Freedom of Expression

Press Release R61/11

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Freedom of expression is a cornerstone upon which the very existence of a democratic society rests.

Advisory Opinion, OC-5/85, IACtHR

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PRESS RELEASE

 

R61/11

 

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR DEPLORES MURDERS OF JOURNALIST

AND HIS FAMILY IN MEXICO

 

Washington D.C., June 23, 2011 — The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murders of journalist Miguel Ángel López Velasco, his wife and his son, committed June 20th around 6 a.m. in their home in Veracruz. The Office of the Special Rapporteur urges the State to conduct a timely, diligent, and thorough investigation of these crimes. It also again calls upon the State to implement a comprehensive policy of prevention, protection and pursuit of justice in view of the context of violence that journalists and the media suffer in Mexico.

 

Miguel Ángel López Velasco – also known as "Milo Vela" in his column – was a well-known journalist, deputy director of Notiver, a widely-circulated newspaper in Veracruz. The murdered journalist specialized in the subjects of security, politics, and drug trafficking. According to the information the Office of the Special Rapporteur has received, he was murdered by gunshot in his home together with his wife, Agustina Solana, and his son while they slept. His son Misael López Solana, also a victim of the triple murder, was a journalist in the same newspaper.

 

In its 2007 Annual Report, the Office of the Special Rapporteur documented that on May 3 of that year, a human head was left in front of the offices of Notiver with a note that said "this is a gift for the journalists, more heads will roll and Milo Vela knows it very well." 

 

The murder of Miguel Ángel López Velasco, his wife and his son take place within the contest of a grave situation of violence from organized crime against journalists and media employees in Mexico, as the Office of the Special Rapporteur established in its 2010 Special Report on Freedom of Expression in Mexico. Since the beginning of 2011 the following incidents have been reported: the murder of Maribel Hernández in Ciudad Juárez on January 31; the murder of Rodolfo Ochoa Moreno in the State of Coahuila on February 9; the disappearance and subsequent murder of Noel López Olguin in the State of Veracruz on March 8; the kidnapping and murder of Luis Ruiz Carillo, his family member, and José Luis Cerda Meléndez in Monterrey on March 25; and the disappearance of Marco Antonio López Ortiz in the State of Guerrero on June 7.

 

The Office of the Special Rapporteur notes the investigations initiated by both the state Prosecutor and the National Commission of Human Rights regarding the present case, as well as the State’s recent efforts to create a special protection mechanism for journalists at risk. Nonetheless, the Office of the Special Rapporteur insists on the urgency of strengthening the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression, transferring investigations of crimes committed against media workers to the federal justice system when the case requires it, and implementing security measures to effectively safeguard the lives and well-being of threatened journalists. Additionally, the Office of the Special Rapporteur insists that in order to combat impunity for the crimes committed as well as the repetition of this type of acts, it is indispensable for all the perpetrators of such crimes to be identified, tried, and punished, and for the victims’ families to receive due measures of reparations.

 

The Office of the Special Rapporteur reminds the Mexican State that, according to Principle 9 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression of the IACHR, "The 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 more information on the Office of the Special Rapporteur, please visit: http://www.cidh.oas.org/relatoria/index.asp?lID=1

 

Useful links:

2010 Special Report on Freedom of Expression in Mexico

Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression

2007 Annual Report