Mexican and international press freedom organizations are calling for stronger protections for journalists in the aftermath of an armed attack on the offices of the newspaper El Debate in Culiacán, Sinaloa.
The attack was followed by the kidnapping of an El Debate delivery worker in Culiacán, as the state capital finds itself in the middle of a war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Investigations into the attack are ongoing after El Debate reported on Oct. 17 that its office building and company vehicles were sprayed by gunmen who leaped out of at least two cars before hopping back in and making a quick getaway. No injuries were reported at the time.
Two days later, on Oct. 19, El Debate reported that one of their delivery workers had been kidnapped. Sergio Cárdenas Hernández, 53, was delivering newspapers in downtown Culiacán on a motorcycle when a vehicle chased him and knocked him down. He fled and hid in a nearby market, where police came to his aid and offered to take him to the hospital for injuries sustained during his fall. Instead, he asked a coworker to take him home.
While on the way to Cárdenas’s house, the colleagues were intercepted by armed civilians who threatened both workers and kidnapped Cárdenas. He has not been seen since Saturday.
Governor Rubén Rocha Moya released a public statement condemning the attack on the newspaper offices, which he called an “attempt on freedom of expression.” The governor also said his administration was working with the federal government “to address all manifestations of violence in the state.”
#Culiacán | Familiares de Sergio Cárdenas, trabajador de #ElDebate, privado de la libertad la mañana del sábado por personas armadas, exigieron al gobernador @rochamoya_ una investigación que permita su liberación.https://t.co/BCFtobJ75i pic.twitter.com/kmMldm4HrN
— Ríodoce (@Riodoce_mx) October 21, 2024
The family of Sergio Cárdenas called on Sinaloa Governor Rocha to guarantee a full investigation into the kidnapping.
On Friday, President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the attack on the Sinaloa newspaper, adding that the federal government is preparing a report on the ongoing violence taking place in the state capital of Culiacán, to be released on Oct. 29.
Press freedom organizations have called on Sinaloa state authorities to commit to protecting freedom of expression and develop better policies to safeguard media workers.
The international human rights organization Article 19, along with Rompe el Red de Miedo and Iniciativa Sinaloa, called for a federal investigation into the attack.
They also demanded that existing government safety programs for journalists, including the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, guarantee the safety of workers at El Debate and other Sinaloan journalists.
The attacks on El Debate come amid a steady stream of violent incidents around the state. The most well-documented conflicts have occurred in Culiacán, the capital city.
With reports from El Debate, Infobae, La Verdad, El Universal and Línea Directa
