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Photojournalist Margarito Martínez is murdered in Tijuana
Mexican photojournalist Margarito Martínez Esquivel, who worked for a long time in print and digital media in the Mexican city of Tijuana, was shot dead this Monday at the door of his house.
The photojournalist became part of the Protocol for the Protection of Journalists after a man blamed him on social networks, without foundation, for associating himself with certain portals that justify organized crime.
According to initial reports, Martínez Esquivel was staying near a vehicle outside his home when an individual shot him several times, and then fled to an unknown destination.
Because of the shots, the paramedics of the Mexican Red Cross went to the correspondent's home, where he was on the ground, lifeless.
As indicated by the main line of examination, with data provided by witnesses, a man in a drunken state was the one who carried out the crime, but no further information could be obtained about this individual whose whereabouts are unknown.
Margarito Martínez Esquivel worked as a photojournalist in media such as Semanario Zeta, Pulse Ciudadano, Cadena Noticias, Punto Norte, La Jornada Baja California, among others.
Likewise, he was interviewed on different occasions by media outlets around the world, eager to cover the crimes in Tijuana.
Apparently, Martínez Esquivel entered the Protocol for the Protection of Journalists after a blogger recognized as Ángel Peña accused him, without legitimate grounds, of supporting and disseminating data on coordinated crimes, which Margarito freely denied in life.
In Baja California, the journalistic guild was perceived for its work covering police incidents in the city of Tijuana, essentially in the Sánchez Taboada region, considered one of the riskiest in the border region.
The death of Martínez Esquivel is the second death of a journalist in Mexico in 2022.
First journalist murder case
José Luis Gamboa, a journalist, died after being attacked with a knife during an alleged attack in the southern province of Veracruz.
Humanitarian organizations confirmed that Gamboa became the first journalist to be killed this year.
Gamboa, was director of the digital newspaper Inforegio. Local media assure that he was seen seriously injured on a highway in the Floresta region, in the state of Veracruz, after an alleged attack, for which he was transferred to an emergency clinic where he died on January 10.
Denouncing the episode, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) posted on its Twitter account that Gamboa's body was found early last week. However, it was not until January 14 that he managed to be identified.
CPJ and Reporters Without Borders called for specialists to fully explore the journalist's death.
Reporters Without Borders demands that the process of their journalistic work not be impeded. They also indicated that Gamboa denounced and criticized the authorities for being related to organized crime.
Mexico is one of the most violent nations on the planet for journalists. Various murders, intimidations and attacks against the press are constantly taking place. The authorities and organized crime are what cause these situations.
During 2021, seven homicides of journalists were registered, among the more than 600 attacks registered in the year, which affirms that cruelty against the press remains intense in this country.
According to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization, the nation ranks 143rd out of 180 nations in its 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
