Ismael Villagómez, photojournalist The Herald of Juárez, was murdered early this Thursday in the Fronteriza Alta neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez, in Chihuahua. The reporter’s body was found inside his car with a gunshot wound to the left eye, as reported by the Attorney General’s Office of that State.
This Friday, the authorities arrested three alleged perpetrators of the murder, Juan Eduardo “C”, Carlos Miguel “H” and Jesús Adrián “C”, who were also found in possession of cocaine and several weapons, according to the agency. Efe. One of them would be the nine-millimeter pistol with which they shot the journalist.
Villagómez worked as a photojournalist and supplemented his salary as a platform driver, something very common. Many journalists and photographers in Mexico are forced to have more than one job due to the low salaries they receive and the poor conditions in which they work. Although the authorities have not yet ruled out any hypothesis, it has gained more strength in the last few hours that the three men attacked Villagómez to rob him after hiring his services as a driver.
In the struggle, one of the alleged murderers left behind his mobile phone and a voter ID with which the authorities were able to locate him in a matter of hours, according to the latest update on the case. The journalist’s wallet and two cell phones were stolen. The Prosecutor’s Office could present the detainees before a judge this Friday to try to establish an accusation and the corresponding connection to the process.
Villagómez’s body was found around 1:53 a.m. in the passenger seat with a gunshot wound. The local police were the first to arrive at the scene thanks to the call from neighbors to 911, who warned of the attack between Article 27 and Sinaloa streets.
The attack on the reporter joins a long list of journalists murdered over the last 20 years in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism in the world, according to Reporters Without Borders. Every 13 hours it is estimated that there is an attack against the press in the country and Chihuahua is one of the most dangerous states to practice the profession. Since 2000, 162 journalists have been murdered, according to Article 19, an organization that defends human rights and freedom of expression. Villagómez is, sadly, journalist 163. So far this year alone, eight more reporters have been murdered in Mexico.
Just last week, Mexico hosted the annual General Assembly of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), which stated in a report that violence continues to be “the main threat” to journalism in the country in 2023, in addition to denouncing the “ hostile speech” by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
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