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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A Mexican journalist who wrote about crime in the violent Gulf Coast state of Veracruz was found beheaded on Wednesday, local media reported, the latest gruesome killing of a reporter in one of the world’s most dangerous nations. of the world for journalists.
The body of Julio Valdivia, 44, who specializes in “red note” journalism that focuses on heinous crimes and violence, was found in the remote municipality of Tezonapa, about 100 kilometers from the state capital, Veracruz. .
A staff member of the local newspaper Diario El Mundo de Valdivia in Veracruz said that Valdivia was initially suspected of being hit by a train, but that was ruled out by the prosecution.
“Valdivia was found near the train tracks, beheaded and tortured,” said the official, who did not want to be identified.
El Universal and several other local media reported that Valdivia was beheaded, the fourth death of a journalist in Mexico this year.
In 2019, roughly half of all murders of journalists worldwide occurred in Mexico, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“We condemn the homicide of Julio Valdivia,” the Veracruz government said on its Twitter account.
A local media protection group known as CEAPP said in a statement that Valdivia did not have additional protection measures in place as it had not reported facing threats to its security. But the group demanded that the authorities “shed light” on the murder.
(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Edited by Drazen Jorgic and Leslie Adler)
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