A gang of drug dealers was behind the assassination of Chiapas journalist Mario Leonel Gómez Sánchez on Friday, says the state Attorney General’s office.

One man has been arrested after investigators determined that he had been watching Gómez’s home in Yajalón for some time before allegedly shooting him.

Authorities have posted a reward of 300,000 pesos (US $15,800) for any information leading to the arrest of two men suspected to be leaders of the gang.

The press advocacy organization Inter American Press Association condemned the assassination of Gómez, urging authorities to investigate and make progress on nearly 10 unpunished cases of violence against journalists in Mexico.

President Gustavo Mohme charged that Mexico continues to occupy one of the top places in the world for violence against journalists “and the high degree of impunity in those cases, which the authorities should handle with seriousness, respect and a sense of urgency.”

Another association official expressed anger over the “lack of justice in almost all the cases . . . .”

“. . . violence and impunity continue to be the principal brake on the free practice of journalism in the country . . .” said Roberto Rock, who is also editor of the digital newspaper La Silla Rota.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Mexico also condemned the assassination, observing that Gómez had been the target of several threats over time.

Several dozen journalists took to the streets in three Chiapas cities on Saturday to protest the assassination and demand the case be solved.

Gómez had received death threats a year ago from the bodyguard of a federal deputy, according to media reports. He had worked for several years at El Heraldo de Chiapas.

Source: El Universal (sp)