In a disturbing turn of events, prosecutors in southern Guerrero state, Mexico, revealed on Thursday that three journalists and two of their relatives have been abducted by armed individuals.
This unsettling incident has once again highlighted the dangers faced by journalists in Mexico, a country often deemed one of the most perilous places for reporters globally, outside of war zones.
Abduction of Journalists
The abductions took place between Sunday and Wednesday in Taxco, a colonial town popular among tourists. One journalist, along with his wife and adult son, was abducted on Sunday, while a husband-and-wife journalist team fell victim to a kidnapping on Wednesday.
The Afternoon Chronicle, an online news site based in the nearby city of Chilpancingo, reported that its Taxco reporter, Marco Antonio Toledo, had received threats earlier in the year from a drug cartel.
The cartel had allegedly ordered Toledo not to publish a specific story, and he had recently covered a local corruption case. The news site is urging authorities to locate Toledo, emphasizing that the area has been silenced by drug cartels, forcing some journalists into self-imposed exile.
Press freedom group Article 19 reported that Toledo, his wife, and son were forcibly taken from their home by at least five armed individuals on Sunday and have not been heard from since.
The kidnapped journalist couple has been identified as Silvia Nayssa Arce and Alberto Sánchez, both associated with the online news site RedSiete, which has yet to report on the abductions.
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Violence-Stricken Mexico
Taxco, once renowned for its silver artisanry, colonial architecture, and vibrant Easter week celebrations, has become a battleground for drug gangs vying for control over the lucrative trade of extorting protection money from local businesses.
The La Familia Michoacana cartel and the Tlacos gang are reportedly engaged in turf battles in Taxco, located approximately 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Mexico City.
This incident marks one of the largest mass attacks on reporters in one location in Mexico since early 2012 when three news photographers were found dead in plastic bags in Veracruz.
In the past week, a photographer in Ciudad Juarez became the fifth journalist to be killed in Mexico in 2023. Over the last five years, at least 54 journalists have been documented as killed in Mexico, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
As the international community watches with concern, the latest abductions underscore the urgent need for increased efforts to protect journalists and address the pervasive issue of violence against media professionals in Mexico.
The silencing of reporters through intimidation and violence threatens the fundamental principles of a free press and democracy.
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