November 2, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, first declared by the United Nations in 2013, coincides with the Day of the Dead, a cultural and religious event widely celebrated in Mexico.
“Of all the reasons that provoke violence against journalists, the most important one is impunity, it is the lack of investigation into the acts of violence and assassinations of journalists,” said Frank La Rue, UNESCO assistant director-general for communication and information, in a video commemorating the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, which takes place every Nov. 2.
Javier Duarte de Ochoa, governor of Veracruz, Mexico who has been the subject of widespread criticism for the high levels of violence against journalists in his state, has resigned from his position as he faces unrelated corruption charges.
Aurelio Cabrera Campos, director of weekly El Gráfico in the state of Puebla, was shot on the night of Sept. 14 while driving on the highway in Huauchinango.
In a Sept. 14 judgment, the Council of the State of Colombia – the highest court that handles legal processes involving the state – found the Nation responsible for the murder of journalist and humorist Jaime Garzón Forero, which occurred on Aug. 13, 1999.
September 10 marks one year since the murder of Colombian journalist Flor Alba Núñez in the city of Pitalito, in the department of Huila. In that time, her family, colleagues and organizations defending freedom of the press have fought to investigate the crime and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
A gunman fatally shot Felipe David Munguía Jiménez, a cameraman for Canal 21 and a community leader, in the department of Jalapa in southeastern Guatemala on Sept. 4.
A second person accused of participating in the murder of journalist João Miranda do Carmo was arrested on the night of Aug. 26, about a month after the crime, according to news site G1.
Brazilian journalist Maurício Campos Rosa, owner of the newspaper O Grito, died on Aug. 17 after being shot five times. The murder occurred in Santa Luzia, in the metropolitan region of Minas Gerais' state capital. He was the fourth journalist killed in Brazil this year.
Mexican authorities arrested a second man accused of being the alleged mastermind and material author of the murder of journalist Anabel Flores Salazar that occurred in February of this year, newspaper El Universal reported.
On July 27, authorities arrested a man suspected of participating in the murder of Brazilian journalist João Miranda do Carmo, according to news site G1.
Journalist João Miranda do Carmo was killed on the evening of July 24 in the city of Santo Antônio do Descoberto, Goiás state, in central Brazil, reported newspaper O Popular.