The assassination of Lourdes Maldonado López, the third assassination of a journalist so far this year, has rocked the journalistic union, prompting demands for concrete action to protect the informative work of all communicators in the country.
Terrified by the deadly attacks suffered by journalists José Luis Gamboa (January 10 in Veracruz), Margarito Martínez (January 17 in Baja California) and Lourdes Maldonado (January 23 in Baja California) in just 23 days of the year, California), communicators from across the country called for taking to the streets to demand justice and make visible the violence to which they are exposed.
The mobilizations, scheduled for this Tuesday, January 25, will be from north to south, from cities like Tijuana to Cancun. In total, demonstrations are planned in 42 cities.
Both national and international organizations have also shown their rejection of the killings, as is the case of the US Embassy in Mexico, which has expressed through social networks:
“Terrified over the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado López, the third murder of a journalist so far this year. We stand in solidarity with Mexican journalists. #Press Freedom ”.
While the UN-DH said it condemned the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado, adding the third murder to that of Margarito Esquivel and José Luis Gamboa in 2022, it recalled that “#FreedomOfExpression and the work of those who practice journalism pillars of democracy and human rights.
“We express our condolences to the family of Lourdes Maldonado and insist on a speedy and effective investigation into her murder. Efforts must be doubled to protect journalists and human rights defenders and end impunity for these crimes. “
In turn, Article 19 demanded that the Office of the Attorney General (FGR) file the case of the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado López.
The FGR must “attract the case and investigate it urgently and objectively by applying the approved protocol to investigate crimes against freedom of expression. The first hours and proceedings are essential to gather important data and evidence, ”he emphasized.
For its part, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has indicated that it will investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder of Lourdes Maldonado, who was under state protection. We demand that the local and federal authorities conduct an immediate investigation into the events and guarantee the safety of his family. ”
Maldonado case
Lourdes Maldonado was aware of the risk she was running because in 2019, she did not hesitate to express directly to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that she feared for her life.
Last week, the driver also won a labor dispute she had for years against a local television station she worked for, owned by former Baja California governor Jaime Bonilla, who on Monday had any type of relationship with the murder.
Maldonado is registered with the Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Protection Mechanism.
His work has focused on issues of politics and corruption in the state of Baja California, for media such as Televisa, Primer Sistema de Noticias (PSN) and the weekly Séptimo Día.
In addition to the fact that a few months ago he presented the program “Brebaje” on the radio station Sintoniza sin Fronteras and in video stream through the Internet.
protection, insufficient
Baja California (BC) Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio stated that the protection mechanism under which journalist Lourdes Maldonado was found “unfortunately, as we can see, it was not enough to prevent them from taking her life, unfortunately to The Partner “.
In a contradiction, however, Iván Carpio maintained that the murder of Lourdes Maldonado did not indicate that the mechanism had failed, while explaining the circumstances in which it was applied to the journalist, who had a panic button, communicating with the Secretary of Public maintained. Security of Tijuana and that patrols were conducted at specific times in the area where he lived.
In turn, the governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, promised to investigate Maldonado’s murder.
The president gave instructions to the state prosecutor to designate the person in charge of investigating the cases of Lourdes Maldonado and Margarito Martínez, journalists killed in the city of Tijuana.
Through a video posted on her Twitter account, Marina del Pilar assured that the authorities of her state will work to clear up the events in which both journalists lost their lives.
“All violence is reprehensible and it is even more so when it is used against those who strive to make the truth an essential value in our society,” the president said.
Marina del Pilar assured that the three levels of government will work together in the investigations of both cases, because “we are going to use the full power of the state to guarantee that justice prevails; the attacks on the press are an attack on the voice of all citizens ”.
He also announced that he had requested the appointment of a special prosecutor to be in charge of all cases related to the cases of the murdered journalists, which will be resolved by prosecutor Carpio Sánchez.
López Obrador regrets the murder of a communicator in Tijuana
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador lamented the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado, which took place in Tijuana, Baja California, and demanded that a labor lawsuit not be “automatically” linked to a crime.
“You have to see the cell phone, if there is a link with the labor complaint and see who is responsible, see it with great responsibility, even if what I suggest is superfluous, who were they, if there are intellectual writers, who were the material writers All the research is already being done, ”he said.
From the National Palace, the president explained that a thorough investigation needs to be done. Likewise, he indicated that the political motive in the communicator’s murder should not be neglected.
“You can not automatically link a labor-type lawsuit to a crime, it is not responsible to preside over any lawsuit, you have to wait and see who is informed. “Do not stop considering the political, because there is always confrontation,” he claimed during his morning conference. (Set)
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx