The recent assassinations of Jorge Celestino Ruíz Vázquez and Nevith Condés Jaramillo bring to 10 the number of journalists killed in Mexico in 2019, which confirms its status as the most dangerous country in the world for the press. Coupled with almost total impunity, this situation of extreme violence has not yet generated a strong reaction from the government of Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador, to whom Reporters Without Borders (RSF) addresses its recommendations
Mexico has recorded nearly 250,000 murders since deploying the army, including last year’s record as the newly fragmented cartels battle the military and each other, with widespread collateral damage
Mexico’s previous two administrations have relied heavily on the military to combat drug cartels and perform policing duties, in some cases after local police forces deemed deeply corrupt were disbanded
Guzman’s second escape was a black eye for the Mexican government, an embarrassment amplified when the actor Sean Penn was able to find and interview him at one of his hideouts in Mexico while he was on the run from authorities