UN condemns killing of 3rd Mexican journalist this month

[News_Editor]

UN condemns killing of 3rd Mexican journalist this month

2011-09-28 17:54:46 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) has condemned the murders of three female journalists in Mexico during the past month, calling for increased measures to ensure journalists' security.

Last Saturday, the beheaded body of 39-year-old María Elizabeth Macías, editor of the Primera Hora newspaper from Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas, was found with a message linking the murder to her reporting on organized crime on social networks.

"María Elizabeth Macías is one of all too many brave Mexican journalists, including several women, murdered because they maintained their integrity as journalists and wrote about the activities of organized crime," said Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova.

"It is essential for democracy and for the restoration of rule of law, that journalists and editors be able to exercise their profession without fearing for their lives," Bokova added.

Bokova expressed concern as violence against reporters in Mexico continues to increase. Earlier this month, María Yarce Viveros and Rocio González Trápaga, two other journalists, were also murdered. Their bodies were found strangled in a park in Mexico City on September 1, making Macías' case the third killing of a journalist this month.

"I urge the authorities to take all possible measures to improve the safety of journalists and bring those guilty of attacks against media workers to justice," Bokova said. "Impunity is posing a direct threat to freedom of expression and press freedom in Mexico."

According to Reporters without Borders, a total of 80 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, making it one of the most dangerous countries to exercise freedom of expression.

The majority of killings have been linked to organized crime and drug trafficking, adding to the overall number of casualties – estimated at 50,000 – since the start of the country's federal offensive against drug trafficking in December 2006.

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