WHEREAS freedom of the press and the practice of journalism are pillars of every democratic society, and the murder of journalists and media communicators constitutes one of the most serious forms of violence against freedom of expression;
WHEREAS freedom of the press and the practice of journalism are pillars of every democratic society, and the murder of journalists and media communicators constitutes one of the most serious forms of violence against freedom of expression;
WHEREAS, since the IAPA Midyear Meeting held in April 2026, eight journalists and media communicators have been murdered for apparent reasons related to their professional work in Colombia (2), Guatemala (2), Haiti (1) and Mexico (3), amid violence, threats, corruption, organized crime, and journalistic investigations into public officials and illicit activities;
WHEREAS, in Colombia, Mateo Pérez Rueda, director of El Confidente, whose body was found on May 8 after he had been reported missing, and Cristian Herrera, a journalist with La Opinión de Cúcuta and the FLIP correspondent in Norte de Santander, were murdered; in Guatemala, Carlos Humberto Cal Ical, who practiced journalism through social media, and Evelio Lisandro López Sánchez, director of the Facebook page Huehue Es Noticias HNT2 and an active member of the Huehuetenango Press Association, were murdered; and in Mexico, Josué Martínez Contreras, director of Noticias San Martín Texmelucan; Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, a columnist for El Zumbido del Moscardón; and Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas, a photographer and content creator who had reported receiving threats after publishing information and criticism concerning local issues, were murdered;
WHEREAS, in Haiti, journalist and Ti Boukan FM community radio station director Joseph Willard Vancol was kidnapped on August 20 during a gang attack in the commune of Gressier, in Port-au-Prince, and his body was found on September 9;
WHEREAS impunity for crimes against journalists encourages further attacks, weakens the rule of law and fosters self-censorship, and the Chapultepec Declaration states in its fourth principle that such acts severely curtail freedom of expression and freedom of the press and must be promptly investigated and severely punished;
THE 82nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
To strongly condemn the murders of Mateo Pérez Rueda, Cristian Herrera, Carlos Humberto Cal Ical, Evelio Lisandro López Sánchez, Josué Martínez Contreras, Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas and Joseph Willard Vancol, and to express solidarity with their families, colleagues and journalistic communities.
To urge the authorities in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Haiti to conduct thorough, independent, impartial and expeditious investigations, determine whether the crimes were related to the victims’ journalistic work, and bring all perpetrators and masterminds to justice, treating the victims’ professional activities as a priority line of investigation.
To call on the authorities to ensure effective protection for journalists and media communicators who have been threatened or are at risk, and to adopt preventive measures to avert further attacks.
To reiterate the States’ obligation to prevent, investigate, punish and provide redress for attacks against journalists, and to urge the governments of Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Haiti to publicly report on the progress of the investigations and ensure that these crimes do not remain unpunished.
