Miami (August 5, 2024) - The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the murder of Mexican journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez, who died on Sunday after being attacked by armed assailants in the state of Guanajuato. The organization urged authorities to conduct a timely and thorough investigation and prosecute all those responsible.
Martínez Noguez, who had been under police protection since late 2022 following an attempt on his life, was killed on August 4 while traveling in a vehicle with his escorts after covering a police incident in a neighboring municipality. Unknown individuals opened fire from another vehicle, hitting Martínez with gunshots, according to press reports.
After the attack, the journalist was taken alive to a hospital in Celaya but died while receiving medical attention, according to press reports. Two police officers protecting him were also injured, according to information published in local media.
The attack occurred in the city of Celaya, in the state of Guanajuato, known for violence related to organized crime.
"El Hijo del Llanero Solititito," (The Son of the Lone Lone Ranger) as Martínez was known, used to cover police news and other community interest topics, including politics and sports, on his Facebook page.
The president of the IAPA, Roberto Rock, condemned the murder and expressed solidarity with the family and colleagues of the deceased journalist. Rock, director of the Mexican digital portal La Silla Rota, urged authorities to "initiate an expedited investigation to determine responsibilities, establish the motives for the crime, and punish those responsible with the full force of the law."
The president of the IAPA's Committee on Press Freedom and Information, Carlos Jornet, stated that "Mexico still cannot guarantee the safety of journalists, even those under police protection." Jornet, editor of the Argentine newspaper La Voz del Interior, said that in this context "it is essential that Mexican authorities break the cycle of impunity surrounding crimes against journalists."
Martínez's case is not the first case of deadly violence against the press in 2024, according to IAPA records. This year, journalists Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales, director and editor of the digital media outlet Realidades, in Chiapas, on June 28, and Roberto Carlos Figueroa Bustos, director and host of the digital media Acá en El Show, in Morelos, on April 26, were also murdered.
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.
