Miami (July 2, 2024) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the murder of journalist Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and urged authorities to conduct a timely and thorough investigation to clarify the case, prosecute those responsible, and put an end to the cycle of impunity surrounding these crimes.
Culebro Morales, director and editor of the digital media Realidades, was found dead with signs of torture on June 28 on a road in the municipality of Jiquipilas, Chiapas, according to local press reports. Since the previous day, the reporter's whereabouts had been unknown. Culebro, 39 years old, was married, had two children, and lived in the city of Cintalapa.
According to police sources, the body was found tied hand and foot, with the head covered, and showed signs of beating and apparently gunshot wounds. According to the newspaper La Jornada, Culebro had recently been a campaign coordinator for the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico in Tapachula.
IAPA President Roberto Rock, from the La Silla Rota portal in Mexico City, expressed solidarity with the family and colleagues. He added: "Although the motive for the crime is currently unknown, we urge authorities to identify those responsible and not rule out journalistic work as a motive for the murder."
Through Realidades, known for its motto 'Journalism with truth,' Culebro Morales addressed social, political, and criticism issues in Cintalapa and the region, and criticized the management of municipal and state governments on security matters, according to local press reports. He was also known for his social and political activism.
Carlos Jornet, president of the IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, condemned the journalist's murder and stated that "in the vast majority of crimes against journalists in Mexico, justice is absent, and impunity remains the norm." Jornet, editor of the Argentine newspaper La Voz del Interior, added that "breaking the cycle of impunity is the main challenge facing Mexico to restore confidence in the judicial system."
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.
