Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Anaya Missing in Veracruz
By The Committee to Protect Journalists
HAVANA TIMES – Mexican authorities must investigate the disappearance of journalist Miguel Ángel Anaya Castillo, the founder and editor of news website Pánuco Online, and determine whether it is related to his work as a journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.
“The disappearance of Miguel Ángel Anaya not only underscores the terrifying dangers Mexican reporters continue to face on a daily basis, but is also a stark reminder that the Mexican government continues to allow journalists to be attacked with impunity,” said CPJ’s Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen. “Mexican authorities must do everything in their power to locate Anaya, return him safely to his family, and ascertain whether his disappearance was related to his work as a reporter.”
Anaya was last seen on April 13 in Pánuco, a town in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz, but was not reported missing until April 18. The disappearance was confirmed on April 19 by the Veracruz State Commission for Attention to and Protection of Journalists (CEAPP), an autonomous agency of the state government.
Pánuco Online, a news page on Facebook with more than 25,000 followers, covers a wide range of topics, including local politics and crime and violence in the region.
On February 28, Anaya had received threats from unknown individuals at his residence, according to a video published on the Facebook page. According to the video, three men visited his residence in Pánuco saying they had “a message from the mayor,” apparently referring to Pánuco Mayor Óscar Guzmán. Anaya then called the police, and the men, who have not been identified, left the scene when a patrol car approached the residence.
Anaya commented in the video that the threat may have been related to his coverage of a protest two days prior of inhabitants of Pánuco demanding the closure of a local garbage dump.
CPJ was unable to find contact information for Anaya’s family. Several calls to the Pánuco mayor’s office and local police department went unanswered.