Mexico: seventh journalist murdered in 2026 as killing of Francisco Alejandro Leyva exposes glaring failures in state protection

Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, aged 60, was shot dead on 22 July in the municipality of San Pablo Etla, in the state of Oaxaca. State Governor Salomón Jara condemned the killing and called for coordination between the state prosecutor's office and the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, notably its specialised unit for crimes against freedom of expression.

Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar had worked as a journalist for nearly 30 years and directed the public television and radio network CORTV (Oaxaca Radio and Television Corporation) from 2016 to 2020. At the time of his murder, he published the online political column El Zumbido del Moscardón, which was republished by several Oaxaca-based media outlets, including Hendirecto and Presente de Oaxaca. He also managed a Facebook page with more than 15,000 followers, where he regularly posted commentary on political affairs. The day before he was killed, he had published a column critical of the governor and several members of his administration.

A journalist under threat

Just over a year earlier, on 14 July 2025, Leyva filed a complaint with the Oaxaca State Human Rights Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría de los Derechos Humanos del Pueblo de Oaxaca), the state's human rights institution, after receiving death threats. He linked the threats to statements discrediting his work in "Trapitos al Sol," a specific session during the official press conferences of Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara. Launched in April 2024, the session was presented as a way to refute information the state government considered false or misleading. According to the complaint, the journalist reported that this public targeting was followed by a smear campaign from media outlets and online accounts, in addition to death threats via phone calls made by unidentified individuals. Leyva held the state government responsible for the campaign and publicly stated that he would hold the governor accountable for any harm that might come to him.

Two days later, he filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic against State Governor Salomón Jara, two other state government officials and anyone else who might be implicated. The federal prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the death threats but took no protective measures and transferred the case to the Oaxaca state prosecutor's office just 12 days later. Documents reviewed by RSF show that the state prosecutor's office did not acknowledge receipt of the case file until November 2025, four months after the complaint was filed.

On average, one journalist killed per month in Mexico in 2026

With seven journalists killed since January 2026, Mexico now averages the equivalent of one journalist killed every month due to their work.

• Josué Martínez Contreras, from the outlet Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, was killed on 16 July 2026.
• Manuel Alejandro Moreno Serna ("Alex Serna"), from the outlet Observatorio Ciudadano de la Costa Grande, was killed on 3 July 2026.
• Luis Ángel López Valdez, director for Reportaje Policiaco Veracruzano, was murdered on 11 June 2026. He had been enrolled in the state protection scheme.
• Roxana Guzmán Ramírez, from the outlet Pulso Informativo del Sureste, was abducted on 2 June 2026 before her body was found at the end of June.
• Juan David Gámez, from the outlet Táctica SS, was killed on 18 March 2026.
• Carlos Castro, from the outlet Código Norte de Veracruz, was killed on 8 January 2026. He had been placed under a state protection mechanism after receiving threats, but the measures were suspended in 2024 after authorities determined the risk had subsided.

Mexico ranks 122nd out of 180 countries in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index and has fallen to 160th place when it comes to safety. The country remains one of the deadliest places in the world to work as a journalist.