By Armando Hernandez
Journalist Alejandro Martínez Noguez, known as “El Llanero,” was shot dead in the Mexican state of Guanajuatodespite having government protection due to the threats he had suffered.
According to local media, the journalist was covering police news and was therefore protected by state protection measures. The journalist was shot dead by unknown assailants while travelling in a car with his bodyguards after carrying out journalistic work.
The news was confirmed by the Security Secretariat of the city of Celaya, where Martínez Noguez worked. It was also announced that The two bodyguards who accompanied him are being treated for the injuries they suffered.
Alejandro Martínez Noguez, known as “El Llanero”, was one of the most influential reporters in Celaya, Guanajuato.
He was shot dead today, despite having 2 bodyguards.
In 2021 we interviewed him and it was devastating.
What anger and sadness Celaya has become. pic.twitter.com/BDvRdjrnmR
— 𝙍𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙨 𝙁𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙨 (@rbarriosfuentes) August 4, 2024
One of the people who confirmed the journalist’s death was the municipal president of Apaseo el Grande, José Luis Oliveros Usabiaga.
Authorities They are investigating whether the attack was aimed at municipal police officers in Celaya or directly at the journalist who was returning from covering a story.
According to records from the Article 19 organization, 167 murders of journalists in Mexico have been documented from 2000 to date, possibly related to their work.
Of these, 47 have been registered during the current government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and another 47 during the previous term of Enrique Peña Nieto.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Mexico has positioned itself as one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism globally, with an alarming number of murders and disappearances of journalists.
In the snapshot of Mexico, the states of Veracruz, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Sonora were identified as the most dangerous for journalists, with a high number of reported murders. In addition, Mexico has the highest number of missing journalists worldwide, with at least 15 cases confirmed by the end of 2023.
Keep reading:
– Nobody wants to be a police officer in Guanajuato, the state with the most murdered officers.
– Three Tabasco police officers were killed when they tried to search a van in which hitmen were travelling.