Mexico: RSF demands justice for the murder of journalist Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont
Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont, director of the digital media outlet Observatorio Ciudadano, was murdered on 14 March, in San Luis de la Paz, the capital city of the state of Guanajuato. His bullet-riddled body was found hours after he was abducted by an armed group. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemns this murder and demands an immediate, thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
On 14 March, Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont was murdered and his body was abandoned on the Victoria-Xichú highway near San Luis de la Paz. Days before his murder, on 11 March, the journalist, lawyer and human rights activist had denounced a fraud case involving a local business leader and government officials on Observatorio Ciudadano, a Facebook news page he founded and directed. In the post, he urged the public to file a collective complaint and demand justice.
Known for his investigative work, Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont was a prominent voice in the region who had repeatedly received threats for his reporting. His investigations often exposed corruption in the administration of Mayor Rubén Urías (National Action Party - PAN) and the journalist had recently gained attention for revealing fraud committed by PAN in Xichú, a municipality in the state of Guanajuato.
"The murder of Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont must not go unpunished. RSF urges the Guanajuato State Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case under the Unified Protocol for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression, to ensure a thorough, independent investigation. Violence against the press in Mexico continues to claim lives, and rampant impunity for these attacks are fuelling the crisis. RSF urgently calls on the Mexican government to implement concrete, effective measures to protect journalists and bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.
Beyond his journalism, Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont was also involved in politics, running for the San Luis de la Paz city council with the the Movimiento Ciudadano party in 2024, and for mayor in 2021. Following his murder, Guanajuato Governor Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo pledged her administration would cooperate with the investigation and the State Prosecutor’s Office assured that the journalist’s family is receiving legal and psychological support.
Villarreal Belmont’s murder comes just 12 days after the killing of another journalist in Guanajuato: on 2 March, Kristian Uriel Martínez Zavala, who also ran a Facebook news page, was shot dead. Guanajuato remains one of the most dangerous regions in Mexico for journalists, a zone caught in a violent clash between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.
Mexico ranks 121st out of 180 countries and territories in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index and remains the most dangerous country for journalists outside of war zones.
