Miami (May 26, 2023) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today condemned the murder in Mexico of journalist Marco Aurelio Ramírez and asked the authorities to speed up the investigations and not leave this new crime unpunished, which once again, intensifies the climate of extreme violence in which the Mexican press works.
"Last year, we recorded the murder of 20 Mexican journalists and press workers. It cannot be repeated. Justice needs to be made, and the authorities need to take action and find the motive," said IAPA President Michael Greenspon, global director of Licensing and Print Innovation of The New York Times, United States.
Ramírez, 69, had more than three decades of practicing journalism. He was shot on Tuesday when he got into his car in front of his Tehucán, Puebla. He was also a lawyer and had held positions in the municipal government.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, reported on Wednesday that the investigation into the murder of journalist Ramírez had already begun and that he had been in contact with the governor of Puebla, Sergio Salomón Céspedes.
"This is a good opportunity for the country's highest authorities to show their commitment to Justice and act resolutely against terrorism against journalism and press freedom," said Greenspon.
In its semi-annual report on Mexico, presented in April, the IAPA said that there had been no murders of journalists in Mexico in the first quarter of the year. However, it highlighted numerous acts of violence, including the December 2022 shooting attack against journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva in Mexico City. The communicator was unharmed due to the armor of his vehicle. Although President López Obrador condemned the act, he also said that it could have been a "self-attack" by the right to discredit his government.
Mexican journalists assassinated in 2022:
Pedro Pablo Kamul, in November, in Veracruz.
Fredid Román, columnist for the online news program La Realidad de Guerrero, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, on August 23.
Juan Arjón López, director of the portal What are you afraid of, in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora, on August 16.
Allan González, announcer, Lino Flores, from the Promotions area, Armando Guerrero, Operations Manager and Alex Arriaga, bodyguard, all of them from Switch 105.9 FM radio, in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, on August 11.
Ernesto Méndez, editorial director of the newspaper Tu Voz, in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, on August 2.
Antonio de la Cruz, a journalist for the newspaper Expreso, in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, on June 29.
Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi, director of the El Veraz website, and Sheila Johana García Olivera, camerawoman and reporter for the same medium, in Cosoleacaque, Veracruz, on May 9.
Luis Enrique Ramírez, columnist for the daily El Debate, in Culiacán, Sinaloa, on May 4.
Armando Linares, director of the Monitor Michoacán news portal, on March 15, 2022, in Zitácuaro, Michoacán.
Juan Carlos Muñiz, police reporter for the Testigo Minero portal and collaborator of several radio stations, on March 4, 2022, in Fresnillo, Zacatecas.
Jorge Camero, director of the El Informativo portal, on February 24, 2022, in Empalme, Sonora.
Heber López Vásquez, director of the RCP Noticias portal, on February 10, 2022, in the port of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.
Roberto Toledo, a journalist for the Monitor Michoacán news portal, on January 31, 2022, in Zitácuaro, Michoacán.
Lourdes Maldonado, reporter, and host who broadcast on Radio Tune Without Borders and social networks, directed the program "Brebaje," on January 23, 2022, in Tijuana, Baja California.
Margarito Martínez, freelance photojournalist, on January 17, 2022, in Tijuana, Baja California.
José Luis Gamboa, director of the digital newspaper Inforegio, on January 10, 2022, in the Port of Veracruz, Veracruz.
