CPJ alarmed by threats against RSF Mexico correspondent

New York, March 13, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by threats made against Balbina Flores Martínez, Mexico correspondent for the international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders. On Wednesday, Flores received a series of telephone calls in which she was told that someone had been hired to “harm her,” according to news reports.

“Mexican authorities must launch a timely and thorough inquiry into this threat and bring those responsible to justice,” said CPJ Senior Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría. “In a country where violence and censorship have devastated the press, authorities must guarantee that press freedom advocates can work without fear for their safety.”

Flores has filed a complaint to the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City. Violence related to drugs or organized crime has made Mexico one of the world’s most dangerous countries for the press, according to CPJ research.