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{{short description|Mexican journalist and murder victim}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{good article}}
{{family name hatnote|Martínez|Pérez|lang=Spanish}}
{{ WAP assignment | course = Wikipedia:USEP/Courses/Introduction to Mass Communications (Chad Tew) | university = University of Southern Indiana | term = 2012 Q3 | project = WikiProject Journalism }}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Regina Martínez Pérez
| name = Regina Martínez Pérez
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = Spanish
| native_name_lang = Spanish
| image = Mexican journalist Regina Martínez Perez.jpg
| image = Mexican journalist Regina Martínez Perez.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|09|07|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Rafael Lucio]], Veracruz, Mexico
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|09|07|df=y}}
| disappeared_date = <!-- {{Disappeared date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (disappeared date then birth date) -->
| birth_place = [[Rafael Lucio]], [[Veracruz]], Mexico
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_date = <!-- {{Disappeared date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (disappeared date then birth date) -->
| disappeared_status =
| disappeared_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2012|04|28|1963|09|07}}
| disappeared_status =
| death_place = [[Xalapa]], Veracruz, Mexico
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2012|04|28|1963|09|07}}
| death_cause = [[Strangling#Manual strangulation|Asphyxia by strangulation]]
| death_place = [[Xalapa, Veracruz]], Mexico
| body_discovered =
| death_cause = [[Strangling#Manual strangulation|Asphyxia by strangulation]]
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| monuments =
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| education = [[Universidad Veracruzana]]
| alma_mater =
| education = Journalism at [[Universidad Veracruzana]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Journalist
| occupation = Journalist
| years_active = 1980s–2012
| employer = {{cslist|''Televisión Rural Mexicana''|''[[El Sol de México|El Sol de Chiapas]]''|''Número Uno''|''Cuatro Más''|''Política''|''Diario Xalapa''|''[[La Jornada]]''|''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]''}}
| years_active = 1980s–2012
| organization =
| employer = ''Televisión Rural Mexicana'', ''[[El Sol de Chiapas]]'', ''Número Uno'', ''Cuatro Más'', ''[[Política]]'', ''[[Diario Xalapa]]'', ''[[La Jornada]]'', ''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]''
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{{Spanish name|Martínez|Pérez}}
'''Regina Martínez Pérez''' (7 September 1963 – 28 April 2012) was a Mexican journalist and veteran crime reporter for ''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]'', a center-left Mexican news magazine known for its critical reporting of the social and political establishment.
'''Regina Martínez Pérez''' (7 September 1963 – 28 April 2012) was a Mexican journalist and veteran crime reporter for ''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]'', a center-left Mexican news magazine known for its critical reporting of the social and political establishment.


Born in a small town in the state of [[Veracruz]], Martínez Pérez left her hometown to study journalism at [[Universidad Veracruzana]]. After graduating from university, she went to work at a state-owned television company in [[Chiapas]] in the early 1980s, but she encountered various forms of censorship that convinced her to pursue a career in print media. After five years in Chiapas, Martínez Pérez relocated to Veracruz and worked for several local newspapers. In Veracruz, Martínez Pérez faced several challenges of censorship by the political establishment for her direct reporting, and particularly for being an outspoken critic of human rights violations, government corruption, abuse of authority, and for her in-depth coverage of the drug trafficking organizations that operate in Veracruz.
Born in a small town in the state of [[Veracruz]], Martínez Pérez left her hometown to study journalism at [[Universidad Veracruzana]]. After graduating from university, she went to work at a state-owned television company in [[Chiapas]] in the early 1980s, but she encountered various forms of censorship that convinced her to pursue a career in print media. After five years in Chiapas, Martínez Pérez relocated to Veracruz and worked for several local newspapers. In Veracruz, Martínez Pérez faced several challenges of censorship by the political establishment for her direct reporting, and particularly for being an outspoken critic of human rights violations, government corruption, abuse of authority, and for her in-depth coverage of the drug trafficking organizations that operate in Veracruz.


Early in the morning of 28 April 2012, Martínez Pérez was murdered inside her home in [[Xalapa]] after being severely beaten. A suspect was arrested in October 2012 and publicly confessed to the murder, while the Mexican authorities concluded that the motive of the murder was theft. But the suspect later retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured and threatened by officials to lie and admit to the murder. Investigators have relied solely on the suspect's confession to incriminate him; the DNA and fingerprint samples collected at the murder scene did not match the suspect's according to sources close to Committee to Protect Journalists.
Early in the morning of 28 April 2012, Martínez Pérez was murdered inside her home in [[Xalapa]] after being severely beaten. A suspect was arrested in October 2012 and publicly confessed to the murder, while the Mexican authorities concluded that the motive of the murder was theft. However, the suspect later retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured and threatened by officials to lie and admit to the murder. Investigators have relied solely on the suspect's confession to incriminate him; the DNA and fingerprint samples collected at the murder scene did not match the suspect's according to sources close to [[Committee to Protect Journalists]].


