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On May 9, two female journalists were gunned down in the southeastern state of Veracruz.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and OHCHR's gender equality agency condemned the murder of the journalists that occurred mere days after the murder of journalist Luis Enrique Ramírez Ramos in Culiacán, Sinaloa.
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"The murder of three journalists in just one week generates dismay and deep concern, as it reflects the seriousness of the context of insecurity and violence in which journalists in Mexico must carry out their important work," said a joint statement from UNHCR and UN Women.
Yessenia Mollinedo Falconi was director of the portal El Veraz, and Sheila Johana García, reporter and cameraman of the same media. They were killed on May 9 while inside a car in the parking lot of a convenience store in the municipality of Cosoleacaque, Veracruz, by assailants riding a motorcycle.
The UN agencies issued "an urgent reminder of the importance for authorities to take timely and effective measures in order to comply with their obligation to ensure the protection and safety of those who practice journalism."
"2 journalists were shot and killed in Mexico by unidentified assassins, bringing journalist killings to 11 in 2022 — more than any place outside war zones.
— Muzamil (@promuzi) May 11, 2022
The killings of Yessenia Mollinedo and Sheila Garcia follow an 85% rise in attacks on media … pic.twitter.com/3YCxKvQzCj"
The UNHCR said it is imperative to redouble efforts between the federal and local governments to coordinate "preventive and investigative measures capable of creating an adequate environment for those who practice journalism in the country to do so with full freedom and security."
According to a statement by Guillermo Fernandez-Maldonado, UNHCR representative in Mexico, the deadly attack on these two journalists is a reminder that "it is essential to integrate a gender perspective in both judicial investigations and protection measures."
Fernandez-Maldonado said that it is "vitally important to put an end to the widespread impunity of the perpetrators and masterminds of attacks against journalists." In this regard, he said that the failure to identify and punish the criminals encourages the continuation of violent attacks.
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