Mexican human rights commission condemns attacks on journalist

Mexico City — Mexico’s National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) on Thursday condemned the attacks by “individuals and authorities” on reporter Mitzi Yanet Torres in the western state of Michoacan and called for protective measures to ensure her safety.

The journalist, according to a complaint issued by the CNDH, was the target of attacks by municipal police in Morelia, the capital of Michoacan, when she asked them for help after an attempted rape.

In addition, the organization said that a judge and medical expert refused to certify her injuries, and thus “it was demanded of the Government Secretariat and the Attorney General’s Office of Michoacan that protective measures be implemented to safeguard the life and physical integrity of the victim and her family.”

In addition, the CNDH also urged that Torres be “provided with the medical attention she requires and for an immediate investigation to be conducted.”

Torres said that on Aug. 20 she suffered a rape attempt and asked the municipal police for help, but the responding officers placed her in their patrol car, insulted her for her profession and her clothing and physically mistreated her.

The officers took her to a provisional detention center and there she was also mocked by the judge and the medical expert, who refused to include evidence of the physical violence she had suffered in dealing with the matter.

“As far as this organization is concerned, all attacks against women in Mexico are unacceptable, and (the CNDH) demands that this (case) be pursued until it is resolved. And in the case of female journalists, they are exposed to various risks due to their work and face institutional violence and revictimization when they complain about attacks as serious as sexual violence,” the CNDH said.

The commission said that it will continue monitoring the Torres case and will be awaiting the result of the investigation.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists.

According to the non-governmental organization Articulo 19, 10 Mexican reporters have been murdered because of their journalistic work since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office last Dec. 1.

During the mandate of Enrique Peña Nieto, from 2012-2018, 47 reporters were murdered in Mexico, of whom nine were killed in 2018, and there were a total of 2,347 reported attacks on communications media and their personnel.