Violence Against Journalists in Mexico: In Brief (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 22, 2022 |
| Report Number |
R45199 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Clare Ribando Seelke, Rachel L. Martin, Carla Y. Davis-Castro |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
Over the past decade, at least 74 journalists have been killed in Mexico and many more have been
threatened or attacked. Although violence against journalists is occurring within the context of a
broader security crisis, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the InterAmerican
Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Rapporteurs for Freedom of Expression have
asserted that such crimes “attack the roots of democratic life in Mexico.”
1
Perhaps partially as a
result of international pressure, the Mexican government recently has reported progress in
resolving some cases of journalists who were killed in 2017.2 Although some observers are
skeptical of this reported progress, others remain hopeful that Mexico will take more decisive
action to investigate and prosecute unsolved murders and to prevent future crimes against
journalists.
Congress has expressed increasing concern about freedom of the press in Mexico. It also has
provided foreign assistance to help the Mexican government and civil society better protect
journalists and reduce impunity in cases of crimes committed against them.3 The U.S.
government is focused on strengthening Mexican government efforts to protect journalists and
bringing together journalists, media outlet owners, civil society, and the private sector to play a
role in monitoring and improving protection and prosecution efforts (see “U.S. Policy,” below).
Civil society organizations plan to meet with each of the five presidential candidates competing in
Mexico’s upcoming July 1, 2018, election and urge them to give priority to press freedom and
journalists’safety, topics that currently are not addressed in any of the candidates’ platforms.
