IAPA condemns killing of Mexican photojournalist

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the murder of Mexican photojournalist Rubén Espinosa and urged the authorities to solve the crime and keep it from going unpunished.

The death of 31-year-old Espinosa, with a coup de grace in the head, was the final outcome of a series of attacks he suffered in Veracruz, a condition under which he had been working for eight years, exposing in June the threats and harassment against him.

Espinosa worked for AVC news of Veracruz and was a correspondent for the Proceso magazine and the Cuartoscuro news photo agency.

His body, with signs of torture, was found Friday in an apartment in Mexico City, next to four dead women, some of them identified as social activists.

"We condemn the killing of Espinosa. It is a serious sign of the breakdown and violence that affects Mexico and journalists in particular," expressed IAPA's president Gustavo Mohme.

Mohme added that it is "unfortunate" that the journalist was killed precisely in Mexico City, "where he sought refuge to protect his physical security." Espinosa lived until last June in Veracruz and worked for seven years in the city of Xalapa.

He moved to Mexico City for security reasons "after being attacked and intimidated on various occasions. Since 2012 had been denouncing threats against his life related to his journalistic activity," indicated IAPA, an organization headquartered in Miami.