13 February 2023 | IFJ
Mexican journalist and environmental activist found dead
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Journalist Abisaí Pérez Romero was found dead in the municipality of Tula, Hidalgo, a region where he was investigating the socio-environmental impact of some works in the Mezquital Valley. In addition to reporting through the YouTube channel “El Perromero” and on the media Son Politikón_FM, he was a student of Communication and Culture at the Autonomous University of Mexico City.
The National Union of Press Editors (SNRP) issued a statement in which it “demands that the authorities of the Attorney General's Office of the state of Hidalgo conduct a prompt and exhaustive investigation to clarify this crime, in accordance with the Approved Protocol to investigate issues of freedom of expression.” He also highlights that "although it has not yet been determined whether the murder of Abisaí Pérez Romero was due to his work as a journalist, it is necessary to point out that in recent months he carried out journalistic investigations regarding the Atotonilco Wastewater Treatment Plant and the work of the Eastern Emission Tunnel, in the Mezquital Valley, both works questioned by the local population."
The International Federation of Journalists supports the demands of its affiliated organization, and demands that no line of investigation be discarded. Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for the practice of journalism and has impunity rates that reach 95%, which is why it is essential that the deaths of press workers be investigated, with special emphasis on their informative work. It is also necessary to improve protection mechanisms and for the Mexican State to support the creation of international instruments such as the Convention for the Safety and Independence of Journalists promoted by the IFJ before the UN. Otherwise, impunity will continue to be the norm rather than the exception.
Read the original article: https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/mexico-hallaron-muerto-al-periodista-y-activista-abisai-perez-romero
