Campaign Against Impunity

Impunity Spotlight

Murdered: July 31, 2015, in Mexico City, Mexico

Beats: Culture, Human Rights, Politics

Case status: Complete impunity

"He was a leader, but I was afraid for him."
- A colleague interviewed following photojournalist Espinosa's assassination.

In August 2015, photographer Rubén Espinosa, known for photographing social movements, was found dead in a Mexican City apartment along with four women, including activist Nadia Vera. All the victims were shot in the head and showed signs of torture. Espinosa had sought safety in Mexico City after receiving threats in his home state of Veracruz, the most dangerous place for journalists in North America. After one year, no one had been convicted of the murders.

Mexico, where 20 journalists have been murdered with complete impunity in the past decade, is ranked eighth on CPJ's 2015 Impunity Index. Tell the authorities that one year without justice for Espinosa is too long and call for a transparent and credible investigation.

Impunity Index

From Brazil to Pakistan, Russia to India, CPJ names the countries where journalists are regularly murdered and the killers go unpunished. The Index calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country's population. Details »

A Global Movement

From Colombia to Somalia, organizations around the world work to end impunity. Responding to our voices, the U.N. General Assembly established November 2 as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Learn more about how the global response to impunity and what you can do November 2. Resources »