Press groups concerned by killing of 3 newspaper vendors in southern Mexico

Published: October 11, 2007

MEXICO CITY: Human rights groups expressed concern Thursday that the killings earlier this week of three newspaper vendors in southern Oaxaca state may having a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Mexico.

Three vendors of the daily newspaper El Imparcial del Istmo were shot to death Monday as they rode in one of the company's vehicles, state officials in Oaxaca reported.

The National Center for Social Communication, or Cencos, quoted newspaper employees saying the killings may have come in retaliation for the paper's coverage of a mass grave where seven corpses were discovered earlier this year. Organized crime groups in Mexico often execute several victims and bury them together.

Imparcial editor Gonzalo Dominguez and crime reporter Felipe Ramos told the rights groups Cencos and Article 19 they believe the attack was aimed at them, but that the killers confused them with the vendors.

The two said they had received death threats prior to the Monday shootings. They and others had resigned their jobs out of fear for their safety.

Nobody answered calls to phone numbers listed for El Imparcial del Istmo to confirm the reports.

In a statement, the rights groups expressed their "profound concern, in light of these recent incidents highlighting the lack of safety for journalists in Mexico" and demanded that the government take the necessary measures to protect journalists.

Free press groups say Mexico has become one of the world's most dangerous places for journalists, with at least seven
killed across the country in the last year.

Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/12/america/LA-GEN-Mexico-Newspaper-Killings.php