Journalists are being murdered in Mexico. This is not new. Mexico is known as the worst country in the entire world when it comes to journalists being murdered. The major reason for the recent increase in the killing of journalists is that these murders mostly go unpunished according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ representative Jan-Albert Hoosen states that the inaction of the federal government is causing the number of killings to increase rapidly. Killings going unsolved leads those committing these murders to believe that they can commit these acts with impunity. This leaves the journalists at the mercy of these criminal groups with nobody to defend their right to practice journalism.
Regina Martinez was a 48 year old reporter for the left-wing Mexican magazine Proceso. Martinez was brutally murdered in her home on April 28th 2012. Prior to her murder, Martinez had been reporting on a major case of corruption in her home state of Veracruz.. Martinez sought to prove that Governors of Veracruz had looted the treasury and allowed cartels to act in Veracruz without the threat of police intervention resulting in more murders and sex trafficking.
Martinez ignored the numerous bribes and threats made against her by cartels attempting to silence her reporting. She risked her life to expose this corruption.
Her life was taken, but her actions were not in vain. International press groups such as Forbidden Stories have continued her investigation into this corruption, fighting against attempts to bury her work. However, serious criminal charges have yet to be filed against the politicians exposed in Martinez's work, further displaying the impunity of those who violently silence journalists.
A journalist was murdered by cartel members as recently as November 10th, 2020. Israel Vázquez Rangel was killed while reporting on the discovery of human remains in the city of Salamanca. Vázquez was shot by cartel members despite it being very apparent that he was a journalist driving in a vehicle marked with the logo of his news website El Salmantino.
Security forces, who had arrived after Vazquez, found him injured but were unable to save him, Vazquez passed only hours later.
In the aftermath, the Governor of the state of Guanajuato stated they would be investigate the murder along with supporting and protecting Vazquez's family.
As of December 15th 2020, Vazquez's killers are still at large. With more than 100 journalists murdered in Mexico since 2000 while reporting on cartels or corruption, it is very unlikely that Israel Vazquez Rangel will be the last, especially when the vast majority of killers go free according to the CPJ.