Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Propuesta Cívica will file a complaint against Mexico on Wednesday for omissions and failures in investigations into the disappearance of journalists Mauricio Estrada Zamora and Ramón Ángeles Zalpa, who disappeared in Michoacán in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
These are the first complaints in the case of disappeared journalists before the UN Human Rights Committee against the Mexican State.
The allegations are filed on behalf of the families of the two journalists and the Human Rights Committee is called upon to order Mexico to conduct effective and thorough investigations into these cases, to make comprehensive reparations to the families for their years of suffering and to ensure that these cases are not repeated.
According to the organizations, numerous flaws have been identified, both in the investigations carried out by the Michoacán prosecutor’s office and by federal authorities. In addition, they charge that no serious efforts have been made to find the journalists or their remains, nor to identify the material and intellectual authors.
Read: The protection of journalists remains on paper: commissions are inoperative due to lack of resources, personnel or training
“We hope that bringing this matter before an international institution will not only give the families of the missing journalists the opportunity to draw attention to their situation and the tragedy of impunity, but also offer them a new opportunity to obtain the justice they are denied in their own country,” RSF’s advocacy and assistance director said. Antoine Bernard.
⚡️ #Mexico For the 1st time, cases of disappearance of Mexican journalists reach the United Nations Human Rights Committee: Mauricio Estrada Zamora and Ramón Ángeles Zalpa, both of #Michoacán and in impunity for more than 10 years.https://t.co/7Tj8tXivDT pic.twitter.com/falLcTwPBj
— RSF (@RSF_esp) October 31, 2022
Mauricio Estrada Zamora
Mauricio Estrada Zamora, a journalist covering the crime for the newspaper La Opinión de Apatzingán, was 38 when he disappeared in Apatzingán, Michoacán, on February 13, 2008.
He was last seen leaving the newsroom in the afternoon to go home to his wife and young son. His vehicle was found empty a few hours later and his wife reported him missing that same day, so an investigation for kidnapping was initiated.
A few days after his disappearance, Estrada’s brother received a phone call informing him that Estrada had not been kidnapped, but “detained,” but this lead was not followed.
Ramon Angels Zalpa
Ramón Ángeles Zalpa, 46, was a journalist for the newspaper Cambio de Michoacán. Among other topics, it covered the problems of indigenous communities and the shortcomings of the education sector. He also worked as a professor at the National University of Education Sciences. On the afternoon of April 6, 2010, he left his home in Paracho, Michoacán, to go to a facility under construction on the university campus, but never arrived.
After the family reported him missing, on 7 April, local authorities launched an official investigation. Two weeks later, FEADLE began its investigations. However, as stated in the complaint, only a few partial inquiries were carried out in 2010, 2012 and 2013 that led to nothing. Complaints filed by relatives at the state level were not addressed and the family received insufficient support for a short period of time.
27 journalists disappeared
According to RSF information, there are currently 27 journalists missing in Mexico, four of them in Michoacán. In none of these cases have those responsible been brought to justice, which means that there is 100% impunity.
Since 1964, more than 100,000 people have been officially listed as “disappeared” in Mexico.
As in the two cases of Michoacán, the families of the victims are forced to take the initiative, going to one institution after another and often even conducting their own investigations, in a desperate attempt to find their loved ones alive.
In a symbolic gesture, the denunciations against Mexico will be presented on November 2, 2022, the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, designated as such by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013.
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