Press release
Director-General urges investigation into killing of journalist Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera in Mexico
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21 June 2021
Last update:
21 April 2022
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the killing of journalist Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera, who was shot dead on 17 June in Mexico’s state of Oaxaca.
I condemn the killing of Gustavo Sánchez Cabrera. Violence constitutes a critical threat to press freedom and cannot be tolerated anywhere. I trust that the local authorities will pursue a thorough investigation of this crime and bring its perpetrators to justice.
Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General
Sánchez Cabrera, director of the digital newspaper Noticias Minuto a Minuto, was shot while travelling on a motorcycle on a road connecting San Vicente and Morro Mazatán. Specializing in local politics, Sánchez Cabrera had received violent threats in the past and had survived an armed attack in July 2020.
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