RSF - Reporters sans frontières

10/01/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2025 12:21

Mexico: RSF urges Sheinbaum to honour commitments as 10 journalists killed in her first year of presidency

It has been one year since Claudia Sheinbaum became President of Mexico, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warns that violence against the press shows no signs of slowing down. Ten journalists have been killed since she took office on October 2024, cementing the country's status as one of the most dangerous in the world for practising journalism. Although her government has adopted a less hostile tone towards the media than its predecessors, this shift has not translated into tangible improvements. RSF emphasises the urgent need for stronger political will and effective measures to protect journalists in Mexico.

During the 2024 presidential elections, then-candidate Claudia Sheinbaum signeda pledge drawn up by RSF to implement five strategic pillars and 22 concrete actionsto tackle violence against journalists. However, twelve months into her administration, none of the measures have been fully implemented and only three have seen partial progress. This has worsened an already troubling situation: ten journalists were killed between October 2024 and September 2025, nine of themslain in just seven months. The president still has the opportunity to demonstrate that she will not allow Mexico to remain a deadly environment for the press.

"One year on, the promised changes have yet to materialise. President Claudia Sheinbaum has a responsibility to turn her commitments into effective policies that guarantee the safety of journalists in Mexico. RSF is deeply alarmed by the shocking number of journalists murdered - in 2025, Mexico accounted for more killed media professionals than any other country in Latin America. We demand a stronger, tangible commitment to the agreed action plan. The time for gestures is over. Now, decisive actions and verifiable results must be put in place.

Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America

The tangible measures in the pledge included strengthening the Federal Protection Mechanism of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, granting families access to judicial files, and legal reforms to curb the abusive use of defamation laws - actions that have seen minimal progress, if any, to date. The Protection Mechanism, for example, still has numerous deficiencies while the judicial harassment of journalists has intensified.

RSF calls on President Claudia Sheinbaum's government to adopt firm commitments that will endure throughout the coming years of her 6-year term:

  • Ensure the 2026 budget provides sufficient permanent resources to protect journalists and human rights defenders.

  • End the abusive use of legislation to censor and harass journalists.

  • Prosecute the most serious cases of journalist murders and disappearances on the federal level.

  • Establish a public mechanism to monitor and evaluate the commitments made in the pledge, with input from civil society and international organisations.

THE AMERICAS
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Published on01.10.2025
  • THE AMERICAS
  • Mexico
  • Legal framework and justice system
  • Violence against journalists
  • News
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