Mexico: Murder of journalist Luis Martín Sánchez, another example of the insecurity and violence against the press
14 July: Mexico continues to be one of the countries with the highest rate of violence against journalists in the Americas. The disappearance and murder of journalist Luis Martin Sánchez Íñiguez is indicative and another reminder of a climate of mounting insecurity faced by the press, declared PEN International and PEN San Miguel today.
Journalist Luis Martín Sánchez was reported missing on 5 July 2022 by his family members and three days later his body was found in Huachines, a small town close to Tepic, in the state of Nayarit. Sanchez was the correspondent for La Jornada in the Mexican Pacific and reporter for the digital media Crítica Digital Noticias (CDN).
La Jornada newspaper revealed that the laptop and hard disks of local correspondents had disappeared from his office, according to his wife's declaration, when they realised he had disappeared. The Nayarit State Prosecutor's Office publicly confirmed that one of its lines of investigation into the crime is Sánchez’s journalistic work.
On 10 July 2023, media workers in Nayarit signed a letter with the participation of 366 journalists and 17 networks of journalists and civil organizations in the country, in which they demand that the safety of all communicators working in the 20 municipalities of Nayarit be guaranteed. The journalists demand the authorities speed up the protection measures for the families of the journalists, all the investigation processes, prosecution, and information related to the cases. The violence against the profession and to demand a stop to impunity since "they kill anyone, and the murders go unpunished".
“Until those responsible for the murders of journalists are brought to justice and media workers are provided with adequate protection, the cycle of impunity will continue to reign in Mexico. The Mexican State must demonstrate its judiciary system strong and just enough to have concrete measures for the protection of journalists seriously, " declared Ma Thida, Chair of the Writers in Prison Committee of PEN International.
The authorities must also make every effort to locate those responsible for the abductions of two of Luis Martín Sanchez’s colleagues: the journalist Jonathan Lora Ramírez, contributor to several media outlets, who was abducted from his home on 7 July and released 24 hours later; and Osiris Maldonado Medrano, a graphic designer and contributor to Crítica Digital Noticias, who also reappeared seven days after his abduction on 9 July.
The Mexican government must exhaust all legal resources to promptly and impartially investigate the targeted killings and the disappearances of journalists, at least 2 journalists were killed in 2023 in possible relation to their work. The Mexican authorities should provide the necessary protection to the family of the murdered journalist, who left their city with the help of the government for fear of reprisals.
PEN International and PEN San Miguel call on the Mexican authorities to uphold their commitment to freedom of expression with effective protection measures. The Mexican government, at all levels, should fully address the crisis of violence against journalists in the country; and ensure that protection measures provided through the Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists are efficient and effective in protecting journalists. The Mexican government must guarantee the full exercise of free expression in compliance with their international obligations.