Mexico rejects US 'interfering' over journalists’ murders
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Mexican President warns Blinken that Mexico is not a colony of the United States.
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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday accused US Secretary of State Antony Blinken of "interfering" after he called for greater accountability over a string of journalist murders.
The public row with US President Joe Biden's administration comes after the killing of at least five journalists in 2022.
"The high number of journalists killed in Mexico this year and the ongoing threats they face are concerning," Blinken tweeted late Tuesday.
The high number of journalists killed in Mexico this year and the ongoing threats they face are concerning. I join those calling for greater accountability and protections for Mexican journalists. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who gave their lives for the truth.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 23, 2022
"I join those calling for greater accountability and protections for Mexican journalists. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who gave their lives for the truth," he added.
Responding to Blinken, Lopez Obrador urges him "to inform yourself and not to act in an interfering manner because Mexico is not a colony of the United States, nor is it a protectorate."
He told reporters he thought Blinken was "misinformed because otherwise he would be acting in bad faith," confirming that his government is dealing with crimes against journalists.
"In all cases, action is being taken. There is no impunity," Lopez Obrador said, adding that he had asked his FM to send Blinken details of all the cases and the government's actions.
Latest murder on February 22
Yesterday, Michell Simon, a Mexican television broadcaster and model, was discovered dead on Tuesday south of the capital, Mexico City, authorities said, raising the number of dead media personnel to 6 in 2022.
Workers extinguishing a fire on the Picacho-Ajusco highway discovered her body wrapped in blankets, according to the Attorney General's Office of Mexico City.
On Twitter, police spokesman Ulices Lara Lopex claimed that they had undertaken inspections and interviews with witnesses at the scene.
Authorities did not give a cause of death but said they were looking into several possibilities.
Around 150 journalists have been murdered since 2000 in Mexico, and only a fraction of the crimes have resulted in convictions, according to watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
