Hundreds of journalists marched Sunday in Mexico's capital to protest the killing of a photojournalist who was found dead from gunshot wounds along with four women.
They carried signs criticizing violence against journalists, calling for justice and an end to impunity, along with pictures of Ruben Espinosa, who fled to Mexico City several weeks ago after being harassed outside his home in Veracruz.
Mexico City's prosecutor told reporters Sunday that "all lines of investigation are open" in the case, and that Espinosa had come to the city looking for work.
Journalists and press freedom advocates, including Dario Ramirez of the group Article 19, want authorities to look at potential threats against Espinosa that came because of his work.
"I feel there is a disdain toward investigating the journalistic motives or even motives that had to do with his displacement," Ramirez said. "The issue here is that we had warned them that he was at risk and a month later he is killed. I don't think that this was a coincidence, that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't think we can consider those coincidences."
Espinosa worked for Proceso magazine, and said he faced harassment while working in Veracruz, including by Veracruz Governor Javier Duarte.
Duarte issued a statement lamenting the deaths of Espinosa and the four women and expressing support for the investigation.
Article 19 had denounced Espinosa’s killing in a statement Saturday, saying it “marks a new milestone” in violence against the press in Mexico and that impunity grows with each case.
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 34 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1992, making it the 10th deadliest country for reporters.
