How Veracruz Became the Most Dangerous State in Mexico for Journalists

[Disir]

Flowers, candles, and photographs sit outside the entrance to the Government Palace in the Mexican city of Xalapa, Veracruz. Most passers-by only pause to glance at the mementos before moving on. Such makeshift shrines to victims of Mexico's violence have become commonplace in many parts of the country.

The memorial was placed in honor of local photojournalist Rubén Espinosa and political activist Nadia Vera, slain at a Mexico City apartment along with three companions on July 31. Yet it also represents the loss of countless other lives in this picturesque university town that has become infamous for its climate of impunity.

"For a long time, I thought these things only happened in other countries," one journalist who knew Vera and Espinosa told VICE News at a café in the heart of Xalapa's colonial center. He requested anonymity due to security concerns. "Elsewhere in Latin America, maybe. But when you see your friends and colleagues dying, you begin to feel very differently."
How Veracruz Became the Most Dangerous State in Mexico for Journalists VICE News

It's looking like the governor.

 

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Nabbed suspect turns out to be ex-cop...

Ex-cop arrested in journalist’s murder case in Mexico
Tue, Sep 01, 2015 - Mexican authorities on Sunday arrested a former police officer in connection with the brutal slaying of a prominent photojournalist and four others in a case that sparked international outrage.

Police arrested a man “identified as Abraham Torres Tranquilino” for alleged involvement in the killing of Ruben Espinosa, rights activist Nadia Vera and three other female victims, Mexico City prosecutor Rodolfo Rios said in a statement. Espinosa and the other victims were found dead on July 31 in a Mexico City apartment, their hands bound and their bodies bearing signs of torture.

Torres, 24, worked as a police officer in the capital until 2011, when he was arrested and convicted of torture. He served about a year in jail. Authorities on Aug. 4 arrested Daniel Pacheco Gutierrez, another ex-convict, in the case. He said he was innocent, but acknowledged being in the apartment where the killings occurred, along with two other friends, the day the murder happened.

Prosecutors weeks ago released security footage of Pacheco and Torres leaving the building the day of the murder along with another man. Espinosa’s death was the latest in a string of journalist slayings that prompted a group of hundreds of leading intellectuals from Mexico and around the world to call on Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to better protect the media.

Ex-cop arrested in journalist’s murder case in Mexico - Taipei Times

 

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Mexican president to clean up states' graft...

Mexico Presidency Moves to Tame Two Graft-tarnished States
Tuesday 12th July, 2016 - Mexico's presidency on Monday moved against two state governments, saying they had flouted federal anti-corruption laws, setting the scene for a possible conflict with two outgoing governors tarnished by graft accusations.

President Enrique Pena Nieto's office dubbed unconstitutional new state prosecutors' offices set up in oil-rich Veracruz and tourist hub Quintana Roo, bodies perceived by critics to be aimed at shielding the two governors. It called on the Supreme Court to rule against the measures. Economists and financial sector professionals regularly cite impunity and weak rule of law as a major concern for investors in Mexican assets. U.S. indictments are outstanding against at least three former governors from the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, but no formal proceedings have been opened against them in Mexico so far.

Salvador Silva, a senior official at the attorney general's office, said both states needed to wait for the roll-out of a federal government anti-corruption reform, rather than legislate individual measures. "[The anti-corruption reform] is aimed at creating mechanisms which slam the brakes on abuse of power," Silva told a news conference. Accused by critics of misusing public funds and failing to tackle rampant impunity, departing Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte's six-year term has been notorious for the killings of journalists and violent crime. Duarte has denied any wrongdoing.

Duarte on Twitter called on his state's justice commission to cancel naming a new anti-corruption prosecutor. "We think the federal government is serious this time," said Hilario Barceleta, an economist at the University of Veracruz. "The level of corruption going on in Veracruz is so great the federal government has realized it has to intervene." Duarte's counterpart in Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge, has also been accused of corruption by the opposition. Reuters was not immediately able to contact Borges's government in Quintana Roo.

Quintana Roo and Veracruz were among states the PRI lost control of in regional elections in June, when voters punished Pena Nieto and his party for failing to crack down on corruption and tame drug gang violence. That rout helps set the tone for the next presidential election in 2018, underscoring deep discontent over graft scandals and a sluggish economy, and throwing the contest open to contenders from both the left and right.

Mexico Presidency Moves to Tame Two Graft-tarnished States

 

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Mexico is a dangerous place to be a journalista...

Mexico: Another journalist killed in Veracruz state
Jul 21,`16 -- Mexican authorities said Thursday a local journalist was shot to death outside his home in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, the country's deadliest for reporters in recent years.

The state prosecutor's office said in a statement that 43-year-old Pedro Tamayo was gunned down by two attackers Wednesday night in the municipality of Tierra Blanca. Investigators recovered multiple 9 mm shells. Authorities did not give a possible motive for the killing, and it was not immediately clear if Tamayo was targeted due to his work.

