Miami (April 4, 2023) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) expressed satisfaction at the inauguration of "Alfredo Jiménez Mota" Street in honor of a Mexican journalist who disappeared 18 years ago.
The activity is one of the reparation measures included in the Friendly Settlement Agreement reached between the IAPA and the government of Mexico through the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2021.
The event was held on April 2 in Empalme, Sonora. The sign "Alfredo Jiménez Mota" was placed on First Street in the Oriente neighborhood of Empalme, where the journalist lived with his parents and sister. Jiménez Mota was a reporter for El Imparcial. In retaliation for his investigations, he disappeared at 25 on April 2, 2005, in Hermosillo. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since.
The ceremony was attended by the journalist's parents, José Alfredo Jiménez Hernández and Esperanza Mota Martínez; his sister, Leticia Jiménez Mota; relatives, neighbors, and friends. Federal, state, and municipal authorities also participated.
His father, Jiménez Hernández, emphasized that Alfredo's courage and bravery "will remain for posterity." He added: "The new generations will know about the legacy that our son and brother left behind in his investigations when he carried out his work as a communicator when he dedicated his heart and determination to his profession with courage."
Michael Greenspon, Global Head of Licensing & Print Innovation for the New York Times, said: "While we are pleased to fulfill another commitment to the family, our priority remains the call for justice."
Carlos Jornet, chairman of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and editor of La Voz del Interior, Argentina, added: "This case reminds us of the urgency of continuing to demand measures to prevent violence against journalists in Mexico and throughout the region."
The IAPA took the case as one of the most emblematic in Mexico and presented it to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on March 11, 2009. As a result, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights joined IAPA in representing the case before the IACHR in 2018.
On December 8, 2021, a Friendly Settlement Agreement was signed, establishing material and moral reparations for the family and measures of non-repetition and the pursuit of justice.
Others who attended the ceremony were: Secretary of the Government of Sonora, Álvaro Bracamonte Sierra; the head of the Human Rights Defense Unit of the Ministry of the Interior, Enrique Irazoque Palazuelos; the mayor of Empalme, Luis Fuentes Aguilar, and Lourdes Lugo, editorial director of El Imparcial, the newspaper for which Alfredo worked.
On behalf of the newspaper, Lugo told IAPA: "With the inauguration of the street named after Alfredo Jiménez Mota, his parents and family request to highlight his legacy is fulfilled. It is an important recognition of his career. The IAPA, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Organization, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have provided valuable support. We will remain vigilant to ensure that the authorities fulfill their commitment to clarifying the disappearance of our colleague and that there is no impunity."
Bracamonte Sierra expressed that he hopes that acts like this "set a precedent and spread to other localities so that an event of this nature will never happen again."
Irazoque Palazuelos hoped that "this street will be a constant reminder that freedom of the press and the right to information are fundamental for a democratic and just society."
IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere; and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.