Freedom of Expression

Press Release R105/11

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Every person has the right to freedom of investigation, of opinion, and of the expression and dissemination of ideas, by any medium whatsoever.

American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man

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PRESS RELEASE

R105/11

 

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONDEMNS THREE MURDERS IN NUEVO LAREDO, MEXICO

 

Washington D.C., September 27, 2011. The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) condemns the murder of María Elizabeth Macías, editor of Primera Hora newspaper, which occurred on September 24 in Nuevo Laredo, state of Tamaulipas, as well as the murders of two young men whose names have not been made public, found in the same city on September 13. The bodies of the two men showed signs of violence and were accompanied by messages that warned about the use of social networks to report crimes related to drug trafficking. The Office of the Special Rapporteur expresses its profound concern about the situation of violence against communicators in Mexico and urges the authorities to exhaustively investigate these murders, and to identify, prosecute, and punish the direct perpetrators and masterminds of these crimes.

 

According to the information received, on September 24 the editor María Elizabeth Macías was found decapitated in the city of Nuevo Laredo. A message that accused her of reporting the actions of criminal organizations on her blog was found with her remains. The information received by the Office of the Special Rapporteur further indicates that, two weeks earlier, on September 13, 2011, the bodies of two young men were found, also in the city of Nuevo Laredo, with signs of torture. According to the information received by the Office of the Special Rapporteur, the bodies were accompanied by a message that warned people not to report crimes on social networks.

 

The situation of violence against communicators in Mexico is extremely serious. Particularly along the northern border of the country, organized crime has managed to silence a large part of the local press and has obligated people to use anonymity and social networks in order to be able to refer to controversial subjects such as violence associated with drug trafficking.

 

The Office of the Special Rapporteur calls on State authorities to take all necessary efforts in order to prevent the repetition of these kinds of crimes, identify the direct perpetrators and masterminds of such crimes, prosecute and punish them, and provide reparations to the family members of the victims. To this end, the Office of the Special Rapporteur urges the State to carry out effective and timely investigations, carried out by civilian authorities, in these and other cases concerning threats, attacks, or murders against communicators, and recommends that in those situations in which violence is particularly acute, the State proceed to implement specialized investigative units and special investigative protocols that take into account the activities of the communicators under attack.

 

The investigation of threats or crimes committed against people who use social networks as a means of mass communication of ideas, opinions and information, especially regarding matters of public interest, should be assumed with the same diligence and specialized attention as investigations regarding crimes committed against professional journalists.

 

Safeguarding freedom of expression is not only compatible with the fight against crime, it is an essential element of this struggle, insofar as it exposes criminality and fosters political accountability and institutional integrity. The Office of the Special Rapporteur has recommended that the State explicitly incorporate a freedom of expression policy into its public security strategy.

 

The ninth Principle of the IACHR Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression states: "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 situation of Freedom of Expression in México: 2010 Special Report on Freedom of Expression in Mexico

 

For more information on the Office of the Special Rapporteur, please visit: http://www.cidh.oas.org/relatoria/index.asp?lID=1