The [[Committee to Protect Journalists]], ''Proceso'' magazine, and several journalists and press freedom organizations have complained about irregularities in the investigation and question the legitimacy of the whole case. They believe that their colleague's murder was part of a campaign of intimidation against those who investigate alleged links between drug traffickers and politicians in the state of Veracruz.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, ''Proceso'' magazine, and several journalists and press freedom organizations have complained about irregularities in the investigation and question the legitimacy of the whole case. They believe that their colleague's murder was part of a campaign of intimidation against those who investigate alleged links between drug traffickers and politicians in the state of Veracruz.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Regina Martínez Pérez was born in the small town of [[Rafael Lucio|Rafael Lucio, Veracruz]] on 7 September 1963. Her parents, María Lorenza Pérez Vázquez and Florencio Martínez Romero, had 11 children. From a young age, Martínez Pérez wanted to be a journalist; after graduating from high school, she left her hometown to study journalism at [[Universidad Veracruzana]] (UV). Shortly after graduating, she moved to the state of [[Chiapas]] to work as a reporter for Mexican Rural Television (''Televisión Rural Mexicana'' – ''TRM''), a state-owned television company, in the early 1980s. Martínez Pérez was part of a group of former students from the UV who were hired by the government to work at the television company. But after demanding better working conditions and facing censorship from the company, she left the company to pursue a career in print media.<ref name=gato1>{{cite news|last=Ramírez Salazar|first=Darío|title=Regina Martínez: el silencio forzado|url=http://www.gatopardo.com/EstilosHomeGP.php?Id=261|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Gatopardo (magazine)]]|date=June 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfOi1cCX?url=http://www.gatopardo.com/EstilosHomeGP.php?Id=261|archivedate=16 May 2013|language=Spanish|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Espinosa|first=Verónica|title=Honesta, comprometida y recta. Así era Regina…|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306568|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=5 May 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720093035/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306568|archivedate=16 May 2013|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref name=nacio>{{cite news|last=Mandujano|first=Isaín|title=Un año sin Regina, la periodista que "nació" profesionalmente en Chiapas|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340413|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=28 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxrYikSL?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340413|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref>
Regina Martínez Pérez was born in the small town of [[Rafael Lucio|Rafael Lucio, Veracruz]] on 7 September 1963. Her parents, María Lorenza Pérez Vázquez and Florencio Martínez Romero, had 11 children. From a young age, Martínez Pérez wanted to be a journalist; after graduating from high school, she left her hometown to study journalism at [[Universidad Veracruzana]] (UV). Shortly after graduating, she moved to the state of [[Chiapas]] to work as a reporter for Mexican Rural Television (''Televisión Rural Mexicana'' – ''TRM''), a state-owned television company, in the early 1980s. Martínez Pérez was part of a group of former students from the UV who were hired by the government to work at the television company. But after demanding better working conditions and facing censorship from the company, she left the company to pursue a career in print media.<ref name=gato1>{{cite news|last=Ramírez Salazar|first=Darío|title=Regina Martínez: el silencio forzado|url=http://www.gatopardo.com/EstilosHomeGP.php?Id=261|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Gatopardo (magazine)|Gatopardo]]|date=June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516205804/http://www.gatopardo.com/EstilosHomeGP.php?Id=261|archive-date=16 May 2013|language=Spanish|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Espinosa|first=Verónica|title=Honesta, comprometida y recta. Así era Regina…|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306568|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=5 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120720093035/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306568|archive-date=20 July 2012|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref name=nacio>{{cite news|last=Mandujano|first=Isaín|title=Un año sin Regina, la periodista que "nació" profesionalmente en Chiapas|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340413|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529001834/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340413|archive-date=29 May 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Martínez Pérez worked for several newspapers in Chiapas, like ''[[El Sol de Chiapas]]'' and ''Número Uno'', for five years before she returned to her home state of [[Veracruz]], where she became the editorial assistant of the news channel ''Cuatro Más''. The journalist then left to work for the daily ''[[Política]]'', where she covered topics on security and social justice.<ref name=ifex1>{{cite web|title=Yet another journalist murdered in Veracruz|url=http://ifex.org/mexico/2012/04/30/martinez_killed/|publisher=[[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]]|accessdate=15 April 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210024630/http://ifex.org/mexico/2012/04/30/martinez_killed/|archivedate=15 April 2013|date=29 April 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref name=cnnmex1>{{cite news|title=La Procuraduría de Veracruz detiene a presunto asesino de Regina Martínez|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|accessdate=15 April 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=30 October 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209083716/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|archivedate=15 April 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> Martínez Pérez was also a journalist and investigative crime reporter for the ''[[Diario de Xalapa]]'' newspaper.<ref name=gato1/><ref name=ipi1>{{cite web|last=Thanki|first=Nansi|title=Mexican Investigative Reporter Murdered|url=http://www.freemedia.at/home/singleview/article/mexican-investigative-reporter-murdered.html|publisher=[[International Press Institute]]|accessdate=15 April 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616105249/http://www.freemedia.at/home/singleview/article/mexican-investigative-reporter-murdered.html|archivedate=15 April 2013}}</ref> Her journalistic career in Veracruz, however, faced several challenges from the political elite; governors and government secretaries wanted to censor Martínez Pérez for criticizing their administration. Instead of [[Self-censorship|self-censoring]] like other media outlets in the state, she became known for her direct reporting style, which frequently angered the authorities. She wrote over 63 reports covering political assassinations, natural disasters, authority abuses, human right violations, corruption, and government mismanagement.<ref name=gato1/><ref>{{cite web|title=Veracruz journalist murder underscores need to end impunity|url=http://en.rsf.org/mexico-veracruz-journalist-s-murder-30-04-2012,42404.html|publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]|accessdate=28 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501094954/http://en.rsf.org/mexico-veracruz-journalist-s-murder-30-04-2012,42404.html|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=4 May 2012}}</ref>
