2 journalists killed in separate attacks in Mexico within hours

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Targeted killings of Mexican journalists

Growing nationalist outrage successful Mexico arsenic journalists are targeted and killed 04:43

The U.N. quality authorities agency successful Mexico said Wednesday journalists successful Mexico request much protection, aft gunmen killed a journalist whose Facebook news page covered nan convulsive occidental Mexico authorities of Michoacan. Then little than 24 hours later an intermezo newsman successful nan occidental metropolis of Colima was killed wrong a edifice she owned.

Journalist Mauricio Solís of nan news page Minuto por Minuto was changeable to decease precocious Tuesday conscionable moments aft he conducted a sidewalk question and reply pinch nan politician of nan metropolis of Uruapan. State prosecutors said a 2nd personification was wounded successful nan shooting.

Solís had conscionable vanished an question and reply connected nan thoroughfare extracurricular metropolis hallway pinch Mayor Carlos Manzo. Manzo told section media he had walked distant and "two minutes later, I think, and conscionable a matter of meters away, we heard gunshots, 4 aliases 5 gunshots."

"We sought screen because we thought nan onslaught was aimed astatine us," Manzo said. "After a fewer minutes we recovered retired that Mauricio was nan 1 they attacked."

Manzo said he could not norm retired a relationship betwixt nan question and reply and nan killing.

The power position wherever Solis worked mourned his sidesplitting successful a statement published connected societal media.

"Mauricio was much than a colleague, he was an unconditional friend, a root of inspiration and a tireless sound successful nan work of our community," nan position said.

The U.N. authorities agency said Solís was astatine slightest nan 5th journalist killed successful Mexico this year. It said he had antecedently reported information problems related to his work. His Facebook page reported connected organization events and nan supplier cartel unit that has wracked nan city.

"His sidesplitting is simply a wake-up telephone to take sides nan correct to accusation and state of look successful Mexico," nan agency wrote.

An expanding number of nan journalists killed successful Mexico person been self-employed and reported for section Facebook and online news sites.

Uruapan is nan nearest ample metropolis to Michoacan's avocado-growing region, and it has been nan segment of supplier cartel extortions and turf battles betwixt gangs. The cartels request protection money from section avocado and lime orchards, cattle ranches and almost immoderate different business.

Solís was reporting connected a suspicious occurrence astatine a section marketplace conscionable earlier nan shooting. Gangs person sometimes burned businesses that garbage to salary extortion demands.

Then connected Wednesday afternoon, intermezo newsman Patricia Ramírez González was recovered pinch superior injuries wrong her Colima edifice and died astatine nan scene, according to nan Colima authorities prosecutor's office.

Local media said Ramírez, who was amended known arsenic Paty Bunbury, published a blog connected section intermezo and was a contributor to a Colima newspaper.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned some killings and called for transparent investigations.

Wracked by unit related to supplier trafficking, Mexico is 1 of nan world's most vulnerable countries for journalists, news defense groups say.

Reporters Without Borders says much than 150 newspeople person been killed successful Mexico since 1994 — and 2022 was 1 of the deadliest years ever for journalists successful Mexico, pinch astatine slightest 15 killed.

Media workers are regularly targeted successful Mexico, often successful nonstop reprisal for their activity covering topics for illustration corruption and nan country's notoriously convulsive supplier traffickers.

In August, a Mexican journalist who covered 1 of nan country's astir vulnerable crime thumps was killed by gunmen, and 2 of his government-assigned bodyguards were wounded.

In April, Roberto Figueroa, who covered section authorities and gained a societal media pursuing done satirical videos, was found dormant wrong a car in his hometown of Huitzilac successful Morelos, a authorities southbound of Mexico City wherever drug-fueled unit runs rampant.

All but a fistful of nan killings and abductions stay unsolved.

"Impunity is nan norm successful crimes against nan press," the the Committee to Protect Journalists said successful a report on Mexico successful March.