The newspaper he worked for, El Pinero de la Cuenca, published an editorial saying Tamayo "documented the acts of violence and social protest in his hometown" and had also reported extensively on crime. "On many occasions he was intimidated by the forces of official power," it said. "And his stories, the majority of which were about violence, made some uncomfortable." Tamayo also contributed to the website Alcalorpolitico.com.

He had left Veracruz for a time when he felt threatened while investigating the case of five young people who disappeared in the state. Tierra Blanca is a notoriously violent corner of Veracruz. The Jalisco New Generation gang, one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, is blamed for kidnapping and killing five young people who disappeared there Jan. 11.

At least 17 journalists have been murdered in Veracruz since late 2010, and others have disappeared. All those killings have occurred during the administration of Gov. Javier Duarte, who has at times sought to blame journalists for the violence and suggested some had ties to the drug cartels that frequently fight turf battles in the state.

News from The Associated Press

 

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Cartel body dumping ground may be world's largest...

Prosecutor says Mexican body dumping ground may be world's largest
March 14, 2017 - The official said Tuesday the "enormous" grave was filled for years by violent drug cartels.

Mexican authorities are investigating the macabre discovery of a large number of human skulls in the gulf coast state of Veracruz, at a location that one official called "an enormous mass grave." At least 250 human heads were found at the site, which police suspect had been used for years as a dumping ground for corpses by drug cartels. "In my view, once we have opened all the mass graves in the state, it could become the biggest mass grave in Mexico, or even the world," state prosecutor Jorge Winckler told Televisa. "For many years, organized crime disappeared people with the connivance of the authorities and they went and dumped them in mass graves created for that purpose."

Winckler said more human remains could be found before the investigation ends. Televisa reported that only about 30 percent of the grave site has been searched so far. Veracruz, about 200 miles due east of Mexico City, has long been a stronghold for the Zetas cartel. Last month, 11 people were found dead in the Veracruz state city of Boca del Rio in one drug-related case, and 35 bodies were found in 2011 in another. Many of the skulls have been identified as persons who were previously reported missing, Winckler said.

Anti-drug special forces patrol streets in Veracruz, Mexico -- a state well known for its drug-related killings. On Tuesday, a state prosecutor said at least 250 human skulls were discovered at a dumping ground in the southeast Mexico state, which he said could be the world's largest mass grave.​

The prosecutor heaped some of the blame on former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte, saying his administration neglected missing persons cases during its 2010-2016 tenure. Duarte, 43, was forced out of office in October due to federal corruption charges and has been on the run for five months. Authorities are offering a 15-million peso reward ($761,000) for information leading to his capture.

Prosecutor says Mexican body dumping ground may be world's largest

See also:

Decapitated bodies found in mass grave at Venezuelan prison
March 14, 2017 Venezuela announced that 14 bodies have been found in a mass grave inside of the country's largest prison.

The mass grave was first discovered on Thursday during work to refurbish the General Penitentiary of Venezuela, or PGV, in the San Juan de Los Morros municipality of Guárico state. The Public Ministry on Tuesday said special scientific units are at the prison to excavate, recover and identify the bodies along with anthropologists and anatomical pathology experts. "As a result of these actions, up to the moment 14 corpses have been recovered, of which nine have their skulls," the Public Ministry said in a statement. "It is noteworthy that dental, anthropology and genetic experiments are being carried out and complaints are being received from relatives about disappearances during the process of eviction from the PGV."

At least 14 bodies have been found in a mass grave at the General Penitentiary of Venezuela in the San Juan de Los Morros municipality of Guárico state, Venezuela's Public Ministry said on Tuesday​

In a statement, the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, or OVP, said it previously warned the government about the possibility of mass graves at all of Venezuela's prisons. The non-governmental organization called on Venezuelan Minister of Penitentiary Affairs Iris Varela to explain why she did not act after multiple reports of disappearances at PGV.

OVP officials said they expect more human remains will be found. "Some media and human rights organizations were warned of the possibility of mass graves in several prisons in the country," OVP said in a statement on Monday. "Today the country is touched by the mass grave found in the PGV, but we must not forget that there are weekly murders of prisoners in prisons, as well as in police checkpoints."

Decapitated bodies found in mass grave at Venezuelan prison

 

[AsianTrumpSupporter]

Cartel body dumping ground may be world's largest...

Prosecutor says Mexican body dumping ground may be world's largest
March 14, 2017 - The official said Tuesday the "enormous" grave was filled for years by violent drug cartels.