Martínez Pérez worked for several newspapers in Chiapas, like ''[[El Sol de Chiapas]]'' and ''Número Uno'', for five years before she returned to her home state of [[Veracruz]], where she became the editorial assistant of the news channel ''Cuatro Más''. The journalist then left to work for the daily ''[[Política]]'', where she covered topics on security and social justice.<ref name=ifex1>{{cite web|title=Yet another journalist murdered in Veracruz|url=http://ifex.org/mexico/2012/04/30/martinez_killed/|publisher=[[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]]|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130210024630/http://ifex.org/mexico/2012/04/30/martinez_killed/|archive-date=10 February 2013|date=29 April 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=cnnmex1>{{cite news|title=La Procuraduría de Veracruz detiene a presunto asesino de Regina Martínez|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|access-date=15 April 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=30 October 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209083716/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|archive-date=9 February 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref> Martínez Pérez was also a journalist and investigative crime reporter for the ''[[Diario de Xalapa]]'' newspaper.<ref name=gato1/><ref name=ipi1>{{cite web|last=Thanki|first=Nansi|title=Mexican Investigative Reporter Murdered|url=http://www.freemedia.at/home/singleview/article/mexican-investigative-reporter-murdered.html|publisher=[[International Press Institute]]|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616105249/http://www.freemedia.at/home/singleview/article/mexican-investigative-reporter-murdered.html|archive-date=16 June 2012}}</ref> Her journalistic career in Veracruz, however, faced several challenges from the political elite; governors and government secretaries wanted to censor Martínez Pérez for criticizing their administration. Instead of [[Self-censorship|self-censoring]] like other media outlets in the state, she became known for her direct reporting style, which frequently angered the authorities. She wrote over 63 reports covering political assassinations, natural disasters, authority abuses, human right violations, corruption, and government mismanagement.<ref name=gato1/><ref>{{cite web|title=Veracruz journalist murder underscores need to end impunity|url=http://en.rsf.org/mexico-veracruz-journalist-s-murder-30-04-2012,42404.html|publisher=[[Reporters Without Borders]]|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501094954/http://en.rsf.org/mexico-veracruz-journalist-s-murder-30-04-2012,42404.html|archive-date=1 May 2012|url-status=dead|date=4 May 2012}}</ref>


After working for the ''Diario de Xalapa'', Martínez Pérez became a local correspondent for the newspaper ''[[La Jornada]]'' in the state and later joined the news magazine ''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]'', where she worked for more than ten years.<ref name=ifex1/><ref name=cnnmex1/><ref name=procesola>{{cite news|last=Wilkinson|first=Tracy|title=Mexican magazine says reporter threatened by government officials|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/17/world/la-fg-wn-mexico-proceso-magazine-reporter-20130417|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=17 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gy5Yn82K?url=http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/17/world/la-fg-wn-mexico-proceso-magazine-reporter-20130417|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> The news magazine is well known for having an "anti-establishment publication" style, and often runs articles that criticize politicians across the country. Many of its reporters have been threatened in the past for their journalistic coverage.<ref name=procesola/>
After working for the ''Diario de Xalapa'', Martínez Pérez became a local correspondent for the newspaper ''[[La Jornada]]'' in the state and later joined the news magazine ''[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]'', where she worked for more than ten years.<ref name=ifex1/><ref name=cnnmex1/><ref name=procesola>{{cite news|last=Wilkinson|first=Tracy|title=Mexican magazine says reporter threatened by government officials|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2013-apr-17-la-fg-wn-mexico-proceso-magazine-reporter-20130417-story.html|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=17 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529035239/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/17/world/la-fg-wn-mexico-proceso-magazine-reporter-20130417|archive-date=29 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The news magazine is well known for having an "anti-establishment publication" style, and often runs articles that criticize politicians across the country. Many of its reporters have been threatened in the past for their journalistic coverage.<ref name=procesola/>


In ''Proceso'', Martínez Pérez was an open critic of government corruption and abuse of authority, and wrote extensively on the local drug trade and organized crime.<ref name=ifex1/><ref>{{cite news|last=Truax|first=Eileen|title=Regina Martínez: Impunidad y silencio|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306305|accessdate=15 April 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=3 May 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505135811/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306305|archivedate=15 April 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> She was particularly known in Mexico for her in-depth reporting on the Mexican drug cartels and how they corrupted government officials in Veracruz.<ref name=cpj1>{{cite web|title=Regina Martínez Pérez|url=http://www.cpj.org/killed/2012/regina-martinez-perez.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|accessdate=15 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6FtvQJ00Q?url=http://www.cpj.org/killed/2012/regina-martinez-perez.php|archivedate=15 April 2013|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> Among her last publications before her murder was a political profile about [[Reynaldo Escobar Pérez]] and Alejandro Montano, two politicians of the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI) who were running for office in Congress.<ref name=cnnmex1/> A week before her murder she had also written about an incident in which the Mexican Navy arrested nine policemen in the state who were allegedly working for a drug trafficking organization,<ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Detienen en Veracruz a nueve policías vinculados con el narco|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305638|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=27 April 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508092210/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305638|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> the arrest of a high-profile leader of [[Los Zetas]] drug cartel known as ''Comandante Chaparro'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Cae el 'Comandante Chaparro', presunto operador financiero de Los Zetas|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305289|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=24 April 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428062549/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305289|archivedate=16 May 2013|language=Spanish}}</ref> and a story involving mayor Martín Padua Zúñiga from the [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN) who was arrested with drug traffickers following a gunfight with the [[Mexican Army]].<ref name=ipi1/><ref name=cpj1/><ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Impide el PAN iniciar juicio contra 'narcoalcalde' veracruzano|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305445|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=25 April 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428195336/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305445|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref>
