Abducted crime reporter still missing
New York, April 17, 2007—A Mexican crime reporter who was abducted on Monday by armed men in Agua Prieta, a city on the Arizona border, is missing. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating whether the incident was related to his journalistic work. Saúl Noé Martínez Ortega, 36, who covers crime for the newspaper Interdiario…
CPJ welcomes Calderón’s signature on landmark defamation law
New York, April 13, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa’s signature on legislation that effectively eliminates criminal defamation, libel, and slander at the federal level, making Mexico the second country in Latin America to repeal defamation as a criminal offense. “We praise President Calderón for signing this important piece of…
In Mexico, two men arrested in connection with journalist’s murder
New York, April 11, 2007—Mexican authorities detained two men in connection with last week’s murder of veteran broadcast journalist Amado Ramírez Dillanes in Acapulco. Leonel Bustos Muñoz and Genaro Vásquez Durán were arrested Tuesday in Acapulco, 198 miles (320 kilometers) from Mexico City. According to an official statement, when federal police stopped Bustos and Vásquez…
In Mexico, landmark libel bill awaits Calderón’s signature
New York, March 7, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists today urged Mexican President Felipe Calderón to sign new federal legislation decriminalizing defamation, libel, and slander. Voting 100-0 with one abstention, the Mexican Senate passed a bill on Tuesday that effectively directs all such cases to civil court. The measure, already approved by the lower chamber…
CPJ condemns Cuba’s decision to ban three foreign correspondents
New York, February 23, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Cuban government’s decision not to renew visas of three Havana-based foreign correspondents. The government’s decision comes at a crucial period in the country’s history, seven months after Fidel Castro’s ill health prompted the Cuban president to temporarily cede power to his brother Raúl. “We…
Attacks on the Press 2006: Mexico
MEXICO Gunmen stormed the offices of the Nuevo Laredo daily El Mañana in February, firing assault rifles, tossing a grenade—and setting the tone for another dangerous year for Mexican journalists. The shocking assault, which seriously injured reporter Jaime Orozco, spurred the federal government to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against the press. The…
After crime stories, a reporter vanishes in southern Mexico
New York, January 26, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about the fate of Mexican reporter Rodolfo Rincón Taracena, who has been missing in the southern Tabasco state since Saturday night. CPJ is investigating whether Rincón’s disappearance is linked to his professional work. Rincón, an investigative crime reporter for the Villahermosa-based daily Tabasco Hoy,…