JournalismPakistan.com | Published May 17, 2019
Join our WhatsApp channel
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican journalist under a federal protection program was found shot to death Thursday in the resort town of Playa del Carmen, authorities said.
Quintana Roo state prosecutors said Francisco Romero's body was found on a sidewalk in a neighborhood not frequented by tourists.
They said Romero had filed a police report April 12 stating he had received threats, though the source of those threats was not specified.
Romero worked for news pages on Facebook and the web that have apparently been closed for some time, reportedly including one for which two other slain Playa del Carmen journalists had worked.
In July 2018, Ruben Pat Cahuich, the director of the online news site Playa News Aqui y Ahora, was killed. In June, police reporter Jose Guadalupe Chan Dzib from the same outlet was killed.
Reporters without Borders, the journalist advocacy group, said in a statement that Romero had received threats and had been part of Mexico's journalist protection program since the killing of his colleagues last year. He had been given a "panic button" and a protection team made up of four police officers.
But Wednesday night he let the police go to rest. At 5:00 a.m. he received a phone call telling him to cover an incident at a bar and an hour later he was found dead outside it, according to the statement.
Emmanuel Colombié, director of the group's Latin America office, said: "The government must take bold decisions and deeply reform the national protection mechanism, whose efficiency has been constantly questioned."
The Committee to Protect Journalists said Romero was the sixth journalist killed since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office Dec. 1.
Less than two weeks ago, Telésforo Santiago Enríquez, a teacher, indigenous rights advocate and founder of a community radio station in Oaxaca, was killed.
Playa del Carmen has suffered increasing violence in recent years. In January, seven men were killed in a shooting attack at a bar in Playa del Carmen, and another shooting on Monday killed one person and wounded 11 at another bar in Playa. - AP
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.