Mexican reporter wounded in Veracruz shooting
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
Mexican reporter wounded in Veracruz shooting
Mexico City, August 22, 2016 - Authorities in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz should credibly investigate a shooting attack against freelance journalist Lucia López Castillo and bring those responsible to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. López Castillo was shot last night in front of her home in Poza Rica, north of Veracruz's state capital, Xalapa.
According to news reports and a friend of the victim, who spoke with CPJ on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, a single masked gunman approached López Castillo yesterday evening at approximately 10.30 p.m. The reporter tried to enter her home, but her assailant, whose identity is unknown, grappled with her and shot her once in the torso before fleeing in a taxi parked nearby.
"Swiftly bringing Lucia López Castillo's assailant to justice would send a strong message that journalists cannot be attacked with impunity," Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas, said from New York.
Veracruz has become one of the most dangerous areas for journalists in Latin America. According to CPJ research, at least six reporters have been killed in direct retaliation for their work in Veracruz since governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa assumed office in 2010. CPJ is investigating another 10 murders of journalists to determine whether they were in relation to the victims' work. Most recently, reporter Pedro Tamayo was killed in Tierra Blanca, roughly 200 miles (230 kilometers) south of Xalapa. CPJ is still investigating to determine if his death was related to his work as a journalist.
Read more: https://cpj.org/2016/08/mexican-reporter-wounded-in-veracruz-shooting.php