Mexico City: Why didn't slain journalist Ruben Espinosa seek protection?
| Mexico City
Under听threat, Mexican photojournalist Rub茅n Espinosa fled the state of Veracruz, where he worked. His murder last week underscores not only the dangers journalists face in Mexico, but how little faith reporters here have in promises of government protection.
Mr. Espinosa, who worked for respected news outlets like the investigative magazine Proceso, fled in June after being harassed and telling others his home was under surveillance. He relocated to Mexico City, considered safe by many reporters and human rights defenders threatened in Mexico.
On Friday, Espinosa and four women 鈥� one a social activist 鈥� were found dead in an apartment in a middle class neighborhood. Their bodies showed signs of torture.
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists.听More than 50 have been murdered or disappeared since 2011, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. And it ranks听148th out of 180 countries in the most recent World Press Freedom Index, below nations like Venezuela and Myanmar.听
In 2012, Mexico created a program within the ministry of the interior to provide protection for journalists and human rights defenders under threat. But continuing violence, impunity,听and a widespread belief that government officials are linked to criminal groups have made some reporters reluctant to initiate the protection measures.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lack of confidence in what the government can do,鈥� says Michael W. Chamberlin, a human rights expert at the Friar Juan de Larios Human Rights Center who was appointed to the civil council for the government鈥檚 protection program when it launched in 2012. He confirmed Espinosa did not request support from the government鈥檚 program at the state or federal level.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not only the fear that the mechanism [granting protection to journalists] won鈥檛 work, but there鈥檚 also the fear that it will make things worse for the person facing threats,鈥� Mr. Chamberlin says.
The government 鈥渁t the highest levels鈥� must take a stand, says Carlos听Laur铆a, the Americas program coordinator for听The Committee to Protect Journalists.听听听
The protection program is 鈥渃haracterized by ineffectiveness,鈥� says Mr. Laur铆a, citing examples of journalists given 鈥減anic buttons鈥� that malfunctioned in emergencies, or who lost their protection without a clear explanation of why that happened.
鈥淭he level of impunity is so high, the collusion between authorities and criminals, particularly at the state level is also so high, that it leaves journalists without options,鈥� Laur铆a says.
'Not one more'
On Sunday several hundred protesters gathered in Mexico City to draw attention to Espinosa鈥檚 death and protest the government鈥檚 frail response. They held cameras in honor of the slain photographer and carried signs that read: 鈥渘ot one more,鈥� and 鈥渉e was assassinated.鈥�
Mexico City prosecutor Rodolfo Rios Garza said Sunday that all lines of investigation were being pursued. Yet he didn鈥檛 acknowledge that Espinosa had fled Veracruz for his safety, which worries free-press advocates who fear the role of journalism in Espinosa鈥檚 death could be downplayed.听
Espinosa didn鈥檛 reach out to the government for help because, he听听in civil agencies ... and his friends,鈥� Dario Ramirez, the director of the free press advocacy group Article 19, told the Associated Press.
This stance raises questions about whether Mexico's protection program should have stepped in to offer unsolicited support, says Chamberlin.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something we are asking ourselves. What happens when the reporter doesn鈥檛 call the mechanism but the mechanism knows he is at risk? How far should it go?鈥�
A report published earlier this year by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and Peace Brigades International听听for protection, included understaffing, poor training, and the need for more robust risk analysis.
Veracruz a special problem
鈥淥n the one hand you鈥檝e got bureaucracy within the mechanism itself,鈥� says Clay Boggs, a program officer at WOLA who helped write the report. 鈥淥n the other side, there鈥檚 the failure of the state and local governments to provide the measures they鈥檙e supposed to,鈥� he says.
Veracruz, where Espinosa worked, has a particularly poor track record for journalist safety. Some 11 journalists have been killed since 2010, while another three have gone missing.
In June, Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte sent a chilling message to journalists, telling them to 鈥渂ehave themselves,鈥� and implied an ongoing collaboration between reporters and criminal groups.
"We must not confuse freedom of expression with representing the expression of criminals in the media," he said.
As of July, Mexico's protection program has received 203 cases, including听听279 people seeking government assistance.
Some 114 of those individuals were journalists, according to Espacio de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil, an umbrella group made up of 20 NGOs that work to protect human rights defenders and journalists.
鈥淭he insecurity of journalism is听,鈥� writes Jes煤s Silva-Herzog M谩rquez in an opinion for leading daily Reforma today. 鈥淲hen [journalists] don鈥檛 have the conditions to do their work, all of society gets attacked.
鈥淭he fear felt by a reporter to do his or her job is ours,鈥� the article went on. 鈥淭hey want to silence them so that we are all deaf. They want to hide the truth so that we are all blind. They want to silence them so that we become silent.鈥� 听
