IFJ Calls for Action by Mexico after Killings of Three Journalists

The International Federation of Journalists is calling on the Mexican government to offer better protection of media workers after newspaper editor José Manuel Nava Sánchez was found stabbed to death in his apartment in Mexico City.

He is the third journalist who has been killed in Mexico in the last 21 days.

The IFJ is calling for a full investigation into his death.

Nava Sánchez, 53, was the the former editor of the Mexican newspaper Excélsior. He was found dead on Thursday by his cleaning lady in his living room. There were no signs of a break-in or robbery, according to the preliminary investigation.

On November 10, Misael Tamayo Hernandez, editor of El Despertar de la Costa, was found dead in a hotel room in Zihuatanejo.

His body was found nearly naked, on his back with his hands tied behind his back and covered only with a sheet. Investigators found three puncture marks on his body, one in his right hand and two others in a forearm. The cause of death was a heart attack, forensic investigators said.

Tamayo Hernandez, who was well-respected in the local journalism community, published a story on Thursday alleging that city officials gave illegal discounts on water services to individuals and businesses. The same edition also contained stories on organized crime.

On October 28, Bradly Will, a freelance journalist based in New York, was one of three people killed when gunmen opened fire on protesters during a demonstration in Oaxaca City, Mexico.

Will had been on assignment in Mexico for IndyMedia. It was reported that plainclothes paramilitary police opened fire on a crowd of protesters. Will was shot in the abdomen and died at a Red Cross Hospital; two others died and Will's photographer Oswaldo Ramirez was among the injured.

“These recent cases of attacks on journalists make it clear that Mexico must do more to protect journalists and put an end to impunity,” said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “We expect a full investigation in all three of these cases and that the people responsible for our colleagues’ deaths are brought to justice.”

For more information contact the IFJ at 32 2 235 2207
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries worldwide