On 2nd November 2021, an open hearing started in The Hague, with a panel of judges listening to witnesses discussing the subject of impunity. Journalists are put at risk on a daily basis, receiving threats and public pressure to stop investigating governments, criminal organisations and other high profile criminal activity. The organisers’ of the event, Free Press Unlimited, amongst other organisations, defend press freedom and hold the profession as a pillar for democracy. Yet, these criminals will do everything in their power to hide away the truth and this unfortunately leads to legal pursuits, kidnappings and many killings. Witnesses and judges hope this hearing will raise awareness and put pressure on international organisations to act and get justice for the murdered journalists.
One of the judges on the panel is journalist Marcela Turati Muñoz from Mexico. She hopes this tribunal “can be the start of something”, bringing a different perspective and hopefully to make progress towards countering impunity. She will be representing a country which has suffered from many cases of murdered journalists, one of those being Miguel Ángel López Velasco, a Mexican columnist working for Notiver. While investigating wrongdoings in the realm of drug trafficking and narcopolitics, he was put under pressure by various entities, who sent threats to the offices of Notiver. On 20th June 2011, his wife, son and himself were shot to death in their home in Veracruz, most likely by drug traffic-related intruders. The lack of legal investigation by the authorities pushed Notiver colleague, Yolanda Ordad de la Cruz, to investigate herself, before being herself murdered as part of the cover up. The crimes – like many others – were left unpunished.
The people's tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, in November 2021. Final picture: Matthew Caruana Galizia, journalist and director of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation
She told us that since the count started, 144 journalists have been killed in her country, with many others disappearing. Since the drug war was declared in 2006, these killings have increased, leading to even more insecurity. Similarly to other countries in Latin America, such as Colombia – represented by Raissa Carrillo from FLIP – the killings have been become normalised. The government help this context of impunity; they explain that the journalists “were killed because they have some problems with their family or with a neighbour” told us Marcela, showing a clear cover up of the issues.
Marcela herself knew five journalists who were killed. She believes many others who are close to those murdered tend to censure themselves, with the number of threats becoming too dangerous to pursue investigations. She believes many journalists who are threatened often silence themselves. However, she feels many of her colleagues are trying their best to ensure the stories of these journalists are told. “Every time they kill a journalist, the colleagues create groups of networks, to defend the freedom of speech, or create independent media to investigate” told us Marcela. She believes in the strength of the networks of journalists, who believe they cannot be silenced, therefore creating the best investigative journalism together.
In the meantime, organisations such as Reporters Sans Frontières are fighting for justice for journalists. While defending freedom of press throughout the globe, Reporters Sans Frontières are also pressing charges against certain governments in order for them to fulfil their legal duties, by investigating the murders of these journalists. Their Secretary-General, Christophe Deloire, was present at the event.
While the situation is precarious in Mexico, being the most dangerous country in world for journalists according to Reporters Sans Frontières’s rankings, Deloire believes there is hope to improve the situation. First of all, investigative journalism will not be silenced just yet as “there is a new generation of reporters who are willing to take risks” he told us. Additionally, there are new methods to counter the current situation, with the help of international press networks, who offer a certain level of protection abroad.
Reporters Sans Frontières are fighting for the rights of journalists, taking legal action in court. Along with 17 journalists, they filed a complaint in Paris against several organisations and governments involved with Pegasus spyware. This spying is “a result of having carried independent journalistic reporting in the public interest” as specifies the organisation’s website. For Mexico specifically, they have also filed a civil suit against the government, in order to take a closer look at how mistreated and threatened journalists were during the two previous mandates that preceded president Obrador.
Deloire also believes communication and exposition of the situation that journalists face is crucial to the progress towards justice. By exposing the situation faced by journalists in Mexico in international media, this will certainly get worldwide attention. “One of the things which protects a bit is public notoriety” says Deloire. Other than international recognition, public hearings such as this one will certainly help, but Reporters Sans Frontières plan to go further by starting a communication campaign in Mexico later this year. By talking with larger news networks in Mexico, where journalists are more protected, they can help regional outlets be better protected.
Their aim is to ultimately get the government to do significant change and protect the media a lot more. While there are certainly higher priorities for the government, Deloire hopes they will see the importance of free press in the country in order to solve other issues, particularly when it comes to holding people to account and uncovering criminal wrongdoings. He believes that “the struggle against violence and narcotraffic will not be possible without journalists”.
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