By Alejandro Martínez
A police reporter in the notoriously dangerous state of Veracruz, Mexico, has been missing for 60 days, denounced Reporters Without Borders (RSF in French).
Sergio Landa, crime reporter for the newspaper Cardel, was last seen on Jan. 22 in the publication's newsroom preparing material for the next day's edition, reported CNN México. His disappearance is the first of 2013, according to a report by Article 19.
One month before he went missing, an armed group kidnapped him. He was freed after the authorities got involved, said RSF.
RSF's condemnation comes a day after the news weekly Proceso accused authorities in the state of Veracruz of planning to attack journalist Jorge Carrasco Araizaga, who is investigating the killing of his colleague Regina Martínez, killed one year ago.
“We join Mexico’s freedom of expression organizations in calling on the federal authorities to urgently provide Jorge Carrasco with protection under the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists that is now in effect,” Reporters Without Borders said. “A full explanation must be provided by the Veracruz authorities regarding the serious allegations that the magazine Proceso has levelled [sic] against them. They must also release information about the state of the investigation into Sergio Landa’s disappearance.”
Over the last two years, the Gulf state of Veracruz has become one of the most dangerous for journalists in Mexico. During this time, nine journalists have been killed, at least two disappeared, nearly 20 have fled the state or stopped practicing journalism because of threats, and one newspaper office as been burned.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
