By Sovereign Hager
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
ACAPULCO, Mexico – Juan Martinez Gil, a lead reporter on the evening radio news in the state of Guerrero, was found beaten, bruised, and buried in a shallow grave. Authorities say that Martinez Gil died of asphyxia. He had been missing since Monday. Martinez Gil is the sixth journalist to be murdered in Mexico this year.
Family and friends of the slain journalist say they have “absolutely no” confidence in any investigation undertaken by the justice officials in the state of Guerrero. The death of a reporter who was shot to death in 2007 was dismissed by local authorities as being the result of “personal problems”.The police in Guerrero have said that they have no leads or ideas about motives in the case. They assume the death is related to organized crime because it was done with such “brutality”.
On Tuesday, federal agent Jose Ibarra, who had been investigating the death of another Mexican Journalist, was shot at his home in Ciudad Juarez. Ibarra was investigating the death of Armando Rodriguez, a crime reporter for the newspaper El Diario who was killed on November 13th outside his home in Ciudad Juarez.
Mexico continues to be considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). CPJ’s annual survey found that 17 journalists have been murdered in the last 18 months, 12 of them in 2009 and five this year. In the first six months of the year, there were 147 reported acts of aggression against reporters and the media, including 14 kidnappings.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon supports legislation protecting freedom of press in Mexico. A new bill in this area was approved by the Mexican Chamber of Deputies in April, but has stalled in the Senate.
The International Press Institute Director has called on Mexican officials to investigate and bring those responsible for crimes against journalists for justice. ”This seemingly never-ending cycle of impunity is not only damaging to press freedom in Mexico, but also undermines confidence in the government’s ability to uphold other fundamental human rights.”
A spokesperson for the Manuel Buendia Foundation talks about the dangers that journalists in Mexico Face.
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