A Mexican journalist was shot dead on Saturday in Acapulco, the second in a week in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for information professionals due in particular to the violence of organized crime.
The director of a local information site, Nelson Matus, was shot dead in a parking lot near a cheap store, said the local prosecutor’s office, which announced the opening of an investigation for “crime of qualified homicide with a firearm,” promising leave no stone unturned. .
Nelson Matus had 15 years of experience as a journalist. He specialized in covering violence in the state of Guerrero, in southwestern Mexico, Balbina Flores, the delegate in Mexico of the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told AFP.
“He had an introverted character” especially at times “when covering violence was complicated,” recalls a reporter who met the victim during various reports. “He was always helpful and kind.” “He had many connections with many sources,” adds this journalist, who claims to feel “terrible indignation.”
More than 150 journalists assassinated since 2000
Specializing in news, the news portal Lo Real de Guerrero, of which Nelson Matus was director, for example, published an article on Saturday about the discovery of “human remains in black bags” near a hotel in Acapulco.
On July 8, the body of Luis Martín Sánchez was found with traces of violence, a few days after the disappearance of this correspondent for the newspaper La Jornada in the state of Nayarit.
With 13 journalists killed by authorities’ count, 2022 was the deadliest year for journalists in Mexico since 2000. The country is one of the most violent in the world, with more than 150 journalists killed since 2000, according to RSF, which regrets that most murders of journalists go unpunished.
The Mexican NGO Article 19 has listed “160 murders of journalists in Mexico since 2000, possibly in relation to their work” as information professionals.
Very high levels of violence” in Guerrero
The most affected state is Veracruz with 31 murders of journalists since 2000, especially in the 2010s, according to this same NGO. Guerrero, one of the states most affected by violence allegedly linked to drug trafficking, ranks second with 15 journalist murders since 2000 (compared to two in the capital Mexico City).
“Guerrero is going through a very complex situation. He is facing very high levels of violence, which makes journalists more vulnerable, especially those who cover the news,” said Balbina Flores, an RSF delegate.
On Monday, protesters virtually besieged the state capital, Chilpancingo: 13 members of the security forces and public officials were taken hostage, the gate of the governor’s palace was smashed with an armored vehicle stolen from the police, the road blocked. ..
The officials were eventually released after negotiations between the federal government and the protesters, who were believed to be infiltrated by organized crime, authorities said.
Source: BFM TV
