Human Rights
Mexican press attacked or threatened every 14 hours, says human rights group
There have been 2,304 attacks against the press in almost four years of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government
August 18, 2022 11:49am
Updated: August 19, 2022 10:13am
International human rights group Artículo 19 has documented 331 violent aggressions against journalists and media in Mexico this year, bringing the total number of attacks against the press to 2,304 in almost four years, according to a recent Aristegui News report. The aggressions have come in the form of both threats and actual violence.
The group reported that the crimes against journalists under of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government have far exceeded those committed during the same period during Enrique Peña Nieto's government in the first part of 2016.
Crimes against journalists were connected to investigations related to political corruption in 12 cases (40%), security and justice in 11 (36.57%) and human rights in 6 (20%).
🚨 Durante el 1° semestre de este año, registramos 331 agresiones contra periodistas y medios de comunicación
— ARTICLE 19 MX-CA (@article19mex) August 18, 2022
⚠️ Esto representa +51.83% de agresiones, en comparación con el mismo periodo del sexenio anterior
🔍 Conoce el detrás de estas cifras en: https://t.co/K6gZUnmMqP pic.twitter.com/ydycyBOWwK
In its report, the organization highlighted a recent case involving the murder of journalist Juan Arjón López who was found dead on Tuesday in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.
The group said Arjón López's death is "a murder that adds to a wave of lethal violence against the press."
Many believe Arjón López's journalistic work as a motive for the crime. The autopsy indicates the journalist died as a result of cranioencephalic trauma due to blunt force trauma.
Article 19 added that at least 14 journalists have been killed in Mexico during 2022.
That figure was ratified by the agency TResearch, which reported that this figure is 16.6% higher than the historical peak recorded in 2017, when 12 homicides were counted, according to news agency La Razón.
TResearch indicates that in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2019 there were only 10 homicides in each year, a much lower figure than this year, making this year the deadliest for communicators in Mexico.
