RE: “Mexican Journalists March Against Attacks on Press”

Dear Editor,

The increasing number of journalists murdered in Mexico could not be more troubling to those committed to the international human rights movement. It certainly requires greater scrutiny due to its strong correlation with drug trafficking throughout Latin America. However, your article titled “Mexican Journalists March Against Attacks on Press” omits some critically important aspects of the problem that need to be emphasized. In particular, the slogan “No mas sangre” (No more blood) is not completely new in the recent history of Mexico. In recent years, the slogan has been applied to protests against the bloody repression carried out by former President Calderon against the drug traffickers. This repression jumpstarted the current internal war which has claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 Mexicans in recent years.

The killing of Mexican journalists has affected a country that has traditionally taken great pride in claiming that it respects press freedom. Nevertheless, several recent investigations show that Mexico has lost its reputation for respecting such rights. Nowadays, Mexico has a woefully poor press freedom rank (ranked as 153rd in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2013). [1]  Crimes against journalists, such as extortion, intimidation, and murder, have led Mexico to plummet from the 75th position in the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2002 [2]. This dire situation calls for a far stronger government intervention in defense of its press than witnessed up to now.

Sincerely,

Filippo Ponz de Leon, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

In response to the Associated Press article: Mexican Journalists March Against Attacks on Press

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References

[1] “Dashed Hopes After Spring,” World Freedom Press Index 2013, Reporters Without Borders, 2013, http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=classement&id_rubrique=1054.

[2] “Reporters Without Boarders Publishes First Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2002,” Reporters Without Borders, October 2002, http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2002,297.html.