Office of the Special Rapporteur exhorts the Mexican authorities to investigative crimes against journalists

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ (IACHR) Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression once again exhorts the Mexican authorities to expedite the strengthening of the investigative agencies charged with solving these kinds of crimes and urges the Mexican State to create, without delay, special protective mechanisms to adequately, effectively, and in a timely fashion address the extremely serious risks faced by journalists in Mexico, particularly near the northern border. On January 23rd, the Office of the Special Rapporteur emphatically condemns the murder of José Luis Romero, a journalist with radio news show "Línea Directa," which is broadcast by Radio Sistema del Noroeste in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. According to the Office of the Special Rapporteur, José Luis Romero, a journalist covering the police beat, was kidnapped on December 30, 2009. On Saturday, January 16, 2010, his lifeless body was found by the side of a highway on the way to the city of Los Mochis, in Sinaloa state. In 2009, at least 10 journalists were murdered in Mexico for reasons related to the practice of their profession. These incidents were condemned time and again by the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, in this sense repeats its call for the Mexican State to move decisively forward with existing investigations into crimes against journalists and to adopt, as soon as possible, measures that are indispensable for protecting the press. Such measures include the strengthening of the Special Prosecutor, the classification of crimes against journalists as federal crimes, and the implementation of permanent and specialized measures of protection to guarantee the life and physical integrity of at-risk communicators.