Impunity - Mexico II

WHEREAS Benjamín Flores González, editor of La Prensa in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, was murdered in July 1997 as a result of his reporting on drug traffickers and corruption in government; four people were arrested and convicted, though two of them — including the alleged perpetrator — were subsequently acquitted for lack of evidence; the only ones remaining in prison are Vidal Zamora Lara and Jorge Pacheco Reyes, who were accomplices in the murder; and the Sonoran authorities have not reported on any new investigations to determine whether more people were involved WHEREAS both of those convicted for the 1998 murder of Philip True, Mexico correspondent for the San Antonio Express-News, remain at large, their re-arrest was ordered more than one year ago WHEREAS Roberto Javier Mora García, the editorial page editor of El Mañana of Nuevo Laredo (Tamaulipas), was murdered in March 2004, and the police claim that he was killed for person reasons WHEREAS one of the alleged culprits was killed in prison, and there are inconsistencies and contradictions in the investigation and the evidence obtained by the State Attorney General’s Office of Tamaulipas; as a result, this crime is clouded by uncertainty, and the case has apparently been dropped WHEREAS columnist Leodegario Aguilera Lucas was abducted in May 2004 in Acapulco, Guerrero, and there are conflicting reports as to whether his remains have been found by the authorities or he is still missing; meanwhile, the State Attorney General’s Office of Guerrero has shown no progress in the investigation and has failed to determine the reasons for the disappearance or possible murder of Aguilera Lucas. WHEREAS journalist Francisco Ortiz Franco, an editor of the weekly newspaper Zeta of Baja California, was murdered in June 2004; the Mexican Office of the Attorney General took over the investigation, and 16 months later no one has been arrested for involvement in the crime WHEREAS journalist Francisco Arratia Saldierna was murdered in the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas in August 2004 WHEREAS Raúl Castelán Cruz, apparently a member of the “Gulf cartel” and one of the alleged accomplices in the murders, was charged for his alleged participation in the crime and brought before a judge on September 24, 2004, where he confessed that Arratia Saldiernia was murdered because of his column, which was appearing in various media outlets in Tamaulipas WHEREAS fourteen months later there is no indication that the State Attorney General’s Office of Tamaulipas is moving the investigation forward, and no further suspects have been arrested; thus, those who planned and carried out these murders are still at large WHEREAS in September 2004 the Mexican Office of the Attorney General took over sole jurisdiction of the investigation into the federal crimes allegedly committed by Castelán Cruz (possession of restricted firearms), but not the investigation into the murder of Francisco Arratia Saldierna, which remained under the jurisdiction of the State Attorney General’s Office WHEREAS Gregorio Rodríguez Hernández, a photographer for the newspaper El Debate de Mazatlán of Sinaloa, was murdered in November 2004 in Escuinapa, Sinaloa WHEREAS seven people allegedly involved in this murder have been arrested so far, according to the State Attorney General’s Office of Sinaloa: the perpetrator and one of his accessories, as well as four accomplices and the mastermind, former Escuinapa police chief Abel Enríquez Zavala WHEREAS the theory suggested by the State Attorney General’s Office is that — based on the testimony of a witness who has since disappeared — Rodríguez Hernández unknowingly photographed Enríquez Zavala while he was with a local drug trafficker, although this photograph was never published in El Debate nor was it found among his effects WHEREAS in a few months the judge should issue his ruling against the alleged perpetrator, although local journalists have questioned whether this suspect was involved in the murder ever since he was captured WHEREAS Alfredo Jiménez Mota, an reporter for the newspaper El Imparcial of Sonora who had specialized in investigating stories related to organized crime, was abducted on April 2, 2005 WHEREAS the Mexican Office of the Attorney General, which is handling the investigation into the reporter’s disappearance, has made no progress; six months have passed with no report on the whereabouts of Jiménez Mota, and suspects have not even been identified WHEREAS journalist Guadalupe García Escamilla, host of the radio program “Punto Rojo” on XHNOE-91 of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, was shot by an unknown assailant on April 5, 2005 and died 11 days later, on April 16 WHEREAS during the three months prior to her death, the journalist had received various threats; for example, her vehicle was burned, and the state police insulted her over their radios WHEREAS the investigation was taken over by the Mexican Office of the Attorney General, and six months