11 May 2023 | IFJ
Gerardo Torres Rentería killed
Shooting
Journalist Gerardo Torres Rentería, 59, was killed on the night of May 11 by an armed group that entered his house located in the Icacos neighborhood, in the Port of Acapulco, Guerrero in Mexico. These people shot him multiple times until he was dead. Until now, it is unknown if the reporter had previous threats against him, nor is it known what the motivation behind the crime is.
Torres Rentería had been a reporter and cameraman at Telemundo, and a correspondent for TV Azteca and the Reuters agency. Although he was formally retired from journalistic activity, some Mexican portals indicate that he continued to work as a communicator for local media. This information has not yet been confirmed because the authorities have not revealed further details about what happened.
The International Federation of Journalists rejects this crime that once again places Mexico at the center of the debate on violence against media workers. It also demands that the investigation find those materially and intellectually responsible and clarify the reasons why Gerardo Torres Rentería was murdered. The possible continuity of his informative work cannot be ruled out as a motive for the crime, given that Mexico is one of the most violent countries in the world for the practice of journalism. Freedom of expression and the right to information deteriorate significantly with each new case, which is why the urgent implementation of preventive and protective measures is necessary to improve the working conditions of press workers in the country.
Read the original article: https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/mexico-asesinaron-al-periodista-gerardo-torres-renteria
