Fredy Román became 15th Mexican reporter murdered in 2022

Tuesday, August 23rd 2022 - 17:52 UTC

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Román was against investigators dropping the Peña Nieto lead in the probe into the 2014 massacre

Mexican journalist Fredy Román, the former editor of the weekly La Realidad, was shot dead Monday at his house's doorsteps in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, thus becoming the 15th newsman murdered this year. Román was killed by hitmen who fled the scene after the shooting. Román died instantly.

Members of the Red Cross arrived at the scene and confirmed the death of the journalist as Forensic Services personnel canvassed the area for evidence leading to the perpetrators.

The Attorney General's Office of the State of Guerrero initiated an investigation for the crime of homicide by firearm by two men on a motorcycle, a few hours after publishing his last article, regarding the crimes of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa on the night of September 27, 2014, in Iguala, also in the state of Guerrero. Román was a columnist for various news outlets.

According to official data, Romàn became the 15th media worker to have been murdered this year, but private organizations speak of at least 19 because they include cases that, in principle, refer to journalists murdered in circumstances unrelated to their work, such as robberies or quarrels with family or friends.

In his now almost posthumous article, Romàn criticized the decision to acquit former President Enrique Peña Peña Nieto, and former Minister of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos, whom they singled out as the “political and military bosses” of former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam, who was arrested last Friday amid the case's investigation.

Last Thursday, the organization Artículo 19 denounced that attacks against the press in Mexico are registered every 14 hours. They also noted that 34 media workers had been murdered during Andrès Manuel López Obrador's presidency.