An agreement on Dutch cooperation and assistance to Mexico in the battle against drug-related violence was finalised during Queen Beatrix's state visit to the Latin American country. At the beginning of this week, another journalist was murdered in northern Mexico; the authorities believe that criminal gangs are responsible. So far, 14 journalists have been murdered in Mexico this year.

Vladimir Antuna Garcia, a 39-year-old crime reporter for the El Tiempo de Durango newspaper, was kidnapped by unknown assailants on Monday morning as he made his way to work. On Monday evening, his body was discovered bearing signs of strangulation and bullet wounds. A letter from the alleged killers was found close to his body. The police have not released the contents of the letter.

Spiral of violence
Mr Antuna's murder is horrific but it's not the first time a journalist has been murdered in Mexico; 13 journalists have already been killed so far this year. The police have proven that eight were murdered because of their profession, including one of Mr Antuna's colleagues from El Tiempo de Durango. All of the journalists wrote about corruption and drug-related crime. Aaron Jimenez of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission, a government organisation also functions as the national ombudsman, says the murders are part and parcel of the spiral of violence and enormous power wielded by criminal organisations:

"An extremely hard battle is being fought against organised crime and the drug mafia; the murders of the journalists are part of that fight, whether it's about violence committed by criminal gangs or violence perpetrated by the military and police. The levels of violence have increased."

The Mexican government recently deployed more than 50,000 soldiers in the war against drug cartels, and much of that war is being fought in northern Mexico. Most of the journalists were murdered in northern Mexico including the state of Durango, where public life is increasingly controlled by the drug cartels. Earlier this year, a judge investigating the murder of a journalist was murdered in Durango state.

Corruption and drug dealing
Journalist unions such as the renowned French organisation Reporters Sans Frontières/Reporters Without Borders (RSF) are furious with the Mexican authorities. RSF's Vicente Brussel points out that Mr Antuna was the target of an attack in April and the organisation has urged the Mexican justice ministry to be more proactive:

"The authorities knew that this journalist was being threatened but they didn't protect him. Now he's been murdered and they’re still doing nothing to protect the journalists who are investigating corruption and the drug trade in various states including Durango."

Journalists are targets in Mexico, and RSF says Mexico is by far the most dangerous country in Latin America for journalists. Mexico is ranked 137th out of 175 countries on RSF’s 2009 Press Freedom Index. The human rights commission's Aaron Jimenez acknowledges that the justice ministry is responsible for protecting journalists:

"The biggest problem is impunity from justice. The vast majority of these cases are never solved and never make it to court. A tiny proportion of cases result in a conviction. This does of course lead to increased levels of aggression and violence."

According to the ombudsman, the laxity makes the Mexican state jointly responsible for the huge number of victims.

Premature
This view does make Dutch Foreign Minister Maxine Verhagen's praise for the human rights situation in Mexico somewhat premature. Before his departure – he is accompanying Queen Beatrix on her current state visit to Mexico - Mr Verhagen said that the Netherlands and Mexico are acting together on the world stage far more frequently "because both countries share a respect for human rights, freedom and democracy."

On Thursday, it was announced that Dutch police experts will help Mexico train detectives. Respecting human rights will be an important aspect of the training. Mr Verhagen says, "This shows that The Hague supports the Dutch government in its battle against drug cartels and corruption."

Mr Verhagen also expressed his sympathy for the large numbers of victims of drug-related violence.

RNW translation (jc)