The International Federation of Journalists today condemned the killing of a journalist in Mexico who died in a brutal execution-style killing in the resort of Acapulco. The murder came as a wave of killings involving warring drugs gangs has swept across the country in recent days.
Amado Ramirez, Televisa correspondent in the beach resort, was shot in the back three times by an unknown gunman as he left a radio interview yesterday. The television network, one of the major media organisations in the region, gave no reason for the attack.
The attack was one of 12 other similar killings throughout Mexico, which is in the midst of a government offensive led by the army against feuding drug gangs.
“Mexican journalists are in the frontline of a struggle against crime and official corruption,” said Rachel Cohen, IFJ Human Rights and Communication Officer. “This latest attack was a cowardly and cold-blooded assassination that highlights the urgent need for government action to provide more protection for journalists and media staff.”
According to media sources despite the crackdown there have been more than 600 people murdered in gangland killings across the country so far this year. Mexican journalists, especially those reporting from the border with the United States, have been targeted by drug gangs when they have exposed corruption by reporting on links between the gangs and government or police.
The IFJ said that eight reporters in Mexico were killed in a wave of violence against investigative journalism last year.
“This latest attacks shows that journalists continue to be killed with impunity in Mexico,” said Cohen. “It is a tide of violence that has the potential to destroy press freedom in the country.”
For more information contact the IFJ at +32 484 597591 or +32 478 258669
The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries worldwide
