Mexico: Journalist Susana Carreño Stabbed and Critically Injured In Deadly Attack
Location: Mexico, Puerto VallartaDate: July 7, 2022
Journalist Susana Carreno was repeatedly stabbed by armed perpetrators who crashed into her car in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and forced her to lay down on the ground at gunpoint. Susana was shifted to a hospital and is in critical condition.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is alarmed and expresses grave concern over the attack. The deadly assault on Susana comes after the horrific killings of at least 12 journalists, including five women, in Mexico in the first six months of this year alone. We call for immediate action to ensure the safety of women journalists navigating different pressure groups to report the truth and hold power to account. Immunity for perpetrators of violence against journalists must end!
According to the Jalisco Prosecution Office, a jeep crashed into Susana’s vehicle on July 1, 2022, just as she and her colleague entered it. Then, two men arrived on a motorcycle and forced Susana to lay down at gunpoint and stabbed the journalist repeatedly, leaving her critically wounded. The journalist was shifted to a hospital with critical injuries to her chest and neck. She is now reportedly in stable condition but still recovering from the deadly assault.
Hours later, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro expressed his concern over the attack on Twitter, describing it as an attempted robbery. “I am very sorry that today Susana Carreño, director of Radio Universidad in Puerto Vallarta and a woman I respect and appreciate, has been attacked in an attempted robbery in Puerto Vallarta.”
Lamento mucho que hoy Susana Carreño, directora de Radio Universidad en Puerto Vallarta y una mujer a la que respeto y aprecio, haya sufrido un ataque en un intento de robo en Puerto Vallarta.
— Enrique Alfaro (@EnriqueAlfaroR) July 1, 2022
Just days after veteran journalist Antonio de la Cruz is murdered in Tamaulipas, reports that journalist Susana Carreño has now been stabbed in the neck and abdomen in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
— Parker Asmann (@PJAsmann) July 1, 2022
There appears to be no end in sight to the ongoing attacks on journalists in #Mexico. https://t.co/ORKUIq52lw
Susana Mendoza Carreño, a journalist from Mexico, was viciously attacked on July 1.
— International Women's Media Foundation (@IWMF) July 6, 2022
We cannot accept the idea that journalists live in constant terror. The IWMF calls for the prosecution of those responsible and the assurance of Susana's protection. pic.twitter.com/oW73poFnb8
Susana, a reporter for Radio UDG, a broadcaster affiliated with the University of Guadalajara, had just finished recording a live segment of her news show “All Voices Count” when she was attacked. She had been reporting on land grabbing, corruption and illegal construction in the area.
According to a report by UGTV, the radio channel’s television affiliate, the first crash into Susana’s vehicle was seemingly deliberate. The perpetrators fled the crime scene in the journalist’s vehicle, which was later found some 10 miles away from the site of the assault.
Radio UDG director Gabriel Torres told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that although the unidentified attackers did take away with Susana and her colleague’s phones and the journalist’s vehicle, “they went straight for [Susana]; this did not look like a robbery at all”.
Mexico is one the deadliest countries for journalists in the Western Hemisphere. At least 12 journalists and media workers were killed in 2022 alone. The Mexican authorities claim to be investigating the attacks but no perpetrator has been brought to justice yet. The local news media community has repeatedly pointed to the state’s negligence in ensuring protection of journalists and has called out the culture of impunity prevalent in the country for crimes against the press. Continue reading for more details on recent killings of women journalists in Mexico here.
After the horrific attack on Susana, several press freedom advocates tweeted out in support of the journalist. They drew links to infringements on the free press, especially efforts to quash critical investigative reporting by various bad actors, and the state’s lax response for journalists’ safety.
According to an official of the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, under the country’s interior ministry, the office was not aware of any recent threats against Susana or her colleagues at Radio UDG. Speaking to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, the official claimed that his office was now incorporating Susana into the federal protection program.
Given local journalists’ lack of faith in the authorities’ efforts to secure their protection and the frequency of threats to journalists in the country, this is not surprising, however. Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi and Sheila Johana García Olivera, the director and a reporter of online news portal El Veraz, respectively, were shot dead outside a convenience store in broad daylight on May 11, 2022. Yessenia had not lodged a formal complaint with security officials or with federal journalist protection program offices though she had been receiving threats for almost a year. She believed they would subside as they had before.
Another journalist, Lourdes Maldonado López, had informed the authorities of the threats to her life because of her work. Yet, the state failed to take sufficient measures against the perpetrators. Lourdes was shot dead in Tijuana by unidentified assailants as she sat in her car in January, making her the third Mexican journalist killed in 2022. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is horrified at the attack on Susana Carreño. We vehemently condemn the assault and extend complete support to the journalist as she undergoes a painful recovery process. We are deeply concerned by the Mexican authorities dismissal of the attack as an attempted robbery. Mexico ranked 127th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) World Press Freedom Index 2022, and is counted among the deadliest countries for journalists. It is well documented that members of the independent press face various threats from the state as well as from criminal elements in the country. The attack on Susana may have been disguised as a robbery but it is crucial that the investigating authorities probe the incident through all angles. They must determine whether the assault was related to her work. In any case, the CFWIJ demands immediate efforts to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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