Censorship in Mexico

Censorship in Mexico includes all types of suppression in free speech in Mexico. In 2016, Reporters Without Borders ranked Mexico 149 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, declaring Mexico to be “the world’s most dangerous country for journalists.”[1] Additionally, in 2010 the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) reported that Mexico was "one of the worst nations in solving crimes against journalists."[2] Under the current Mexican Constitution, both freedom of information and expression are to be protected under the legislation from Article 6, which states that "the expression of ideas shall not be subject to any judicial or administrative investigation, unless it offends good morals, infringes the rights of others, incites to crime, or disturbs the public order,"[3] and Article 7 in regards to "freedom of writing and publishing writings on any subject is inviolable. No law or authority may establish censorship, require bonds from authors or printers, or restrict the freedom of printing, which shall be limited only by the respect due to private life, morals, and public peace."[3] Mexico is currently a signator to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which gives them the responsibility to uphold these established laws regarding freedom of expression.[2]

In a 2015 article by Foreign Affairs, Senior Partners in Control Risks Geert Aalbers (specializing in Brazil) and Nick Panes (specializing in Mexico City) claim that "local Mexican press is not free,"[4] bringing attention to more recent corruption scandals that are often made public through international press.

Attacks and threats against journalists

The dangers posed to journalists in Mexico has been an ongoing issue since the Mexican Revolution, but in more recent times the crimes against journalists include attacks, kidnappings, being forced into exile and murder. In August 2016, Reporters Without Borders wrote that Veracruz was "one of the most dangerous states in Mexico for journalists," while also reporting that "176 cases of violence, intimidation, threats, aggression, cyber-attacks, blackmail, murder and enforced disappearance in which journalists were the victims from 2013 to June 2016."[5]

The Organization of American States (OAS) claims to uphold the principles that believe “the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restrict freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation.”[6][7]

In a 2010 issue from the Committee to Project Journalists, the describe the criminal justice system in Mexico as failing journalists by being unable to "successfully prosecute more than 90 percent of press-related crimes over the past decade."[2]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Mexico: Two Mexican journalists murdered in space of three days | Reporters without borders". RSF (in French). Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  2. 1 2 3 Simon, Joel (2010). "Silence or Death in Mexico's Press" (PDF). Committee to Protect Journalists.
  3. 1 2 "Constitution of Mexico" (PDF). Pan American Union, General Secretariat, Organization of American States, Washington, D.C. 1968.
  4. ↑ Aalbers, Geert; Panes, Nick (October 7, 2015). "Mexico, the Next Brazil?". Foreign Affairs.
  5. ↑ "Mexico: threats against author of book about Veracruz governor | Reporters without borders". RSF (in French). Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  6. ↑ "Disastrous toll – 21 Latin American journalists killed in past six months | Reporters without borders". RSF (in French). Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  7. ↑ "DECLARACIÓN DE PRINCIPIOS SOBRE LIBERTAD DE EXPRESIÓN".

Bibliography

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