Ismael Villagomez Becomes at Least 5th Journalist Killed in Mexico This Year
HAVANA TIMES – Another journalist has been killed in Mexico. Ismael Villagomez was fatally shot in Ciudad Juárez Thursday while working his second job as a driver. He was a photographer for the newspaper El Heraldo de Juárez who had worked in media for nearly two decades. At least three people were arrested in connection to his death. His colleagues are demanding justice.
Jose Ramon Ortiz: “Ismael was a good and honest person. He was a good co-worker whose life was taken away in this way. We don’t want his case to remain unsolved, as has happened with the deaths of other journalists. If the cause was something other than his work in journalism, we want this to be clarified by authorities. And if this is related to his journalistic activity, we want authorities to investigate this even further. The Mexican Editorial Organization, Ismael’s family and the journalistic community demand clarification of the facts.”
At least four other journalists have been killed this year in Mexico, one of the most dangerous countries for media workers in the world outside a war zone. Violence has skyrocketed in Mexico following the enforcement of the U.S.-backed war on drugs.