Mexico asked to reopen investigation into journalist's murder in 2012
(Article by Reporters Without Borders from this year, but only now discovered)
April 16, 2021
To reinforce the fight against impunity for crimes of violence against journalists in Mexico, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), its local partner Propuesta Cívica and the Mexican newsweekly Proceso have asked the federal authorities to reopen the investigation into Proceso reporter Regina Martínezs murder in 2012, an investigation marred by many irregularities.
They submitted a formal request to this effect today to the Special Prosecutors Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE). The news of Martínezs murder shook the entire country when her body was found in April 2012.
Procesos correspondent in the eastern state of Veracruz, Martínez was found beaten and strangled to death in her home on 28 April 2012 after writing a series of stories about drug trafficking and corruption in Veracruz. Although the investigation by the Veracruz prosecutors office led to a suspects arrest and conviction, it was marred by many irregularities and unexplained aspects. In particular, the link between the murder and Martínezs reporting was totally neglected.
The Mexican authorities must establish an emergency plan for the justice system and must combat impunity for crimes of violence against journalists effectively, said Antoine Bernard, a lawyer who advises RSF on international litigation and advocacy. The links between Regina Martínezs reporting and her murder must be analysed as a priority. This complaint filed in Mexico calls on the justice system to finally shed light on her murder and thereby demonstrate a desire on the part of the authorities to prosecute these crimes.
Todays initiative comes a month after Free Press Unlimited, the Committee to Protect Journalists and RSF published a joint report entitled The Murder of Regina Martínez Perez: an Opportunity for Justice on 17 March.
The reported documented a string of serious anomalies in the official investigation conducted by the Veracruz authorities, in particular, the fact that the main suspect for the murder was convicted on the basis of a confession obtained under torture. It also presented several witness statements that challenge the official version of the murder.
This initiative is also a follow-up to the formal request that RSF and Propuesta Cívica submitted to the International Criminal Court two years ago, on 12 March 2019, asking the court to investigate a total of 102 murders of journalists, including Martínez, and 14 disappearances of journalists that took place under President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018). Nearly all of these murders and disappearances remain unpunished.
More:
https://rsf.org/en/news/mexico-asked-reopen-investigation-journalists-murder-2012
(Showing he's not a ventroloquist, Felipe Calderón will drink a glass of water while Peña Nieto speaks.)