Lawyer Sara Mendiola secured convictions in some of the country’s most high-profile journalist killings. Organizations and colleagues are honoring her legacy.
Sara Mendiola Landeros, a lawyer who challenged Mexico’s high rates of impunity by securing convictions in some of the country’s most high-profile journalist killings, died Sept. 5. She was 41.
In a statement, Propuesta Cívica, the organization that supports journalists and human rights defenders who are victims of violence and that Mendiola led, said she died of a stroke.
Mendiola took over as director of Propuesta Cívica in 2017. With her team, she secured convictions in the killings of Javier Valdez(opens in new tab) and Miroslava Breach(opens in new tab), correspondents for the newspaper La Jornada in the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, and led the legal defense in the case involving the killing of Regina Martínez(opens in new tab), a correspondent for Proceso magazine in Veracruz.
Those who knew and worked with her said her death leaves a void in the defense of freedom of expression.
“It is impossible to overstate the impact that Sara and Propuesta Cívica have had on freedom of expression in Mexico,” Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), told LatAm Journalism Review (LJR). “Through years of litigation, support for victims and journalists, and participation in conferences and legislative initiatives, Sara and her team secured convictions in some of the most emblematic cases of violence against journalists.”
Hootsen said he met Mendiola while working to defend press freedom and journalists 10 years ago, crossing paths with her on trips and at events with organizations such as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Article 19.
“We were friends, beyond being colleagues,” he said. “Sara was an incredibly dedicated person, loyal to her colleagues, friends, family and the people she supported.”
Lawyer Raquel Álvarez Charqueño highlighted Mendiola’s dedication and capacity for hard work.
Álvarez met Mendiola in 2023 and always considered her “very generous” with her time, advice and strategies for defending journalists. She highlighted both Mendiola’s intellectual rigor in handling cases and the precision and eloquence of her legal work, as well as her ability to listen and build support networks.
“What she wanted was for it not to be just the lawyer working on the legal side, because that can be cold and impersonal,” Álvarez told LJR. “She talked about building networks of people who could support journalists and the families of human rights defenders so they would not feel alone, so they would be heard, and so they themselves could determine how they wanted to carry out that fight.”
Although Álvarez does not consider herself one of Mendiola’s closest friends, she said her death has been deeply painful.
Mendiola earned her law degree from the University of San Luis Potosí(opens in new tab), with a specialization in human rights from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a master’s degree in criminal procedure law from the National Institute of Criminal Sciences. Before leading Propuesta Cívica, she was academic coordinator at the Instituto de Estudios Ratio Legis, S.C., worked at several law firms and served at the San Luis Potosí State Human Rights Commission.
Her fight against impunity led her to work with “courage” on cases such as Breach’s — who was killed in Chihuahua in 2017 — and Valdez’s — who was killed in Sinaloa that same year.
“She confronted public officials and never abandoned the people who counted on her,” Hootsen said.
Propuesta Cívica, which announced her death, was the first organization to express its condolences and recognize her work.
“Her conviction, strength and persistence in making justice a reality(opens in new tab) and defending the dignity of journalists, human rights defenders and their families will live forever in our hearts,” Propuesta Cívica wrote on X. “We will honor her memory by continuing the fight alongside those who speak out against injustice. Her legacy remains. Her fight continues.”
“Sara was a sophisticated lawyer willing to confront risks with prudence(opens in new tab),” wrote Sergio Aguayo, president of Propuesta Cívica. “There will be time to assess her life. For now, let us surround her family with respect and affection. We will continue, but with Sara, a part of us dies.”
Also on X, RSF recognized her work and the path they shared. “Sara Mendiola was a pillar in the fight for press freedom(opens in new tab) and [human rights] in Mexico. Alongside journalists and victims’ families, she fought tirelessly against impunity.”
CPJ also recognized her fight against impunity. “Her work was fundamental to securing justice for journalists who were victims of violence(opens in new tab) in Mexico,” the organization wrote.
Media Defence, a U.K.-based international organization that defends journalists, paid tribute to Mendiola in an obituary highlighting her work. “The death of Ms. Mendiola represents a significant loss for the defense of press freedom in Mexico(opens in new tab), a country where journalists continue to face some of the highest levels of violence and impunity in the world,” the organization wrote.
“We deeply recognize her commitment and career in protecting freedom of expression in Mexico. Her work and legacy will endure in the defense of human rights(opens in new tab),” Article 19 wrote on X.
“Her departure leaves an enormous void and an even greater legacy,” Hootsen said.
This text was translated with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Jorge Valencia.
