The murder of Mexican photographer Espinosa has touched a nerve
The July 31 murder of Mexican photographer Rubén Espinosa hit the press freedom community really hard. Espinosa, who was found in an apartment with four female victims–all of them shot in the head–had fled the state of Veracruz in June and sought refuge in Mexico City, where he thought he would be safe from threats…
Journalist gunned down outside radio station in Mexico
New York, July 2, 2015–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns today’s murder of Mexican journalist Filadelfo Sánchez Sarmiento in Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz, a municipality in the southern state of Oaxaca. Sánchez was shot at about 9:30 a.m. outside the offices of radio station La Favorita 103.3FM La Voz de la Sierra Sur, where he…
Between conflict and stability: Journalists in Pakistan and Mexico cope with everyday threats
By Daniel DeFraia The Pakistani journalist knew the risk, but he wrote the story about the militants anyway. Years earlier he had been shot, after reporting on another taboo subject, but for him the freelance work was thrilling, even after he had to marry his girlfriend in secret and flee Pakistan without her–and still now,…
The Road to Justice
4. Steps That Work and Those That Don’t On May 3, 2011, CPJ representatives traveled to Pakistan to raise concerns about the increasing attacks against journalists there and the country’s high rate of impunity. It was a moment of drama: The previous day, American forces had killed Osama bin Laden in nearby Abbottabad. But Pakistani…
Mexican reporter shot dead in Oaxaca state
Mexico City, August 13, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder on Monday of Mexican reporter Octavio Rojas Hernández in the state of Oaxaca and calls on authorities to investigate the killing, identify the motive, and bring those responsible to justice.
Mexican columnist, abducted, found dead
Mexico City, June 5, 2014–The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the murder of Mexican columnist and government spokesman Jorge Torres Palacios and calls on authorities to fully investigate the crime and bring those responsible to justice. Torres’ body was found in a bag in an orchard in Guerrero state on Monday, three days after he…
Halftime for the Brazilian press
2. The vicious cycle of impunity By Sara Rafsky When the World Cup kicks off in Brazil in June, the government of President Dilma Rousseff will be celebrating the country’s emergence as a global powerhouse. The event, to be staged at sites across the country, will put the nation’s vast and diverse territory on display,…
Unprecedented response to Mexican journalist’s murder
The disappearance and murder in Veracruz from February 5 through 11 of local journalist Gregorio Jiménez de la Cruz remains mired in controversy. In mid February, after Jiménez’s murder, a group of journalists traveled to Veracruz and investigated the authorities’ response to the journalist’s killing. On March 19, the group, called Misión de Observación, published…
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists, February 2014
CPJ releases annual publication Attacks on the Press CPJ launched the 2014 edition of its flagship publication, Attacks on the Press, on February 12, which was widely covered by local and international media outlets, including The Guardian, Reuters, and the Turkish paper Today’s Zaman. The annual assessment of global press freedom found that digital surveillance,…