IFJ Backs Regional Campaign to Stop Crime against Journalists and Demand Freedom of Expression in Mexico

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), through its Regional Office in Latin America and Caribbean, has expressed its concern about the increase of violence against journalists in the region. In this regard, the IFJ , joined its Mexican affiliate the SNRP and the Federation of Journalists in Latin America and Caribbean (FEPALC), in sending an open letter to Mexican authorities, to demand action after the murder of Moisés Sánchez Cerezo and killings of other journalists, also killed because they were doing their job. The death of Moisés Sánchez in Veracruz, kidnapped and executed in January, is one of the most recent and tragic examples of the total lack of protection for media workers in Mexico. Celso Schröder, President of FEPALC, and Paula Cejas, Director of the IFJ Latin American Regional Office in Buenos Aires, Argentina both signed the letter saying that “any attack against a journalist is an attack against the society and against democracy itself.” In September 2014, IFJ undertook a Solidarity mission (in Spanish) to find out what problems journalists were facing in the country. The mission concluded that the lack of measures to ensure security, of governmental intervention, the self-censorship and the impunity of the attacks were the main obstacles media workers had to overcome. Such restrictions seriously curtail freedom of expression and undermine democracy . Last year, five journalists and four media workers were killed in Mexico because of their work. Details are available in the Full Report on Journalists and Media Staff Killed in 2014, recently published by IFJ. For these reasons, and through this joint letter, the IFJ, SNRO and FEPALC join in a common front to issue an international call for the respect to dignity of journalism and for the physical integrity of their Mexican colleagues, by urging national authorities to immediately put an end to this unacceptable wave of violence.  The letter, translated in the three official languages of IFJ, is available online through these links: ES/EN/FR.

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