In ''Proceso'', Martínez Pérez was an open critic of government corruption and abuse of authority, and wrote extensively on the local drug trade and organized crime.<ref name=ifex1/><ref>{{cite news |last=Truax |first=Eileen |author-link=Eileen Truax |date=3 May 2012 |title=Regina Martínez: Impunidad y silencio |language=Spanish |newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]] |url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306305 |url-status=live |access-date=15 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505135811/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=306305 |archive-date=5 May 2012}}</ref> She was particularly known in Mexico for her in-depth reporting on the Mexican drug cartels and how they corrupted government officials in Veracruz.<ref name=cpj1>{{cite web|title=Regina Martínez Pérez|url=http://www.cpj.org/killed/2012/regina-martinez-perez.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|access-date=15 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428090354/http://cpj.org/killed/2012/regina-martinez-perez.php|archive-date=28 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Among her last publications before her murder was a political profile about [[Reynaldo Escobar Pérez]] and Alejandro Montano, two politicians of the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI) who were running for office in Congress.<ref name=cnnmex1/> A week before her murder she had also written about an incident in which the Mexican Navy arrested nine policemen in the state who were allegedly working for a drug trafficking organization,<ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Detienen en Veracruz a nueve policías vinculados con el narco|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305638|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=27 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508092210/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305638|archive-date=8 May 2012|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref> the arrest of a high-profile leader of [[Los Zetas]] drug cartel known as ''Comandante Chaparro'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Cae el 'Comandante Chaparro', presunto operador financiero de Los Zetas|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305289|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=24 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428062549/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305289|archive-date=28 April 2012|language=Spanish}}</ref> and a story involving mayor Martín Padua Zúñiga from the [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN) who was arrested with drug traffickers following a gunfight with the [[Mexican Army]].<ref name=ipi1/><ref name=cpj1/><ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Regina|title=Impide el PAN iniciar juicio contra 'narcoalcalde' veracruzano|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305445|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=25 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428195336/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305445|archive-date=28 April 2012|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref>


== Death ==
== Death ==
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}}
}}
Martínez Pérez was murdered early in the morning of 28 April 2012 in her home in the Felipe Carrillo Puerto neighborhood in [[Xalapa]], the capital of Veracruz.<ref name="ifex1"/> When police went to her home to investigate in response to a neighbor's call about her door being open all day, Martínez Pérez's corpse was found on the bathroom floor.<ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news|title=Mexico probes journalist Regina Martinez's death|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17889989|accessdate=15 May 2013|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|date=29 April 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GdgGV33J?url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17889989|archivedate=15 May 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> According to official reports, she had been severely beaten around her face and ribs, and then strangled to death.<ref name=cpj1/> The cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation.<ref name=elu>{{cite news|title=Sepultan en Xalapa a la periodista Regina Martínez|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/844609.html|accessdate=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Universal (Mexico City)]]|date=30 April 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504061634/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/844609.html|archivedate=17 May 2013|location=Xalapa, Veracruz|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> At the time of her death, the Mexican authorities said they were investigating all the possible motives behind her assassination, including personal motives and theft, and that they would investigate whether the killing was work-related.<ref name=cpj1/><ref name="bbcnews"/>
Martínez Pérez was murdered early in the morning of 28 April 2012 in her home in the Felipe Carrillo Puerto neighborhood in [[Xalapa]], the capital of Veracruz.<ref name="ifex1"/> When police went to her home to investigate in response to a neighbor's call about her door being open all day, Martínez Pérez's corpse was found on the bathroom floor.<ref name="bbcnews">{{cite news|title=Mexico probes journalist Regina Martinez's death|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17889989|access-date=15 May 2013|newspaper=[[BBC News]]|date=29 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411193926/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-17889989|archive-date=11 April 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> According to official reports, she had been severely beaten around her face and ribs, and then strangled to death.<ref name=cpj1/> The cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation.<ref name=elu>{{cite news|title=Sepultan en Xalapa a la periodista Regina Martínez|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/844609.html|access-date=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Universal (Mexico City)]]|date=30 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504061634/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/844609.html|archive-date=4 May 2012|location=Xalapa, Veracruz|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref> At the time of her death, the Mexican authorities said they were investigating all the possible motives behind her assassination, including personal motives and theft, and that they would investigate whether the killing was work-related.<ref name=cpj1/><ref name="bbcnews"/>


