UNESCO Chief Condemns Killing of Mexican Journalist, Urges Investigation
28 October 2014 – The head of the United Nations agency mandated to defend press freedom today denounced the recent
killing of Mexican journalist Antonio Gamboa Urias, the editor of a local magazine in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and
urged authorities to conduct a quick and thorough investigation into the murder.
“I condemn the killing of Antonio Gamboa Urias,” Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, said in a statement to the press.
“It is important that efforts to shed light on this crime proceed swiftly and unhindered. Guns must not be allowed to
silence journalists and deprive people of their right to obtain the information they need from a wide range of sources.”
Mr. Gamboa Urias, editor of Nueva Prensa, a local magazine published in the coastal city of Los Mochis, was abducted on 10 October. His half-buried and
bullet-riddle body was found 13 days later.
The Mexican state of Sinaloa has witnessed a deteriorating security situation amid an ongoing power struggle between
regional drugs cartels in which numerous journalists have lost their lives. According to media reports, another
journalist, radio broadcaster Atilano Román Tirado, was killed the day after Mr. Gamboa Urias’ abduction while he was
broadcasting live on-air.
In a report released in March, UNESCO stressed the growing trend of media workers being killed around the world.
Focusing on the latest challenges affecting media development and freedom of expression, the report, called “World
Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development,” notes that more than 430 journalists were killed between 2007
and 2012.
ENDS