The Disappeared in Mexico: Recommendations

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on President Felipe Calderón and Congressional leaders to implement the following:

• Wherever current law allows, assign to the federal attorney general investigative control of the cases of seven journalists who have disappeared since 2005. Reactivate those cases that are dormant. Ensure the attorney general's office does everything in its power to solve these crimes and bring those responsible to justice.
• Develop and enact legislation that federalizes crimes against free expression and freedom of the press, including cases of missing journalists. The language in the bill should be sufficiently broad to protect the rights of everyone, including journalists, whose freedom of expression is threatened.
• Expand the powers of the special prosecutor for crimes against the press to ensure that it has sufficient authority to investigate cases of disappeared journalists.
• As established by law, ensure authorities at all levels provide unlimited access to investigative case files to the families of missing journalists.