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Martínez Pérez: beaten and strangled
in Xalapa, Veracruz on April 28, 2012
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Carrasco Araizaga, who has reported extensively on the death
of fellow Proceso correspondent Regina Martínez
Pérez, who was also active in Veracruz, is allegedly the subject of an intimidation
campaign among former and present state officials, including those within the
Attorney General’s office.
According to Proceso, the plan was hatched in the
Las Ánimas neighbourhood in the state capital of Xalapa, and included an effort to use state and
national databases to determine Carrasco Araizaga’s whereabouts. This was
allegedly an ambitious plan that involved dispatching government agents from
Veracruz to Mexico City and the states of México, Morelos and Querétaro, in order
to gather information on the journalist.
As recently as this past Tuesday, April 16, Proceso has alleged that the “junta” – a generic term that can mean everything from an informal board to a ruling military dictatorship – had decided to capture the reporter and to physically harm him should he resist detention.
Attendees of this ad
hoc meeting of self-styled rulers apparently were emphatic that the
kidnappers "be careful with cameras" – referring to the prevalence of
surveillance cameras in Mexico City that could identify the agents from
Veracruz.
In response, the National Commission of Human Rights, the
federal Attorney General's Office, and the Interior Ministry have all been
alerted to the plot. According to Proceso, a coordinated effort at the
federal level has now been engaged to protect the journalist from the rogue
actors from the State of Veracruz.
For their part, Veracruz state officials, including Governor
Javier Duarte, have vehemently denied any association with the alleged plot.
Proceso has argued
that Martínez may have died as a result of reporting that was critical of state
officials. Earlier this month a man was
sentenced to 38 years in prison for the murder, with robbery as the stated
motive. After the conviction Proceso
published a report by Carrasco that called into question the state's case.
México is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, with about eighty journalists killed since 2000.
February 28, 2013: Third attack on Mexican newspaper leaves one dead, two injured
February 25, 2013: Federal agents attacked while guarding El Siglo de Torreón newspaper
February 23, 2013: Tracking Mexico’s disappeared in a journalistic black hole
Twitter: @TimothyEWilson
Email: lapoliticaeslapolitica [at] gmail [dot] com
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