Mexican Photojournalist Ruben Espinosa Found Dead In Capital

Ruben Espinosa was a collaborator with Proceso magazine and many others, and recently had to go to Mexico’s capital exiled from his home state of Veracruz because, according to Proceso, he felt him and his family were threatened. Many reporters do the same thing as Espinosa since the federal government in Mexico City has setup an agency to help journalists in similar situations to Espinosa’s. Veracruz has been a dangerous state for reporters, as the often become targets of organized crime linked to drugs gangs. This has been especially true during the last five years, as the Committee to Protect Journalists has reported 11 deaths in the state from 2010 to this day, all under the government of Javier Duarte.

Espinosa’s family lost contact with him last Friday, and freedom of speech advocacy group, Article 19, called authorities to activate protocols to find a missing journalist. Sadly, Espinosa was found dead along with four other women, in an apartment in the Narvarte neighborhood of the city. Article 19 later stated that Espinosa’s killing could have been prevented if the authorities in charge had “lifted a finger” to help him, after the group had published an alert on June 15, saying Espinosa was being followed and harassed in his hometown of Xalapa, the capital of Vercaruz.

Out of the four women, three lived in the apartment and the fourth woman was a domestic employee, according to the prosecutor’s statement.