Current:Home > Scams3 journalists and 2 relatives have been abducted in a violent city in southern Mexico-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
3 journalists and 2 relatives have been abducted in a violent city in southern Mexico
lotradecoin integration View Date:2024-12-25 16:23:59
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors said Thursday that three journalists and two of their relatives have been abducted by armed men in a violence-plagued state in Mexico, which press groups say is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, outside of war zones.
The prosecutors office in southern Guerrero state said all five people were abducted between Sunday and Wednesday in Taxco, a colonial town frequented by tourists. One journalist was abducted Sunday along with his wife and adult son, and a husband-and-wife team of journalists were kidnapped Wednesday.
The online news site The Afternoon Chronicle in the nearby city of Chilpancingo said its reporter in Taxco, Marco Antonio Toledo, had received threats earlier this year from a drug cartel, which had ordered him not to publish a story. Toledo had also recently reported on a case of local corruption.
The news site called on authorities to find Toledo, and said the area “has been silenced by the drug cartels.”
“Previously, other journalists have been kidnapped by drug cartels ... and have exiled themselves to other parts of the state and other states to save themselves,” the new site reported.
The press freedom group Article 19 said Toledo, his wife and son had been pulled from their home by at least five armed individuals on Sunday. They have not been heard from since.
The group said the kidnapped journalist couple have been identified as Silvia Nayssa Arce and Alberto Sánchez. They worked for another online news site, RedSiete. That outlet has not yet reported on the abductions.
Taxco has long been known for its silver artisanry, colonial architecture and colorful Easter week celebrations. But in recent years, the city has become a battle ground between drug gangs fighting over the lucrative trade in extorting protection money from local businesses.
The violent La Familia Michoacana cartel and the Tlacos gang are reportedly active in turf battles in Taxco, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Mexico City.
It marked one of the largest mass attacks on reporters in one place in Mexico since one day in early 2012, when the bodies of three news photographers were found dumped in plastic bags in a canal in the Gulf coast city of Veracruz. Earlier, in one week in June 2011, three journalists were killed or disappeared in the same city. The killings were blamed on the once-powerful Zetas drug cartel.
Last week, a photographer for a newspaper in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez was found shot to death in his car. His death was the fifth instance of a journalist being killed in Mexico so far in 2023.
In the past five years alone, the Committee to Protect Journalists documented the killings of at least 54 journalists in Mexico.
veryGood! (336)
Related
- Streamer stayed awake for 12 days straight to break a world record that doesn't exist
- Judge blocks removal of Confederate memorial from Arlington Cemetery, for now
- 5 people crushed after SUV topples over doing donuts in Colorado Springs, driver charged
- Katie Holmes Reacts to Sweet Birthday Shoutout From Dawson's Creek Costar Mary-Margaret Humes
- Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey announce engagement with new photos
- 20-year-old wins Miss France beauty pageant with short hair: Why her win sparked debate
- Pope Francis says priests can bless same-sex couples but marriage is between a man and a woman
- Publishers association struggled to find willing recipient of Freedom to Publish Award
- Jim Harbaugh wants to hire Colin Kaepernick to Chargers' coaching staff. Will the QB bite?
- Convicted sex offender escaped prison after his mom gave him disguise, Texas officials say
Ranking
- Don't be fooled by the name and packaging: Fruit snacks are rarely good for you. Here's why.
- Georgia man imprisoned for hiding death of Tara Grinstead pleads guilty in unrelated rape cases
- Florida house explosion injures 4 and investigators are eyeing gas as the cause, sheriff says
- ACLU of Montana challenges law defining the word ‘sex’ in state code as only male or female
- Ranking MLB jersey advertisements: Whose patch is least offensive?
- Judge orders release of over 150 names of people mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit documents
- Jennifer Love Hewitt hits back at claims she's 'unrecognizable': 'Aging in Hollywood is really hard'
- Convicted sex offender escaped prison after his mom gave him disguise, Texas officials say
Recommendation
-
'RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars': Premiere date, cast, where to watch and stream
-
UCLA gymnast Chae Campbell hits viral floor routine inspired by Wakanda in 'Black Panther'
-
Guy Fieri Says His Kids Won't Inherit His Fortune Unless They Do This
-
Thousands rally across Slovakia to protest the government’s plan to amend the penal code
-
Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says
-
5-year-old twin boy and girl found dead in New York City apartment, investigation underway
-
Taylor Swift's Super Sweet Pre-Game Treat for Travis Kelce Revealed
-
Rodgers’ return will come next season with Jets out of playoff hunt and QB not 100% healthy