Update

Mexico: 3 photo-journalists murdered in Veracruz, government knew risk

On 3 May - World Press Freedom Day - the bodies of three photo-journalists, Guillermo Luna, Gabriel Huge and Esteban Rodríguez, were found in a sewage canal in the municipality of Boca del Rio, Veracruz.

According to local authorities, the bodies of Guillermo, Gabriel and Esteban were found by the Naval Police in a sewage canal known as La Zamorana, together with one more body, identified as Guillermo´s partner.

The three photo-journalists had worked for years covering police issues. Gabriel and Guillermo worked in the newspaper Notiver with Miguel Angel Lopez Velasco and his son Misael Lopez Solana, who were also murdered on 20 June 2011. Esteban worked for the newspaper AZ. The killing of the three photo-journalists took place a week after the murder of Regina Martinez, a journalist for Proceso magazine in Veracruz.   

The three photo-journalists were forced to flee their homes last year because of the threats they received. The families of Guillermo Luna and Gabriel Huge had reported them as missing several hours before their bodies were found.

These latest killings occurred less than a week after the governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte, publicly committed to ensure the proper investigation of the killing of Regina Martinez, The number of journalists killed during his administration has increased to eight.

ARTICLE 19 reaffirms its position that the Mexican authorities have consistently failed to fulfill their international obligation to guarantee freedom of expression. The current mechanisms do not address the central problem: the impunity that follows these actions.

Once more ARTICLE19 expresses its solidarity with the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased and we strongly call upon the Mexican authorities and particularly the Attorney General of Veracruz to find those responsible, bring them to justice, and prevent impunity from becoming the mark of these cases. 

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