Amnesty International Italia’s appeal: “Your 5×1000 in favor of freedom of the press and expression. A story from Mexico: the difficult battle of Alberto Amaro Jordán”. Jordan is a 35-year-old journalist from Atexcatzingo, in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, known for being a major crime hub. In 2018 he founded the website “La Prensa de Tlaxcala”, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both journalists. Within a year he began to suffer threats, attacks and delegitimization attempts by criminal groups and the police for his investigations into politics, crime and corruption.
He then turned to the federal program called “Mechanism for the Protection of Journalists” but, despite continuous requests to strengthen protective measures, the risk is that they will be taken away. Amaro Jordán, with his wife and their two children, was photographed and targeted, his website was hacked and his reputation was defamed through posts on Facebook accusing him of being a criminal. The children continue to have nightmares at night that their father will be killed; they have had to give up football training and karate lessons and only attend school on the days when Amaro can pick them up with his bodyguards.
“The story of Alberto Amaro is a tragic example of the challenges faced by journalists in Mexico and around the world, where freedom of the press is threatened by political censorship and criminal interests – said Riccardo Noury, spokesperson for Amnesty International Italy – We have launched a global appeal to ask the Mexican government to continue to protect Alberto Amaro Jordán and his family, because you cannot risk your life just for doing your job. With 5×1000 you can help Amnesty International Italia defend him and other journalists in danger.”
Mexico is the first country in the world for missing journalists and is among the top ten for unsolved cases of journalist killings. The story of Alberto Amaro symbolizes the fight for freedom of the press and the violations of human rights that increasingly affect those who, as part of their professional activity, report news, deal with human rights or express opinions unwelcome to governments.
To name just two other cases, Maria Ponomarenko, a Russian journalist, was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to six years in prison and a five-year ban on practicing her profession after release, for spreading “knowingly false information about the Russian armed forces “; Nidal al-Waheidi and Haitham Abdelwahed, two Palestinian journalists aged 25 and 31, disappeared on 7 October 2023 after they were arrested by Israeli authorities while covering the initial stages of the current conflict.
This is why Amnesty International Italy believes it is urgent and necessary to provide greater help to victims of threats and violence linked to the defense of freedom of expression. “The story of Alberto Amaro Jordán is still little known. With this campaign, we want to create a source of solidarity around him, so that he and many other people who courageously carry out the journalistic profession do not feel alone”, added Noury. “Freedom of the press is under attack everywhere, even in Italy, where control over content is becoming increasingly suffocating.”
To defend human rights around the world, since 1961 Amnesty International has given voice to thousands of people who see their dignity and freedom threatened or violated. A constant commitment that has allowed the organisation, since its inception, to save over 50,000 people. With the hashtag #Amnestyseitu, Amnesty International Italia asks you to support its daily commitment to put an end to human rights violations. Everyone can do their part by supporting Amnesty International Italia’s 5×1000 campaign through a simple and free gesture, such as placing a signature on their tax return, entering the tax code 03 03 11 10 582.
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