Mexico overview

Violence and deadly attacks against journalists

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to work as a journalist, particularly those working for newspapers.

According to Writers in Prison Committee records, in the five years from 2004 to 2008 a total of 20 writers - 19 print journalists and one author - were murdered in Mexico, while four more journalists have disappeared. Click here to see details.

2008 saw an alarming escalation in attacks on writers, particularly murders, with seven killed in 2008 (six print journalists and one author) compared to just one in 2007. A total of 54 attacks on writers were recorded (see table below for breakdown), compared to 42 such incidents in 2007. Two journalists were also imprisoned on drugs trafficking and firearms charges, which may have been fabricated.

MEXICO 2008

These killings need to be seen in the context of the extremely high levels of violence in Mexico in general. The most recently published figures show that 11 out of every 100,000 deaths in Mexico are by murder, more than double that in the USA. Of these, a majority are related to the drug crime that in 2008 claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people, many in states on the US border.

Organised crime groups, particularly drug cartels, are responsible for much of the violence, and for an estimated three out of every 10 attacks against journalists. As a result, those reporting on crime and drug trafficking are particularly at risk.

However, state agents, particularly government officials and the police, are thought to be the main perpetrators of violence against journalists, and complicit in its continuance. For example, Lydia Cacho is still battling to gain legal redress for a state governor's alleged part in her 2005 abduction and intimidation in retaliation for her book exposing child pornography rings (to read more about Cacho's case, click here).

In a recent report to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council , the Mexican government appears not to recognise the involvement of officials, mentioning only organized crime as responsible for violence against journalists.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stressed that unsolved killings of and attacks against journalists in Mexico are contributing to a climate of impunity that restricts freedom of expression. Censorship and self-censorship are thought to be commonplace.

The Mexican government has taken a number of steps to address the problem in recent years, all of which have proved to have serious shortcomings to date. These include:

Early 2006: creation of the Special Prosecutor's Office to for Crimes against Journalists (Fiscalía Especial para la Atención de Delitos Cometidos contra Periodistas, FEADP). As of early 2009, there were very few successful prosecutions, partly due to lack of autonomy and resources as well as jurisdictional limitations.

In March 2007: amendment of the federal penal code in order to decriminalize defamation, a measure which was widely welcomed but has not as yet had great effect as state laws still need to be amended.

In October 2008: presentation to Congress of a proposal for reform of Article 73 of the Constitution to recognize crimes relating to freedom of expression and human rights as federal rather than state offences. New law promised for early 2009.

For more information on current and past Mexican cases, click here.

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