Mexico: Gunmen Launch Life-Threatening Attack On Beatriz Flores After She Receives Warning On Phone Call
Location: Mexico
Date: November 19, 2021
Credit: Thayne Tuason via Wikimedia Commons
Beatriz Flores, founding editor of Presencia Hidalguense, faced a deadly attack in the early hours of November 10 by unidentified gunmen. The police reportedly found at least eight bullet casings after attackers opened fire on her car. Beatriz was lucky to survive the attack. The perpetrators fled the site after shooting at her and the journalist managed to alert the authorities. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely concerned for Beatriz’s safety. We call for a swift and transparent investigation into the threats faced by the journalist. Only days before the shooting, Beatriz had received a threatening phone call.
An unidentified woman called Beatriz on November 8 to express reservations on a recent report Beatriz published on her Facebook-based news platform Presencia Hidalguense, which has a following of 67,000 subscribers. The anonymous caller pointed to her report on the arrest of a man accused of transporting stolen horses in La Colmena, Hidalgo.
The anonymous caller accused Beatriz of having published pictures that she had no right to. However, Beatriz had acquired those photographs from the police during her investigation for the story. The pictures depicted a truck that was allegedly used for the crime. The unidentified caller tried to intimidate the journalist and stressed that a local gang - Los Rabanos - was not involved in this offence. Beatriz’s report had not made any reference to the gang. Towards the end of the call, the woman warned Beatriz of dire “consequences if she didn't remove her article".
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely concerned for the safety of Beatriz Flores. We urge the Mexican authorities to immediately conduct a transparent investigation into the threats against her. The perpetrators must be swiftly traced and taken to task. Although, Beatriz reportedly received support from the authorities after the attack on her, Mexico has a history of violence against women journalists and in most cases we have observed negligible action against the perpetrators. In this year alone we documented at least 10 violations against women journalists. These included physical assaults, abduction and state oppression. Mexico must take action to ensure a safe and conducive environment for women journalists to do their job.
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
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