In October 2012, new details emerged in her murder investigation. Charges were brought against Jorge Antonio Hernández Silva (alias ''El Silva'') and José Adrián Hernández Domínguez (alias ''El Jarocho''), two men who were alleged to have murdered Martínez Pérez.<ref name=kansas/><ref name=cnnsuspect/> Silva, who had already been arrested, confessed to the murder. According to Silva's confession, the reporter knew Domínguez and therefore allowed both of them into her house on the night of her murder. After some conversation, Domínguez grew angry and started beating Martínez Pérez with the intention of forcing her to reveal where she hid her money and other valuable possessions. Silva then joined his accomplice in the beating until they killed her. Investigators said that the attackers had plunged the journalist's head into a toilet bowl, hit her on the head several times with [[brass knuckles]], and threw her against a tub, where she cracked her skull. Martínez Pérez unsuccessfully tried to defend herself by grabbing a kitchen knife and stabbing one of the attackers in the forearm, but they managed to outweigh her because she only weighed 108&nbsp;lbs (48.9&nbsp;kg). Both men then stole a plasma TV, two cellphones, a laptop computer, a camera and a small box, and the journalist's wristband from her home before leaving the crime scene.<ref name=kansas/><ref name=cnnsuspect>{{cite news|title=La Procuraduría de Veracruz detiene a presunto asesino de Regina Martínez|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=30 October 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfBmZFG8?url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref>
In October 2012, new details emerged in her murder investigation. Charges were brought against Jorge Antonio Hernández Silva (alias ''El Silva'') and José Adrián Hernández Domínguez (alias ''El Jarocho''), two men who were alleged to have murdered Martínez Pérez.<ref name=kansas/><ref name=cnnsuspect/> Silva, who had already been arrested, confessed to the murder. According to Silva's confession, the reporter knew Domínguez and therefore allowed both of them into her house on the night of her murder. After some conversation, Domínguez grew angry and started beating Martínez Pérez with the intention of forcing her to reveal where she hid her money and other valuable possessions. Silva then joined his accomplice in the beating until they killed her. Investigators said that the attackers had plunged the journalist's head into a toilet bowl, hit her on the head several times with [[brass knuckles]], and threw her against a tub, where she cracked her skull. Martínez Pérez unsuccessfully tried to defend herself by grabbing a kitchen knife and stabbing one of the attackers in the forearm, but they managed to overpower her as she only weighed 108&nbsp;lbs (48.9&nbsp;kg). Both men then stole a plasma TV, two cellphones, a laptop computer, a camera and a small box, and the journalist's wristband from her home before leaving the crime scene.<ref name=kansas/><ref name=cnnsuspect>{{cite news|title=La Procuraduría de Veracruz detiene a presunto asesino de Regina Martínez|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=30 October 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517080416/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/10/30/la-procuraduria-de-veracruz-detiene-a-presunto-asesino-de-regina-martinez|archive-date=17 May 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref>


===Investigation===
===Investigation===
When Silva was arrested in October 2012, he confessed to the murder of Martínez Pérez. Investigators and authorities in Veracruz concluded that the journalist was killed during a robbery.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robo, móvil del homicidio de periodista Regina Martínez|url=http://www.aztecanoticias.com.mx/notas/seguridad/135110/robo-movil-del-homicidio-de-periodista-regina-martinez|accessdate=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[TV Azteca]]|date=30 October 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfxuF5PI?url=http://www.aztecanoticias.com.mx/notas/seguridad/135110/robo-movil-del-homicidio-de-periodista-regina-martinez|archivedate=17 May 2013|language=Spanish|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> But when placed before a judge, Silva retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured, held hostage for over a week, and threatened by Veracruz authorities in order to make him confess to the assassination. Silva said that officials had threatened to kill his mother, his last remaining family member.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carrasco Araizaga|first=Jorge|title=Caso Regina: Sin avances, sin explicaciones, sin credibilidad…|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=336225|accessdate=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=14 March 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gfy07h6R?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=336225|archivedate=17 May 2013|language=Spanish|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref><ref name=nolescreemos/> During a press conference, the Veracruz authorities relied solely on the confession of Silva as evidence against him. None of them made references to DNA, fingerprint, or blood samples from the murder scene. Sources close to the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]] stated that the samples collected at the crime scene do not match those of any of the criminals listed on the national database. This should rule out both Silva and Domínguez (who is still at large) from the murder, because both of them have extensive criminal records.<ref name=nolescreemos>{{cite web|last=O'Conner|first=Mike|title=Officials, journalists cast doubt on Veracruz murder case|url=http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/11/officials-journalists-cast-doubt-on-veracruz-murde-1.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|accessdate=17 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfxatnMd?url=http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/11/officials-journalists-cast-doubt-on-veracruz-murde-1.php|archivedate=17 May 2013|location=New York City|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> ''Proceso'' news magazine immediately took a critical stance toward the investigation and said that they did not believe that the Veracruz authorities were capable of completing a clean investigation. The Committee to Protect Journalists believes that the murder case was possibly fabricated, and that Silva was likely used as a [[scapegoat]] by the authorities. Just a few items were stolen from Martínez Pérez's house while valuable goods were left behind, so they allege that theft was not the real motive behind her murder.<ref name=nolescreemos/><ref name=greenslade/> According to Mexican law, ''Proceso'' was allowed to participate in the investigation, so they appointed a top journalist to cover every detail of it. ''Proceso'' has complained that the Veracruz authorities have lied to them regarding possible developments in the investigation.<ref name=nolescreemos/>
