Mexican journalist shot dead in Chihuahua
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 23 March 2017 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Mexican journalist shot dead in Chihuahua, 23 March 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58f60599c.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
New York, March 23, 2017 – Miroslava Breach Velducea, a correspondent for the national newspaper La Jornada from the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, was murdered this morning in the eponymous state capital.
Luz Maria Davila, whose son was killed in gang violence in Chihuahua state, holds a ticket to attend a mass led by Pope Francis in the state, February 11, 2016. (Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)
Breach, 54, was shot eight times by a gunman as she was leaving home in her car, accompanied by one of her three children, shortly after 7 a.m., according to press reports. The child was not injured, but Breach died while being transported to the hospital. Breach covered, among other subjects, politics and crime. Breach was the third journalist to be killed in Mexico this month. CPJ has determined that Cecilio Pineda Birto was murdered for his journalism, and is investigating the motive for the killing of Ricardo Monlui Cabrera.
"We are shocked by the brutal killing of Miroslava Breach," said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "This wave of violence threatens citizens' right to access vital information, and harms Mexico's democracy by limiting public debate. We urge the Mexican federal government to put an end to this violence by bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice."
Nahum Pedro Zárate, deputy general director of the federal Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) told CPJ that a federal investigation has been opened.
