IPI chief: ‘Enough. Enough, enough, enough. When will this slaughter of journalists in Mexico end?’

A fifth journalist has been murdered in Mexico in the space of less than a month – all apparently because of their work covering crime and the activities of drug cartels.

The International Press Institute reports that kidnapped Mexican journalist Marco Antonio Ãvila GarcÃa had been found at side of a highway in the northern state of Sonora. He had apparently been tortured and a note signed by a drug cartel had been found at the site.

Alison Bethel McKenzie, IPI Executive Director, said: “Enough. Enough, enough, enough. When will this slaughter of journalists in Mexico end? Ãvila’s violent death adds to what has been an extraordinarily tragic period for the Mexican media.

“It is no secret that Mexico is facing a major public safety crisis. But it should be no less obvious that journalists play an extremely critical role in Mexico by bringing the activities of drug cartels and of the corrupt politicians who support them to the public light. This valuable work is the reason that journalists are being silenced, and it is also the reason that – despite the difficulties involved – the federal government must step up and bring those responsible for crimes against the media to justice.”