Mexican journalist Luis Martín Sánchez Iñíguez, a correspondent for La Jornada, was found dead on July 8, in El Ahuacate, a suburb of Nayarit’s state capital of Tepic. The Nayarit state prosecutor’s office said that his body showed “signs of violence,” and that two pieces of cardboard with handwritten messages were left with the remains. In an interview with La Jornada, the state prosecutor said that Sánchez’s work as a reporter is “one of the principal lines of investigation.”
Mexican authorities must immediately, transparently, and credibly investigate the killing of Sánchez and determine whether he was killed because of his work, CPJ said Thursday.
Mexico is the deadliest country for journalists in the Western Hemisphere. At least three reporters were killed in direct relation to their work in 2022, and CPJ is investigating the killings of 10 other reporters that year to determine the motive.
Global press freedom updates
- CPJ calls on Kyrgyzstan authorities to allow RFE/RL’s Radio Azattyk to work freely after shutdown reversal
- Iranian authorities rearrest journalist Nazila Maroofian
- Kazakh journalist Amangeldy Batyrbekov sentenced to 20 days’ detention for defamation
- Syria revokes accreditation of two BBC journalists
- Belarusian journalist Andrey Famin sentenced to seven years in prison
- Israeli military destroys news equipment of Al-Araby TV crew covering Jenin operation
- New Belarusian media law allows for bans on foreign media
- CPJ urges Bangladeshi authorities to lift shutdown on two social media platforms
Spotlight
Parliamentary deputies and rights defenders speak to media in front of a Diyarbakır courthouse on July 11, 2023. (CPJ/Özgür Öğret)
On July 11, a trial of 17 Kurdish journalists and a media worker on terrorism charges began in a court in Diyarbakır, Turkey.
The journalists and media worker were charged with membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). They are employed by local production companies and produce Kurdish-focused shows and content, which the indictment alleged were propaganda for PKK.
The defendants have denied the charges and, if convicted, face up to 15 years imprisonment under Turkey’s anti-terrorism laws. Fifteen of the defendants had been held in pretrial detention for 13 months; the court decided to release them pending trial this week.
CPJ called on Turkish authorities to drop the charges, which are solely based on their journalistic work.
What we are reading
- The Path to Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh Runs Through Washington — Robert Mahoney, Just Security
- Death of a radio host: the web of corruption, lies and revenge behind the killing of Martinez Zogo — The Arizona Project team of African investigative reporters, The Guardian
- Visas for African journalists and students are being denied. Here’s why. — Milo Milfort, IJNet
- Warning Found on Body of Missing Mexican Journalist: ‘Don’t Mess With the Family’ — Elaine Aradillas, The Messenger
- Q&A: Mathew Ingram on a week of Threads – Jon Allsop, Columbia Journalism Review
So far in 2023…
At least nine journalists and media workers have been killed in relation to their work. Explore our database of attacks on the press and apply filters to examine trends.