Journalist Edgar Leyva denounced through a video that he had to leave Oaxaca, a state where he resides and works, to hide and be safe, after on February 3rd he suffered an armed attack on his ranch, and in which his sister and aunt died.
After two weeks without news from the journalist and that on February 8th he ran the version that he had been killed, Leyva recounted what has happened.
“I decided to take my life away from the state of Oaxaca, I want to emphasize that I still trust the institutions and governor Alejandro Murat,” Alejandro Murat said in a video posted on the Facebook page of his urban environment for 24 hours.
I call for immediate intervention by the State authorities: State Attorney General’s Office and Ministry of Public Security. MAXIMUM PROTECTION Measures
— Edgar Leyva (@SoyEdgarLeyva) February 24, 2021
Leyva narrated that on February 3, two armed subjects arrived at their ranch in Ocotlán de Morelos, Oaxaca. In the attack his sister and aunt died.
“The goal is and continues to be to kill the truth, for publications made on the Urban portal 24 hours and social networks and where an organized group of criminals was shown to strip land of their rightful owners. We were also victims of this group, we follow legal procedures like any citizen, with bureaucratic hurdes where we check and perceive the degree of control of local institutions by these crime groups, such as the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” Leyva narrated.
The journalist was part of the 24-hour Urban news site, which reports information about Oaxaca.
He added that “by telling the truth, investigating, denouncing and defending our heritage (…) I am exposed to these killers in complicity with some authorities.”
The journalist appreciated the help of organizations for freedom of expression such as Article 19, Reporters Without Borders, the State Front for the Defense of journalists’ rights and the National Association of Communicators.
“The intervention of these organizations has allowed me to save my life, however I am still in a critical situation, at risk where my life is in the middle, like that of my family.”
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