International organizations and the United States government condemned the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado, which occurred on Sunday in Tijuana, and called for increased protection for the union.
In a message on Twitter, the United States Embassy in Mexico wrote: “Alarmed by the murder of journalist Lourdes Maldonado López, the third homicide of a journalist so far this year. We stand in solidarity with Mexican journalists. #PressFreedom”.
The message was taken up by US Ambassador Ken Salazar, who added that communicators are champions of freedom of expression and democracy, while sending his condolences to the families of the three journalists killed in recent weeks in the country.
In Miami, the president of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), Jorge Canahuati, pointed out that each murder of a journalist “reflects the seriousness of the violence against journalists” in Mexico.
Carlos Jornet, president of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, stressed that crimes against journalists in Mexico “are a pressing problem that requires urgent attention and exemplary sentences to curb the scourge of impunity.”
Canahuati and Jornet reiterated their criticism of the ineffectiveness of the protection program for journalists in Mexico, “especially when, as in this case, it is about a journalist who had publicly expressed that she feared for her life.”
In New York, the United Nations condemned the murder and all attacks against journalists.
“We call on the Mexican authorities to reinforce the protection of journalists and in particular to take more measures to prevent new attacks against them,” said the organization’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric.
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