On May 16, Mexican journalist Francisco Romero Díaz, a freelance crime reporter who was receiving Mexican government protection, was murdered in Playa del Carmen in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo. He was the fifth journalist to be slain this year in Mexico, now the world’s deadliest country for the media.
We cannot ignore the plight of our southern neighbors, who year after year pay with their lives for exposing crime, corruption, and violence in their country. Though RSF called on the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes of violence against journalists in Mexico in March, more must be done. The Mexican government must take bold decisions and completely overhaul the Federal Mechanism for Protecting Journalists, whose effectiveness is constantly and rightfully called into question.
Please, help us push for stronger legislation to protect journalists in Mexico by making a donation to Reporters Without Borders. Your generous support allows us to have a global impact on defending press freedom at home and around the world.
