Mexico City, January 29.- The attacks against journalists committed this month in Mexico "highlight the need for the State to immediately adjust and strengthen its institutional protection mechanisms" for this profession, stated the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), its Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, and the country office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-DH).
In a joint statement condemning the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado López in Tijuana, Baja California, on January 23, they considered it "critical" that less than a month into the year, three journalists were reported murdered and that at least two victims had attempted to go to the authorities to report their situation of risk.
"Worry"
They noted "with concern" that in the case of Lourdes Maldonado, "the State has failed to provide the journalist with the necessary guarantees to carry out her work safely and prevent these events, as the victim requested."
They recalled that on March 26, 2019, the reporter expressed fear for her life at President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's morning press conference, where she also requested his "support, assistance, and labor justice" for a lawsuit she was pursuing against a company owned by Jaime Bonilla, former governor of Baja California.
They welcomed the President's commitment to having the relevant national institutions investigate the murder of Lourdes Maldonado and urged the State to ensure that the investigation is "prompt, thorough, effective, and impartial."
