A journalist for a digital newspaper in central Mexico was shot dead on Monday as he investigated the discovery of human remains in the violent state of Guanajuato and was preparing to go live, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee for the Protection said. of Journalists (CPJ).
Israel Vázquez, from The Salamanca, from the city of Salamanca, is the seventh journalist killed in Mexico this year, according to an AFP count. State officials did not respond to the agency’s requests to confirm the death.
“CPJ regrets the death of Israel Vázquez Rangel … The third reporter killed in Mexico in less than a month”, wrote CPJ on Twitter.
For its part, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the facts and asked the Mexican authorities to ensure the necessary security measures for Vázquez’s family and their colleagues.
“In less than a month, three journalists were killed, 17 in this six-year term, seven journalists killed this year, it is an unfortunate situation because the conditions of violence in Mexico, especially for journalists, continue”, Balbina Flores, RSF representative in Mexico, told AFP.
According to the newspaper’s management, the attack occurred at 7.30 am, when the reporter was surprised by two men who shot him and fled in a car.
Vázquez, who wrote about police issues, was rescued by Red Cross officials and taken to a hospital where he would die hours later.
“We strongly condemn the cowardly and atrocious attack against our beloved companion Israel Vázquez, who was attacked while doing his honorable journalistic work”, said the The Salamanca on a note.
Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries for the practice of journalism, with more than 100 journalists killed since 2000.
More than 90% of these crimes remain unpunished, according to RSF and Article 19, another organization dedicated to the defense of journalists.
On October 30, Arturo Alba Valdivia, a reporter for the Multimedios group, was shot dead in the state of Chihuahua.
In 2019, 10 journalists were killed in Mexico, according to RSF.
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