National Press Club calls on authorities to investigate murder of Mexican journalist

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Jun 14, 2019, 14:21 ET

WASHINGTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Press Club and its Journalism Institute condemn the murder of Mexican journalist Norma Sarabia Garduza and call on Mexican authorities to immediately and thoroughly investigate this cowardly assassination. She is the sixth journalist killed in Mexico this year.

Sarabia, who covered crime and violence in Mexico's southeast state of Tabasco, was gunned down Tuesday in front of her home.

We extend our deepest sympathies to Sarabia's loved ones.

We applaud Mexican news reports that the Tabasco state attorney is taking measures to protect Sarabia's family.

Her death comes less than a month since journalist Francisco Romero was found dead of gunshot wounds in the Yucatán beachtown Playa del Carmen.

Reporters Without Borders ranks Mexico 144th out of 180 countries in its press freedom index.

The mounting death toll of Mexican journalists comes as the National Press Club, Journalism Institute and other press freedom organizations have been working in the United States against the deportation of journalist Emilio Gutierrez Soto, who fled Mexico in 2008 amid threats from members of the Mexican military. Gutierrez had written stories about military corruption.

A U.S. immigration judge in March denied Gutierrez' asylum claim, declaring that Gutierrez had been unable to show that he would be in danger if he returned to Mexico.

Press contact: Jim Kuhnhenn, Press Freedom Fellow, National Press Club Journalism Institute, [email protected].

SOURCE National Press Club