Two Mexican journalists were killed on Monday in the eastern state of Veracruz, the state attorney general’s office confirmed, adding to the toll as one of the deadliest years on record for media workers in the country The Trumpet gathered.
Yessenia Mollinedo and Sheila Johana Garcia have been killed, raising the death toll for media workers in Mexico this year to 11, rendering the country the most dangerous for media workers outside of war zones.
The duo died in the municipality of Cosoleacaque in Veracruz state on Monday. The Veracruz State Prosecutor’s Office said via Twitter that it was investigating the killings of the two journalists.
Veracruz State Prosecutor Verónica Hernández Giadáns said the investigation would be exhaustive, including considering their journalism work as a possible motive in their killing.
The State Commission for Attention and Protection of Journalists said the two women were attacked outside a convenience store.
“We condemn this attack on Veracruz’s journalism profession, give it prompt monitoring and have opened an investigation,” the commission said
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Violence against media workers has increased during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration, according to a report published in April by Article 19, a freedom of expression advocacy group.
The recent killings occurred four days after 59-year-old veteran journalist Luis Enrique Ramireza was found dead on the side of a highway in the northern state of Sinaloa last week.
Before the death of Ramirez, eight journalists had been killed this year in Mexico, according to Article 19 data.
The United States and the European Parliament have urged Mexico to ensure adequate protection for journalists following the recent string of killings.
