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OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION DEPLORES MURDERS OF JOURNALISTS IN MEXICO AND CALLS FOR DUE INVESTIGATION

Washington, D.C., November 21, 2006. The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS deplores the murders of two journalists in Mexico in the last few weeks. The Office of the Special Rapporteur urges the Mexican authorities to investigate these killings promptly and effectively in order to duly sanction those responsible and to determine whether these crimes are related to their journalistic activities.

The body of Misael Tamayo Hernández, director of the newspaper Despertar de la Costa, was found on November 10 in a motel in the city of Zihuatanejo, State of Guerrero, with the hands tied behind the back and with injuries on the forearm and the hand. The journalist had received death threats after he published news about drug trafficking, organized crime, and corruption in the local government.

The body of José Manuel Nava Sánchez, former director of the newspaper Excélsior, was found on November 16 at his home in Mexico City. He had been stabbed several times. The journalist was a columnist for the newspaper El Sol de Mexico and on November 6 he had presented his book Excélsior, El Asalto Final, where he criticized presumed irregularities in the sale of the newspaper.

Previously this year the following journalists were murdered in Mexico: Jaime Arturo Olvera Bravo (March 9 in Michoacán); Ramiro Téllez Contreras (March 10 in Tamaulipas); Enrique Perea Quintanilla (August 9 in Chihuahua); and Bradley Ronald Hill (October 27 in Oaxaca). Additionally, Rafael Ortiz Martínez disappeared on July 8 in Coahuila.

The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Ignacio J. Álvarez, said that “the political will of the States to promptly investigate the crimes against journalists as well as the immediate and serious launching of the investigations are basic factors to the effectiveness of the domestic trials. The lack of an effective investigation can imply the international responsibility of the State determined by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights”.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression recalls that in accordance with the American Convention on Human Rights, the States have the duty to prevent, investigate, and sanction any violation of the rights recognized therein. Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR states that "[t]he murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation."

For additional information about the Office of the Special Rapporteur: http://www.cidh.org/relatoria/index.asp?lID=1

Reference: PREN-157-E