RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
07/17/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/17/2026 12:13
Mexico: Sixth journalist killed in 2026, government must urgently address violence against the press
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the killing of Josué Martínez Contreras, director of the online news outlet Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, on 16 July in the state of Puebla. He is the sixth journalist to be killed in Mexico since the beginning of 2026. RSF calls for the federal government to ensure the crime is thoroughly investigated, establish whether it was linked to his journalistic work and urgently strengthen measures to prevent the unrelenting attacks against the press.
Josué Martínez Contreras, director of the digital news outlet Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, was shot dead while with his son near his home in the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan, in the state of Puebla. According to media reports, the Puebla State Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation to establish the motive and identify those responsible. The Puebla state government publicly condemned the crime, called for it to be fully investigated, and stated that it is providing support to the journalist's family.
The journalist ran Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, a Facebook news and community reporting page with more than 155,000 followers. His reporting covered issues concerning security, public services, municipal administration, civil protection and community activities, and he interviewed public officials. Josué Martínez Contreras also notably raised questions about the management of public funds and the conduct of local institutions. Eight months before his murder, the journalist stated in a video broadcast by the news outlet A Tiempo Noticias that a local authority had threatened him over the phone. He linked that threat to his reporting on the management of the local drinking water system, the use of collected funds, the existence of illegal water pipes and the lack of public works. In the same video, he said that attempts were being made to silence him and that he would continue reporting on these issues.
"Six journalists killed in just over six months - how many have to die for the authorities' to realise their response remains clearly insufficient? Opening an investigation after each murder is simply not enough. These probes must be thorough and measures heightening journalists protection must immediately be put in place. We call on the Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE) to take over the case and coordinate its work with the Puebla State Attorney General's Office. We also urge the authorities to immediately assess all risks to the journalist's family, the Noticias San Martín Texmelucan team and the reporters covering the case, and to provide all necessary protection measures. The Mexican government must be held accountable for the failures in prevention and protection that have allowed these crimes to recur, and present concrete measures to keep these killings from happening.
Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America
The murder of Josué Martínez Contreras took place in a state that with a high number of attacks against the press. ARTICLE 19, a human rights organisation and local partner of RSF, documented 39 attacks against journalists and media outlets in Puebla during 2025, the second-highest figure in the country after Mexico City. On 7 July, RSF recorded five journalists killed in Mexico during 2026. Nine days later, the killing of Josué Martínez brought the total to six.
Published on 17.07.2026
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