We issued the following statement in response to the murder of Mexican reporter Miguel Angel Villagómez, editor of the newspaper La Noticia in the state of Michoacán, whose bullet-ridden body was found today in the neighboring state of Guerrero, according to press reports.
“We mourn the death of our colleague Miguel Angel Villagómez and urge state and federal authorities to investigate this crime and bring all those responsible to justice,” said Carlos Lauría, CPJ’s Senior Program Coordinator for the Americas. “We call on the government of President Felipe Calderón and congressional leaders to promptly address this wave of unprecedented violence against the Mexican media by developing legislation that federalizes crimes against free expression and freedom of the press.”