When Silva was arrested in October 2012, he confessed to the murder of Martínez Pérez. Investigators and authorities in Veracruz concluded that the journalist was killed during a robbery.<ref>{{cite news|title=Robo, móvil del homicidio de periodista Regina Martínez|url=http://www.aztecanoticias.com.mx/notas/seguridad/135110/robo-movil-del-homicidio-de-periodista-regina-martinez|access-date=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[TV Azteca]]|date=30 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517055542/http://www.aztecanoticias.com.mx/notas/seguridad/135110/robo-movil-del-homicidio-de-periodista-regina-martinez|archive-date=17 May 2013|language=Spanish|url-status=dead}}</ref> When placed before a judge, Silva retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured, held hostage for over a week, and threatened by Veracruz authorities in order to make him confess to the assassination. Silva said that officials had threatened to kill his mother, his last remaining family member.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carrasco Araizaga|first=Jorge|title=Caso Regina: Sin avances, sin explicaciones, sin credibilidad…|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=336225|access-date=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=14 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429121005/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=336225|archive-date=29 April 2013|language=Spanish|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=nolescreemos/> During a press conference, the Veracruz authorities relied solely on the confession of Silva as evidence against him. None of them made references to DNA, fingerprint, or blood samples from the murder scene. Sources close to the [[Committee to Protect Journalists]] stated that the samples collected at the crime scene do not match those of any of the criminals listed on the national database. This should rule out both Silva and Domínguez (who is still at large) from the murder, because both of them have extensive criminal records.<ref name=nolescreemos>{{cite web|last=O'Conner|first=Mike|title=Officials, journalists cast doubt on Veracruz murder case|url=http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/11/officials-journalists-cast-doubt-on-veracruz-murde-1.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|access-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520040018/http://www.cpj.org/blog/2012/11/officials-journalists-cast-doubt-on-veracruz-murde-1.php|archive-date=20 May 2013|location=New York City|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Proceso'' news magazine immediately took a critical stance toward the investigation and said that they did not believe that the Veracruz authorities were capable of completing a clean investigation. The committee to Protect Journalists believes that the murder case was possibly fabricated, and that Silva was likely used as a [[scapegoat]] by the authorities. Just a few items were stolen from Martínez Pérez's house while valuable goods were left behind, so they allege that theft was not the real motive behind her murder.<ref name=nolescreemos/><ref name=greenslade/> According to Mexican law, ''Proceso'' was allowed to participate in the investigation, so they appointed a top journalist to cover every detail of it. ''Proceso'' has complained that the Veracruz authorities have lied to them regarding possible developments in the investigation.<ref name=nolescreemos/>


Six months after Martínez Pérez's slaying, the Veracruz authorities stated that her murder was also a [[crime of passion]]. According to the reports, Domínguez was the alleged boyfriend of the journalist.<ref name=threat/><ref>{{cite news|last=Carrasco|first=Jorge|title=Caso Regina Martínez: solución inverosímil|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=324325|accessdate=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=3 November 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gg0Uz7s5?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=324325|archivedate=17 May 2013|language=Spanish|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> On April 2013, ''Proceso'' stated that it had received classified information that its senior editor who was covering the investigation, Jorge Carrasco, was a possible target by corrupt Veracruz officials. Reportedly, members of the administration of Governor [[Javier Duarte de Ochoa]] were allowed to carry out "hostile actions against the reporter in response to his most recent publication on the Regina Martínez case."<ref name=threat/> Sources close to the news magazine alleged that officials were plotting to kill the reporter while he was in the nation's capital, [[Mexico City]]. The Veracruz authorities responded by stating that the accusations were false and asked ''Proceso'' to provide evidence for its claims.<ref name=threat>{{cite web|title=Journalist threatened after reporting on Veracruz murder|url=http://www.cpj.org/2013/04/journalist-threatened-after-reporting-on-murder-in.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|accessdate=17 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gg0JM6Ug?url=http://www.cpj.org/2013/04/journalist-threatened-after-reporting-on-murder-in.php|archivedate=17 May 2013|date=17 April 2013|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> The governor promised that he would investigate the threats, and the journalist went into hiding with several armed bodyguards.<ref name=kansas/> That same month, Silva was sentenced to 38 years and 2 months in prison for the murder. The judge also ordered the murderer to pay roughly $8,000 USD in reparations for her death and the stolen possessions. ''Proceso'', however, expressed its doubt on the murder case and trial once again, stating that they did not believe the court was sentencing the right man.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dan 38 años de cárcel a asesino de periodista|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/41820.html|accessdate=30 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Universal (Mexico City)]]|date=10 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GzztOo2D?url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/41820.html|archivedate=30 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Higuera|first=Silvia|title=Proceso, RSF skeptical as confessed killer of Mexican journalist sentenced to 38 years in prison|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-13510-proceso-rsf-skeptical-confessed-killer-mexican-journalist-sentenced-38-years-prison|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|accessdate=30 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6H006dNYc?url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-13510-proceso-rsf-skeptical-confessed-killer-mexican-journalist-sentenced-38-years-prison|archivedate=30 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=11 April 2013|df=}}</ref>
Six months after Martínez Pérez's slaying, the Veracruz authorities stated that her murder was also a [[crime of passion]]. According to the reports, Domínguez was the alleged boyfriend of the journalist.<ref name=threat/><ref>{{cite news|last=Carrasco|first=Jorge|title=Caso Regina Martínez: solución inverosímil|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=324325|access-date=17 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=3 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517063507/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=324325|archive-date=17 May 2013|language=Spanish|url-status=dead}}</ref> In April 2013, ''Proceso'' stated that it had received classified information that its senior editor who was covering the investigation, Jorge Carrasco, was a possible target by corrupt Veracruz officials. Reportedly, members of the administration of Governor [[Javier Duarte de Ochoa]] were allowed to carry out "hostile actions against the reporter in response to his most recent publication on the Regina Martínez case."<ref name=threat/> Sources close to the news magazine alleged that officials were plotting to kill the reporter while he was in the nation's capital, [[Mexico City]]. The Veracruz authorities responded by stating that the accusations were false and asked ''Proceso'' to provide evidence for its claims.<ref name=threat>{{cite web|title=Journalist threatened after reporting on Veracruz murder|url=http://www.cpj.org/2013/04/journalist-threatened-after-reporting-on-murder-in.