier, in December, Adriano Bachega, editor-in-chief of Diario Digital Online, was gunned down by unknown assailants while driving near Monterrey, in the northern state of Nuevo Leon. These tragic events highlight the deepening threat faced by journalists in Mexico, where violence against media professionals has reached crisis levels.

Since 2000, nearly 200 journalists have been killed in Mexico, with many of these crimes linked to their investigations into corruption, organized crime, and political misconduct. In 2023 alone, at least 13 journalists were murdered, many of them for exposing the activities of powerful criminal gangs. The overwhelming majority of these cases remain unresolved, with an estimated conviction rate of just 5%. This pervasive impunity has emboldened attackers and silenced critical voices across the country.

As pressure mounts domestically and internationally, the OHCHR’s call serves as a reminder of the urgent need for Mexico to protect its journalists, ensure justice for the victims, and defend press freedom in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media professionals.

References – 

https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/09/390022

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/29/1076730068/a-call-for-mexico-to-investigate-murders-of-journalist