RSF in Mexico to get authorities to give new pledges to end impunity for crimes against journalists

One of the most significant undertakingsthat Sheinbaum gave to RSF while a candidate was to reinforce the fight against impunity for crimes against journalists, in particular, by improving coordination with prosecutors in order to ensure that murders and disappearances of journalists are investigated effectively.

In order to move forward on this front during her presidency, RSF met with several prosecutors this week, including Sara Irene Herrerías, who heads the Prosecutor's Office Specialising in Human Rights, and Ricardo Sánchez Pérez del Pozo, the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE).

The discussions focused on strategies to advance investigations, particularly in cases of missing journalists that fall within FEADLE's mandate, and the need for better cooperation with prosecutors' offices in Mexico's states. The case of Maurício Cruz Solís, a journalist murderedon 29 October in the western state of Michoacán, was also discussed, including the possibility of putting federal prosecutors in charge of the investigation.

RSF also met with Félix Arturo Medina Padilla, the undersecretary for human rights, population and migration at the interior ministry, and those who run the Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists. It was agreed to step up monitoring of implementation of President Sheinbaum's pledges to combat violence against journalists.

More than 600 journalists are currently receiving state protection under this mechanism, but RSF insisted on the importance of consulting the various civil society stakeholders and international entities in order to continue to develop this policy.

During this visit, RSF has also met with Senate Human Rights Commission chair Reyna Celeste Ascensio Ortega. A direct dialogue channel was established to engage Mexico's Congress in the protection of journalists, including by means of legislative reforms and new legislation. The senator undertook to set up a working group to explore concrete solutions and strengthen the involvement of Congress in this fight.

Meetings were additionally held with the foreign ministry's Human Rights Directorate and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico. These meetings aimed to strengthen international cooperation and obtain technical and political support for initiatives to protect journalists and combat impunity.

Five journalists have been killed in Mexico since the start of 2024: Mauricio Cruz Solís, the director of the online media Minuto x Minuto; Alejandro Alfredo Martínez Noguez, reporter and founder of the media El Hijo del Llanero Solititito; Roberto Carlos Figueroa, the editor of the online media Acá en el Show; Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales, director of the online portal Realidades, and Víctor Manuel Jiménez Campos, a reporter for the online media Rotativa Digital. Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, with at least 37 killed in the past six years.

*In the photo: Artur Romeu, director of RSF's Latin America office. Balbina Flores, RSF representative in Mexico. Tobyanne Ledesma Rivera, current director general of the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. Froylán Enciso, head of the Human Rights Unit and national executive coordinator of the Mechanism. Arturo Medina, Undersecretary for Human Rights, Population and Migration. César Estrada Pérez, Director General of Human Rights Public Policy.