later no information has emerged on who might have carried out the murder, who might have ordered it, or why she was murdered WHEREAS Raúl Gibb Guerrero, the editor of La Opinión of Poza Rica, Veracruz, was gunned down on April 8, 2005 as he was arriving home WHEREAS the Mexican Office of the Attorney General took over the investigation into the murder and is working with two main theories — organized crime (drug trafficking or theft of gasoline) and personal motives — but has not yet presented its conclusions, and as a result no arrests have been made WHEREAS the body of Jesús Reyes Brambilia, a reporter for Vallarta Milenio of Guadalajara, Jalisco, was found stabbed and beaten on September 18 in the trunk of an abandoned car WHEREAS Article 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “Freedom of expression and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, pressure, intimidation, the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly” THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to request that the State Attorney General’s Office of Sonora review the case file in the murder of Benjamín Flores González, editor of La Prensa of San Luis Río Colorado, in the wake of the acquittals of those who were supposedly the main culprits to further request that said office serve the four arrest warrants that have been pending for more than seven years to request that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General review the case file in the murder of Flores González and, if appropriate, take over control of the case, as the alleged culprits may have been involved in drug trafficking to urge the Mexican government to have the appropriate authorities serve the re-arrest warrants for the two individuals responsible for the murder of journalist Philip True to demand that the State Attorney General’s Office of Tamaulipas further the investigation into the murder of Roberto Javier Mora García, editorial page editor of El Mañana of Nuevo Laredo, in order capture all those responsible and leave no doubt as to the motive behind the murder, and that said office release a report to the public in order clear up the questions and the apparently conflicting information surrounding the case to demand that the State Attorney General’s Office of Guerrero conclude the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Leodegario Aguilera Lucas and determine why he was abducted to demand that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General arrest and prosecute those responsible for carrying out the murder of journalist Francisco Ortiz Franco as well as the masterminds behind the crime to urge the State Attorney General’s Office of Tamaulipas to continue the investigation into the murder of Francisco Arratia Saldierna so that the perpetrators and masterminds responsible for this murder may be arrested and prosecuted to request that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General take over full control of the investigation into the murder of Francisco Arratia Saldierna, given the lack of confidence in state authorities due to the slow pace of the investigation, as well as the fact that he was murdered for his work as a journalist; Arratia Saldierna had denounced corruption and drug trafficking in Tamaulipas, which makes his murder a direct attack on freedom of the press; in addition, he was allegedly murdered by drug traffickers, and drug trafficking is only investigated at the federal level to urge the State Attorney General’s Office of Sinaloa to further the investigation into the murder of photographer Gregorio Rodríguez Hernández, and that it arrest all those involved in the murder and answer all questions as to who committed the crime and why to insist that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General take over the investigation into the murder of Gregorio Rodríguez Hernández, so that it may review the proceedings at the state level that have generated skepticism and to assist in or modify such proceedings as appropriate, which it is allowed to do because the alleged culprits are involved in drug trafficking to request that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General expedite the investigation into the disappearance of Alfredo Jiménez Mota and give clear, specific answers about the case; this is urgent because the reporter’s whereabouts and condition are unknown to demand that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General solve the murder of reporter Guadalupe García Escamilla, arrest and prosecute the culprits, and submit a report providing solid information on why she was murdered to urge that the Mexican Office of the Attorney General arrest and prosecute those responsible for the murder of Raúl Gibb Guerrero, editor of La Opinión of Poza Rica, and provide clear information on why he was murdered to urge the State Attorney General’s Office of Jalisco to further the investigation into the murder of journalist José Reyes Brambilia, in order to identify those involved in the murder and bring them to justice.