Mexico: Journalist, Jorge Celestino Ruíz Vázquez killed, 11th murder since December

Journalist Jorge Celestino Ruíz Vázquez , a collaborator with the Graphic newspaper of Xalapa, was killed in Veracruz, Mexico, according to a Telesur TV report (computer translated).

photo/Alan Cleaver

Ruiz is the eleventh journalist killed since December 2018.

He was attacked previously in 2018 when his car was shot. He had protective measures, but according to the State Prosecutor’s Office, those measures were not met.

According to preliminary reports, the Actopan command received a call reporting a person injured by a shot, but when the patrol arrived at the scene the reporter had already died.

The head of Public Security reported that the Attorney General of Veracruz will initiate an operation to investigate the murder of Ruiz, which will investigate “why the protection measures dictated in favor of the victim and his family were not complied with, which were in force ”.

According to Reporters without Borders, Mexico is one of world’s deadliest countries for the media. Collusion between officials and organized crime poses a grave threat to journalists’ safety and cripples the judicial system at all levels. As a result, Mexico is sinking ever deeper into a spiral of violence and impunity and continues to be Latin America’s most dangerous country for reporters.

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