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|access-date=17 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520010221/http://www.cpj.org/2013/04/journalist-threatened-after-reporting-on-murder-in.php|archive-date=20 May 2013|date=17 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The governor promised that he would investigate the threats, and the journalist went into hiding with several armed bodyguards.<ref name=kansas/> That same month, Silva was sentenced to 38 years and 2 months in prison for the murder. The judge also ordered the murderer to pay roughly US$8,000 in reparations for her death and the stolen possessions. ''Proceso'', however, expressed its doubt on the murder case and trial once again, stating that they did not believe the court was sentencing the right man.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dan 38 años de cárcel a asesino de periodista|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/41820.html|access-date=30 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Universal (Mexico City)]]|date=10 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530095847/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/41820.html|archive-date=30 May 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Higuera|first=Silvia|title=Proceso, RSF skeptical as confessed killer of Mexican journalist sentenced to 38 years in prison|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-13510-proceso-rsf-skeptical-confessed-killer-mexican-journalist-sentenced-38-years-prison|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|access-date=30 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530100249/https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-13510-proceso-rsf-skeptical-confessed-killer-mexican-journalist-sentenced-38-years-prison|archive-date=30 May 2013|url-status=live|date=11 April 2013}}</ref>


Many journalists continue to dispute the facts in the case, believing that the murder was retribution for reports by Martínez Pérez on drug trafficking and political corruption; they have questioned the investigation by the state of Veracruz.<ref name=nolescreemos/><ref name=proceso2>{{cite news|last=Villamil|first=Jenaro|title=Filtran versión de que asesinato de Regina Martínez fue pasional|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=311928|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=23 June 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfBcn3Oh?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=311928|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref><ref name=latimesblog>{{cite news|last=Wilkinson|first=Tracy|title=Arrest in Mexican reporter's killing met with doubt|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/10/mexico-reporter-killing-arrest.html|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=31 October 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GfCSJdhc?url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/10/mexico-reporter-killing-arrest.html|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> ''Proceso'' magazine's reporter said the investigators never explored the possibility that her journalism may have been the motive behind her murder.<ref name=greenslade>{{cite news|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|title=Mexican journalists question truth of murder trial|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/nov/05/journalist-safety-mexico|accessdate=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=5 November 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106050252/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/nov/05/journalist-safety-mexico|archivedate=16 May 2013|deadurl=no|location=London}}</ref> Press freedom organizations across the world have complained that the case was designed to cover up the crime instead of clarifying what actually happened.<ref name=kansas>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Tim|title=Murder of Mexican reporter in Veracruz spotlights official hostility toward press|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/16/4239571/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html?storylink=digger-topic|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]]|date=16 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gxl3bJGZ?url=http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/16/4239571/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html?storylink=digger-topic|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> "We don't believe them [the authorities]", said ''Proceso'' reporter Jorge Carrasco on behalf of the whole newspaper magazine.<ref name=nolescreemos/>
Many journalists continue to dispute the facts in the case, believing that the murder was retribution for reports by Martínez Pérez on drug trafficking and political corruption; they have questioned the investigation by the state of Veracruz.<ref name=nolescreemos/><ref name=proceso2>{{cite news|last=Villamil|first=Jenaro|title=Filtran versión de que asesinato de Regina Martínez fue pasional|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=311928|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=23 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028212036/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=311928|archive-date=28 October 2012|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref name=latimesblog>{{cite news|last=Wilkinson|first=Tracy|title=Arrest in Mexican reporter's killing met with doubt|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/10/mexico-reporter-killing-arrest.html|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=31 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605185633/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/10/mexico-reporter-killing-arrest.html|archive-date=5 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Proceso'' magazine's reporter said the investigators never explored the possibility that her journalism may have been the motive behind her murder.<ref name=greenslade>{{cite news|last=Greenslade|first=Roy|title=Mexican journalists question truth of murder trial|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/nov/05/journalist-safety-mexico|access-date=16 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=5 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106050252/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/nov/05/journalist-safety-mexico|archive-date=6 November 2012|url-status=live|location=London}}</ref> Press freedom organizations across the world have complained that the case was designed to cover up the crime instead of clarifying what actually happened.<ref name=kansas>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Tim|title=Murder of Mexican reporter in Veracruz spotlights official hostility toward press|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/16/4239571/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html?storylink=digger-topic|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]]|date=16 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528223933/http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/16/4239571/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html?storylink=digger-topic|archive-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> "We don't believe them [the authorities]", said ''Proceso'' reporter Jorge Carrasco on behalf of the whole newspaper magazine.<ref name=nolescreemos/> The case was the subject of a podcast <ref>{{Cite web|last=Dale|first=Penny|date=15 December 2021|title=Killing the Truth: The death and life of Regina Martínez Perez|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/podcasts/podcast-killing-the-truth/killing-the-truth-the-death-and-life-of-regina-mart%C3%ADnez-perez/|website=openDemocracy}}</ref> by A Safer World for Truth and openDemocracy released in December 2021.


