Media Freedom Coalition’s Executive Group statement on Miroslava Breach case in Mexico 

October 7, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition’s Executive Group express their concern about continued violent attacks against journalists and freedom of expression in Mexico. We are united in the principle that a free and independent media is essential to a functioning democracy. Investigating these attacks on independent media and bringing the perpetrators to justice are of paramount importance.

In this context, we welcome the action taken by Mexican authorities in relation to the Miroslava Breach case. Ms. Breach was a journalist in Chihuahua who was assassinated in 2017.

The strong sentence delivered on August 21, 2020, against one of the key perpetrators of Ms. Breach’s murder sends a clear message to those who would seek to silence the media and attack media freedom, including through mistreating, threatening or even killing journalists. The conviction also drew a direct link between her murder and her courageous work in reporting on organized crime activities and networks in the Sierra of Chihuahua.

We call on Mexican authorities to continue to take a firm stand against threats and aggression against journalists and to ensure the effective protection of media freedom in the country.

Canada, Germany, Ghana, Latvia, the Maldives, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States of America