RSF calls on Mexican government to strengthen journalist protections after murder of state-protected reporter Alejandro Alfredo Martínez Noguez
The journalist and founder of the media El Hijo del Llanero Solititito, Alejandro Alfredo Martínez Noguez, was shot dead inside the police car of his state security detail on his way back from reporting local news. Noguez had been under Mexican state protection since 2023, after surviving a murder attempt. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by this brutal killing – another tragedy in one of the deadliest countries for journalists – and calls on the Mexican authorities to both conduct a full investigation and strengthen measures protecting media workers.
After decades of working for local radio stations and newspapers, journalist Alejandro Alfredo Martínez Noguez, 57, spent his last few years at his own media outlet, El Hijo del Llanero Solititito. He reported on the news of Celaya, one of the most dangerous cities in the state of Guanajuato due to pervasive organised crime. On Sunday, 4 August 2024, Noguez was being escorted back from reporting on a traffic accident, in a car belonging to his security detail, Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC), when a white van intercepted them and opened fire. Bullets hit the journalist in the head and body, and he was taken to hospital but did not survive.
Noguez had previously survived an attack in November 2022, when an unidentified man attempted to shoot Noguez in front of his house but the gun jammed. After this episode, Noguez applied for Mexican state protection, and was assigned a security detail in January 2023. Since the beginning of his state protection, the journalist had been escorted by police officers every time he travelled.par l'État, le journaliste était escorté par des policiers à chacun de ses déplacements.
"The violence against journalists in Mexico remains unparalleled. The murder of journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez — killed despite being under state protection after he was attacked just over two years ago — is the latest episode illustrating this bloody trend. It is at least the 8th case of a journalist under state protection murdered in the country in recent years. There are many factors, but the state's inability to end impunity for these crimes is a crucial issue. We call on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances that led to this journalist's execution, to identify and bring justice to those responsible and to strengthen journalist protections. Mexico's press freedom will continue to erode until journalists are safe.
In May 2024, then-candidate and current Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum made a commitment to RSF to protect and defend journalism in Mexico, one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists. President Sheinbaum pledged to review and strengthen the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, among other measures. According to RSF's analysis, the programme, which has existed since 2012, plays a fundamental role in the country, but has a series of limitations that must be urgently addressed so that cases like Alejandro's cease to repeat.
