UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has called on Mexican authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of journalists José Luis Gamboa Arenas in Veracruz between 10 and 15 January and Margarito Martinez Esquivel in Tijuana on 17 January.
I condemn the attacks that claimed the lives of José Luis Gamboa Arenas and Margarito Martinez Esquivel. I call on the authorities to spare no effort in investigating these crimes so as to bring their perpetrators to trial and protect freedom of expression and press freedom in Mexico.
Gamboa Arenas, Director of news website Inforegio and who reported on organized crime and corruption, died from knife injuries sustained on 10 January.
Photojournalist Martinez Esquivel, who also covered crime and corruption, was shot dead. He had recently been included in a government programme to protect journalists following threats to his life.
UNESCO promotes the safety of journalists through global awareness-raising, capacity building and a range of actions, notably in the framework of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
See also: UNESCO observatory of killed journalists
Media contact: Guilherme Canela de Souza Godoi, g.godoi@unesco.org