The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, today condemned the killing of online journalist Jesús Alejandro Márquez Jiménez, in the city of Tepic in western Mexico.
“I condemn the murder of Jesús Alejandro Márquez Jiménez,” said the Director-General. “I trust that the investigation underway will enable the authorities to bring those responsible for this killing to justice and help end impunity for crimes against journalists. Letting such crimes go unpunished, as is all too often the case, emboldens criminals’ gunpoint censorship to the detriment of freedom of expression and freedom of information.”
The body of Márquez Jiménez, founder of news website Orion Informativo, was found on a roadside in Tepic, on 1 December. He was reporting on corruption and political wrongdoing.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
See also: UNESCO condemns the killing of journalists.
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Media contact: Sylvie Coudray, s.coudray@unesco.org, +33 (0)1 45 68 08 91