Abduction of Journalists and Relatives in Violence-Plagued State of Mexico

Press Freedom Threatened as Armed Men Kidnap Journalists

MEXICO CITY — Prosecutors announced on Thursday that three journalists and two of their family members have been abducted by armed individuals in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. This incident highlights the perilous environment faced by journalists in Mexico, a country recognized as one of the most dangerous for media professionals outside of war zones.

The prosecutors’ office in southern Guerrero state revealed that all five individuals were kidnapped between Sunday and Wednesday in the picturesque colonial town of Taxco, often frequented by tourists. On Sunday, one journalist, along with his wife and adult son, was forcibly taken, while a husband-and-wife journalist team was abducted on Wednesday.

The Afternoon Chronicle, an online news site based in Chilpancingo, reported that their journalist in Taxco, Marco Antonio Toledo, had received threats earlier this year from a drug cartel, which had explicitly ordered him not to publish a story. Toledo had recently exposed a case of local corruption, further raising concerns about his safety.

The Afternoon Chronicle called upon authorities to locate Toledo, emphasizing that the drug cartels have effectively silenced the region. According to their report, several journalists in the past have been kidnapped by drug cartels and forced to flee to other parts of the state or even other states to protect themselves.

Article 19, a press freedom group, stated that Toledo, his wife, and son were forcefully taken from their home by at least five armed individuals on Sunday, and they have not been heard from since. The group also identified the journalist couple, Silvia Nayssa Arce and Alberto Sánchez, who were affiliated with another online news site called RedSiete. As of now, RedSiete has not reported on the abductions.

Taxco, renowned for its silver artisanry, colonial architecture, and vibrant Easter week celebrations, has recently become a battleground for drug gangs vying for control over the lucrative business of extorting protection money from local businesses.

According to reports, the violent La Familia Michoacana cartel and the Tlacos gang are engaged in turf wars in Taxco, which is located approximately 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Mexico City.

This incident marks one of the largest mass attacks on journalists in Mexico since early 2012 when the bodies of three news photographers were discovered discarded in plastic bags in a canal in the Gulf coast city of Veracruz. Similarly, in June 2011, three journalists were either killed or disappeared in the same city, with the blame falling on the notorious Zetas drug cartel.

Tragically, last week, a photographer from a newspaper in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez was found shot to death in his car. This incident marked the fifth journalist killing in Mexico in 2023 alone.

Over the past five years, the Committee to Protect Journalists has documented the killings of at least 54 journalists in Mexico, underscoring the grave dangers faced by media professionals in the country.