Mexican authorities are investigating the macabre discovery of a large number of human skulls in the gulf coast state of Veracruz, at a location that one official called "an enormous mass grave." At least 250 human heads were found at the site, which police suspect had been used for years as a dumping ground for corpses by drug cartels. "In my view, once we have opened all the mass graves in the state, it could become the biggest mass grave in Mexico, or even the world," state prosecutor Jorge Winckler told Televisa. "For many years, organized crime disappeared people with the connivance of the authorities and they went and dumped them in mass graves created for that purpose."

Winckler said more human remains could be found before the investigation ends. Televisa reported that only about 30 percent of the grave site has been searched so far. Veracruz, about 200 miles due east of Mexico City, has long been a stronghold for the Zetas cartel. Last month, 11 people were found dead in the Veracruz state city of Boca del Rio in one drug-related case, and 35 bodies were found in 2011 in another. Many of the skulls have been identified as persons who were previously reported missing, Winckler said.

Anti-drug special forces patrol streets in Veracruz, Mexico -- a state well known for its drug-related killings. On Tuesday, a state prosecutor said at least 250 human skulls were discovered at a dumping ground in the southeast Mexico state, which he said could be the world's largest mass grave.​

The prosecutor heaped some of the blame on former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte, saying his administration neglected missing persons cases during its 2010-2016 tenure. Duarte, 43, was forced out of office in October due to federal corruption charges and has been on the run for five months. Authorities are offering a 15-million peso reward ($761,000) for information leading to his capture.

Prosecutor says Mexican body dumping ground may be world's largest

See also:

Decapitated bodies found in mass grave at Venezuelan prison
March 14, 2017 Venezuela announced that 14 bodies have been found in a mass grave inside of the country's largest prison.

The mass grave was first discovered on Thursday during work to refurbish the General Penitentiary of Venezuela, or PGV, in the San Juan de Los Morros municipality of Guárico state. The Public Ministry on Tuesday said special scientific units are at the prison to excavate, recover and identify the bodies along with anthropologists and anatomical pathology experts. "As a result of these actions, up to the moment 14 corpses have been recovered, of which nine have their skulls," the Public Ministry said in a statement. "It is noteworthy that dental, anthropology and genetic experiments are being carried out and complaints are being received from relatives about disappearances during the process of eviction from the PGV."

At least 14 bodies have been found in a mass grave at the General Penitentiary of Venezuela in the San Juan de Los Morros municipality of Guárico state, Venezuela's Public Ministry said on Tuesday​

In a statement, the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, or OVP, said it previously warned the government about the possibility of mass graves at all of Venezuela's prisons. The non-governmental organization called on Venezuelan Minister of Penitentiary Affairs Iris Varela to explain why she did not act after multiple reports of disappearances at PGV.

OVP officials said they expect more human remains will be found. "Some media and human rights organizations were warned of the possibility of mass graves in several prisons in the country," OVP said in a statement on Monday. "Today the country is touched by the mass grave found in the PGV, but we must not forget that there are weekly murders of prisoners in prisons, as well as in police checkpoints."

Decapitated bodies found in mass grave at Venezuelan prison

Another journalist gunned down in Mexico:

Another journalist slain in Mexico's violent Veracruz state

XALAPA, Mexico (AP) — An attacker shot a journalist to death Sunday in the Mexican state of Veracruz, adding to the toll in a region plagued by drug gang violence and allegations of government corruption.

Journalist Ricardo Monlui was leaving a restaurant with his wife and a son in the town of Yanga, outside the larger city of Cordoba, when a man who appeared to have been waiting shot Monlui twice and fled, local police chief Carlos Samuel Hernandez said. The wife and son apparently were unhurt.

Monlui is at least the 11th journalist to be slain in just over six years in Veracruz state, but the first since former Gov. Javier Duarte quit last year and vanished in the face of corruption charges. New Gov. Miguel Angel Yunes, who took office in December, expressed indignation at the killing.

As a battleground for rival drug cartels, Veracruz is one of Mexico's most violent states. The governor reported that eight people, including five police officers, also were killed Sunday during a gunbattle in the Coxquihi municipality in a mountainous area of northern Veracruz. Yunes said it wasn't yet clear what happened.

Later in the day, state Attorney General Jorge Winckler reported that 47 skulls and other body parts had been found in eight clandestine graves outside a port on Alvarado lagoon.

The announcement came five days after Winckler revealed that 300 sets of remains had been removed in recent months from secret burial sites in other parts of the state, including 253 found in the northern part of Veracruz city. He said those remains appeared to have been victims of drug cartels killed years ago.

Winkler said Sunday that officials have not yet explored all the sites where they have reports of possible illegal burials in the state because there is not enough space in forensic facilities...

..The Washington-based Committee to Protect Journalists has said that Mexico is the most dangerous part of the hemisphere for journalists and that Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, has been the most deadly part of the country. The committee says 86 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, 37 of them for motives directly related to their work and 49 for reasons not yet clear.