Mexico: Murder of Fourth Journalist in the Year Demonstrates Urgent Need for Legal Reform

Mexico: Murder of Fourth Journalist in the Year Demonstrates Urgent Need for Legal Reform

On World Press Freedom Day, Carlos Ortega Melo Samper a journalist from the newspaper El Tiempo de Durango in northern Mexico was assassinated. At the time of his death he had been undertaking investigations of alleged acts of corruption. ARTICLE 19 calls for immediate legal reforms to give the federal-level government the authority to investigate the murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.

On Sunday 3 May at 5 o’clock in the evening, a pick-up truck intercepted Carlos Ortega Melo Samper outside his home in the state of Durango in northern Mexico. The perpetrator fired his 40 caliber pistol three times from the truck, hitting Ortega in the head and killing him. The journalist had been working as a correspondent for the local newspaper El Tiempo for two years; he also worked as a lawyer in the municipality.

In an interview with ARTICLE 19, Fernando Mendoza who works for El Tiempo said that: “the first line of investigation for this assassination should be for the journalistic activity of Melo Samper and in particular his recent investigation of the sanitary conditions in the municipal slaughterhouse.” Mendoza added that the staff of El Tiempo had held a meeting with the Governor of the State of Durango, Ismael Alfredo Hernandez Deras, to discuss the investigation.

Melo Samper had complained about threats by local authorities as recently as two weeks prior to his death, for a story he had written on the sanitary conditions in the local state run slaughterhouse. As a result of this incident, before he died he wrote an article in which he stated that mayor of the municipality Martín Silvestre Herrera and Juan Manuel Calderón Guzmán, in charge of federal programmes and the municipal slaughterhouse, were responsible should any harm come to him. This article was in the editorial department of the paper awaiting publication at the time of his murder.

“Carlos Ortega’s case sadly underscores the need of providing federal authorities with the power and the capacity to investigate and sanction aggressions against journalists, particularly in cases, such as this one, where the local authorities are known to have previously harassed or threatened the victim”, stated Dr Agnès Callamard, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19.

“The Mexican authorities must immediately undertake the much required legal and policy reform that would at least address the salient problem of impunity for crimes against the media”, Dr Callamard added.

The journalist had been at odds with local authorities for a number of years. In July 2005, following a formal complaint, the State Commission of Human Rights for Durango investigated high ranking members the of the local Public Security forces. The Commission concluded that elements of the public Security Forces had violated the journalist’s human rights.

Ortega was famous for his critical writing in the municipality. Since 2003, he worked on a number of local and regional newspapers, including El Sol de Torreón and El Siglo de Durango. Since 2008, he had been writing in El Tiempo as a correspondent and distributor. He contributed to the paper on a daily basis and was also writing for the weekly publication Expresión de Durango. Ortega had been living in the area for more than 10 years.

The assassination of journalists is the ultimate form of censorship. Local media and journalists play a pivotal role in informing society about subjects that are relevant to the local communities. Without a media able to operate freely and without fear, society is prevented from accessing information essential to decision-making and participating in the public life and local affairs.

ARTICLE 19 expresses its solidarity with colleagues, friends, and collaborators of the newspaper El Tiempo, and with the journalists in the region.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the authorities, in accordance with their international obligations, to investigate effectively the murder and prosecute those responsible.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

• For more information: please contact Ricardo González, Official of Program for Freedom Expresión ricardo@article19.org