Mexican journalist Miguel Angel Beltran killed in Durango
By The Committee to Protect Journalists
HAVANA TIMES – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) calls on Mexican authorities to immediately, credibly, and transparently investigate the killing of journalist Miguel Angel Beltran, whose remains were found wrapped in a blanket in the northern state of Durango on the morning of October 25.
Beltrán’s body was found in the town of Río Chico, near the state capital of Durango, with a message that read, “For spreading lies about the people of Durango,” according to news reports, with outlets noting that the journalist went to work on Thursday, October 23, and “that was the last time he was seen.”
CPJ was unable to confirm the contents of the message with the Durango state prosecutor’s office, which did not return a comment request and has not publicly addressed the killing.
“Journalist Miguel Ángel Beltrán’s shocking killing reaffirms Mexico’s abysmal status as the deadliest country for reporters in the Américas,” said CPJ’s Mexico Representative Jan-Albert Hootsen. “Mexican authorities must show some resolve by bringing Beltrán’s killers to justice.”
Beltrán, 60, was a veteran journalist who previously worked for local newspapers Contexto and La Voz de Durango, according to the reports. He developed a social media presence on TikTok and his La Gazzeta Dgo Facebook page, the latter of which has 27,000 followers, and was known for posting short articles and videos on politics and crime in Durango.
In one of his TikTok videos, posted October 21, Beltrán linked a man arrested in the Chihuahua state to the Sinaloa Cartel, which, according to the Mexican and U.S. governments has long had a presence in Durango.
An official with the federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, which coordinates protection for reporters sanctioned by the federal government, told CPJ via messaging app that his agency was unaware of any threats against Beltrán’s life and that he had not been in contact with the Mechanism.