Journalist Found Dead in Mexico, CCTV Captures Motorcycle Pair

Mexican journalist Francisco Leyva was found dead in the southern state of Oaxaca on the 22nd, local time.

This marks at least the fourth killing of a journalist in Mexico since last month.

Mexican prosecutors stated in a press release that they have launched an investigation into the incident.

[Rodriguez Alamilla / State Attorney General: The crime scene is still being processed. We have confirmed three gunshot wounds, which have been identified as the cause of death so far. Additionally, footage from several CCTV cameras has indicated the potential involvement of two individuals on a motorcycle.]

In particular, prosecutors have assigned the case to a special prosecutor's office dedicated to crimes infringing upon freedom of expression.

[Rodriguez Alamilla / State Attorney General: We have not ruled out any line of investigation. We will investigate all possibilities. His activities as a journalist will also be one of the investigative directions.]

The 60-year-old Leyva primarily wrote articles exposing government corruption related to criminal organizations operating in the Oaxaca region, as well as incidents of violence.

Governor Salomon Jara paid tribute on his social media, writing, "Leyva was a journalist who criticized our government, asked questions every day, and constantly pointed out problems."

Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, outside of active war zones.

According to a survey released by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights last May, Mexico is the country in Latin America with the highest number of murdered journalists, with those covering drug cartels and corrupt authorities being the primary targets.

Many of the victimized journalists had felt threatened and requested protection from authorities, but multiple reports have shown that adequate security measures were often not implemented.

Earlier this month, the remains of journalist Roxana Guzman, who was kidnapped by an armed group a month prior, were found in a region in eastern Veracruz.

(Camera: Park Eun-ha | Video Editing: Chae Chul-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.