The body of Luis Enrique Ramírez Ramos was found Thursday on a dirt road near the Mexican state capital, Culiacan. It marked the ninth slaying of a journalist or photographer in that country this year.
Although drug cartels are often blamed, not every journalist wrote about the syndicates, leaving questions as to what’s behind the deaths of media members.
In Remirez Ramos’s case, his body was wrapped in black plastic. He reportedly died from multiple blows to the head. Ramírez Ramos’ news website, “Fuentes Fidedignas,” or ‘Reliable Sources,’ reported his abduction outside his home. He was listed as a “founding director” on the website. While its coverage of cartel activities was sparse, it did report on local politics, which is also a hot-button issue in the country.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said it lamented the killing and “calls on authorities to urgently investigate this act.”
Friends of Remirez Ramos said he had worried about retaliation as far back as 2015. However, authorities claim he never reported any threats.
Mexican government authorities have been criticized for lackluster investigations of the journalist killings.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised a “zero impunity” program, even as he frequently verbally attacks journalists whose stories he dislikes.