Third journalist murdered this year in Mexico
(Updated on 11 August 2016) The Veracruz state prosecutor’s office confirmed, on August 10th 2016, the arrest of Manuel N, alias "El Cachorro", identified as a local chief of the notorious Zetas cartel, for his alleged connection with the murder of the journalist Anabel Flores, earlier this year. In May, after the arrest of another member of this same criminal gang that was also suspected for his implication in the reporter's murder, the Prosecutor declared that Anabel Flores was killed because she published information that harmed the cartel's interests.
********************************************************************
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that the body of Anabel Flores Salazar, a crime reporter for the El Sol de Orizaba newspaper, was found on the Cuacnopalan-Oaxaca road in Puebla state yesterday, a day after the 32-year-old mother was abducted from her home in neighbouring Veracruz state.
Identified by relatives, her semi-naked body was found with a plastic bag covering her head. She was the third journalist to be murdered this year in Mexico. RSF reiterates its call to the Mexican authorities to establish effective measures for protecting journalists and guaranteeing their safety.
********************************************************************
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is very concerned for the safety of Anabel Flores Salazar, a crime reporter kidnapped from her home in Orizaba, in the eastern state of Veracruz, in the early hours of yesterday, and urges the local authorities to continue their efforts to find her.
The State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists (CEAPP) initiated an immediate alert procedure designed to expedite efforts to locate Anabel Flores Salazar. The Veracruz state prosecutor’s office said in a statement yesterday that it was doing everything possible to find the missing journalist.
Nothing in so far known about the identity of Flores’ kidnappers, armed men in military-like uniforms who reportedly said they had a warrant for her arrest.
“We are deeply shocked by Anabel Flores’ abduction and we call on the local authorities to pursue their efforts to find this journalist as quickly as possible,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.
A specialist in criminal investigations, Flores works for El Sol de Orizaba, a local newspaper. She also writes for other publications such as El Mundo de Orizaba and El Buen Tono. Jorge Morales, the CEAPP representative in Veracruz, said she covers “organized crime” and described her reporting as “incisive.”
Ranked 148th out of 180 countries in the 2015 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, Mexico is the western hemisphere’s most dangerous country for journalists.
Mexico
