Journalist death toll during AMLO presidency hits 47 as new murder in Guanajuato rattles Mexico

Mexican crime reporter Alejandro Martínez Noguez, known as "El Llanero," was shot and killed in the state of Guanajuato, becoming the 47th journalist killed during the Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador presidency. Martínez was shot by unknown assailants despite having government protection due to previous threats.

The news was confirmed by the Security Secretary of Celaya, the city where Martínez Noguez worked. The two bodyguards accompanying him are currently receiving medical treatment for their injuries. Authorities are investigating whether the attack was directed at municipal police officers from Celaya or specifically targeted Martínez Noguez, who was returning from an assignment.

According to records from Article 19, an NGO that promotes freedom of speech and information in Mexico and the region, this latest episodes bring the number of journalist killed during AMLO's presidency to 47, the same amount as those who perished during the previous administration of Enrique Peña Nieto. Furthermore, the organization reports that 168 journalists have been killed in the country since 2000.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned Martinez' murder, pointing to a recent report coauthored with Amnesty International which concluded that Mexico "consistently fails in its efforts to provide state-sanctioned protection to members of the press."

CPJ Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen commented on the case:

"Mexican authorities must act immediately to find and arrest the killers of Alejandro Martínez Noguez, whose death underscores the dangers journalists face in the city of Celaya and its environs. His shooting while under police protection is a shocking example of the dangers facing journalists trying to keep the Mexican public informed about what is happening in their country."

This year alone saw the murder of two journalist. In April, Roberto Carlos Figueroa of satirical site Acá en el Show was abducted and killed in the state of Morelos. Then, in June, journalist Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales was found dead on the side of a highway in southern Chiapas state. He was the founder and editor of the Facebook-based news site Realidades,