UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the killing of digital journalist Ricardo López on 22 July in Guaymas, in Mexico’s Sonora State.
I condemn the killing of Ricardo López. Journalists in Mexico are facing intolerable risks and must be allowed to work without fear of threats or violence. I therefore urge the authorities to continue investigating this killing until they can bring those responsible to trial.
Ricardo López, the director of digital publication InfoGuaymas, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in a parking lot.In March, he had filed a complaint to the State Attorney General about threats he had received. López had also hosted a press conference to denounce the unprecedented intensity of menaces levelled at him and at other journalists in the area.
The fatal attack on López is the fifth killing of a journalist in Mexico to be condemned by the Director-General of UNESCO in 2021.
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