Another journalist was found dead in Mexico this week - the fifth this year in the country's dismal record of attacks against the press.
Veteran reporter Giulio Valdivia was found Wednesday afternoon in the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz in the municipality of Tizonaba, headless near railroads. His blue motorcycle was found a few meters from his body, according to the newspaper Diario El Mundo from Córdoba, where he was working.
The Veracruz government condemned the killing.
"As we have explained before, there will be no impunity in this government," she said in a tweet on Wednesday, without giving details of Valdivia's death.
Whether Valdivia was killed for his reporting will be a central question for Mexican press freedom monitors and authorities. The Veracruz Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Wednesday that Valdivia's press work is "potential evidence that must be followed" in the murder investigation.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Valdivia covered crime and security in Cordoba, and his career spanned two decades.
In the Valdivia obituary, Diario el Mundo was remembered fondly by his colleagues.
They wrote, "Valdivia is the way everyone knew him, and they always respond with a smile and use his unique phrase that marked him:" Let's go, this is urgent. "
The newspaper reported that Valdivia leaves behind a wife and four children, the youngest of whom is only four years old.
The death of Valdivia marks the fifth murder of a journalist in Mexico this year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the second in Veracruz, making Mexico the deadliest country for journalists in 2020 so far. In April, journalist Victor Fernando Alvarez Chávez was found beheaded in Guerrero state.
Last year, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported the killing of 11 journalists in Mexico, the highest number in the world.
Hutzen says Mexican authorities bear part of the blame for failing to stop such crimes.
"With a few exceptions, Mexican authorities, whether at the state or federal levels, have shown that they are totally unable to properly investigate crimes against the press," he said. "The cycle of violence and impunity continues to motivate anyone who wants to attack the press to do so without any fear of arrest, trial and sentence."
Violent crime has soared in Mexico in recent years, along with impunity, according to government data. Mexico last year recorded more than 35,000 murders, a record high that surpassed the previous record of 33,341 in 2018. Many of the murders are linked to drug cartel violence.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday that it is the "duty" and "obligation" of the government to investigate Valdivia's death.
When asked about the murder, the president said: "I know Tinozaaba and I know the importance of El Mundo newspaper from Cordoba, and how heroic the journalistic work is in that region as it is in other parts of the country." That is why it is necessary to investigate and punish those responsible in all cases. "
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