== Context ==
== Context ==


===Background===
===Background===
Veracruz is the most dangerous place in Mexico for journalists;<ref name=miami>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Tim|title=Murder of Mexican reporter in Veracruz spotlights official hostility toward press|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/25/3417220/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Miami Herald]]|date=26 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxJw7SwX?url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/25/3417220/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html|archivedate=28 May 2013|location=Xalapa, Veracruz|pages=3|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref> at least nine journalists have been killed since Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa took office in 2010, many of them by the Los Zetas drug cartel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gladstone|first=Brooke|title=Veracruz Is Mexico's Most Dangerous Place To Report|url=http://www.npr.org/2012/06/22/155596235/veracruz-is-mexicos-most-dangerous-place-to-report|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=22 June 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102043623/http://www.npr.org/2012/06/22/155596235/veracruz-is-mexicos-most-dangerous-place-to-report|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Zavaleta|first=Noe|title=Con 9 periodistas asesinados en su gobierno, dan 'premio' a Duarte por 'protegerlos'|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=337913|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=2 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxKED0q3?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=337913|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref><ref name=duarte/> Most of these reporters were killed under unclear circumstances, and few arrests have been made in their respective investigations. Given the high levels of corruption, criminal impunity, and drug-related attacks against the press all across Veracruz, many local journalists have decided to leave the state and relocate in other parts of Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fourth journalist killed in Veracruz in two months|url=http://cpj.org/2012/06/fourth-journalist-killed-in-veracruz-in-two-months.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|accessdate=28 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxKOY8wQ?url=http://cpj.org/2012/06/fourth-journalist-killed-in-veracruz-in-two-months.php|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=14 June 2012|df=}}</ref> The atmosphere in Veracruz has also forced many media outlets to self-censor and stop reporting on the drug violence. With traditional reporting being too dangerous and intimidating, [[social media]] and [[blog]]s are often the only outlets for reporting serious crimes.<ref name=chapover>{{cite news|title=3 Mexico journalists slain, dumped in bags in drug gang-plagued Veracruz|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57427733/3-mexico-journalists-slain-dumped-in-bags-in-drug-gang-plagued-veracruz/|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[CBS News]]|date=4 May 2012|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501052519/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57427733/3-mexico-journalists-slain-dumped-in-bags-in-drug-gang-plagued-veracruz/|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no}}</ref>
Veracruz is the most dangerous place in Mexico for journalists;<ref name=miami>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Tim|title=Murder of Mexican reporter in Veracruz spotlights official hostility toward press|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/25/3417220/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Miami Herald]]|date=26 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528154446/http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/05/25/3417220/murder-of-mexican-reporter-in.html|archive-date=28 May 2013|location=Xalapa, Veracruz|pages=3|url-status=dead}}</ref> at least nine journalists have been killed since Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa took office in 2010, many of them by the Los Zetas drug cartel.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gladstone|first=Brooke|title=Veracruz Is Mexico's Most Dangerous Place To Report|url=https://www.npr.org/2012/06/22/155596235/veracruz-is-mexicos-most-dangerous-place-to-report|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[NPR]]|date=22 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102043623/http://www.npr.org/2012/06/22/155596235/veracruz-is-mexicos-most-dangerous-place-to-report|archive-date=2 January 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Zavaleta|first=Noe|title=Con 9 periodistas asesinados en su gobierno, dan 'premio' a Duarte por 'protegerlos'|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=337913|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=2 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528154933/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=337913|archive-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref name=duarte/> Most of these reporters were killed under unclear circumstances, and few arrests have been made in their respective investigations. Given the high levels of corruption, criminal impunity, and drug-related attacks against the press all across Veracruz, many local journalists have decided to leave the state and relocate in other parts of Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fourth journalist killed in Veracruz in two months|url=http://cpj.org/2012/06/fourth-journalist-killed-in-veracruz-in-two-months.php|publisher=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130613011429/http://cpj.org/2012/06/fourth-journalist-killed-in-veracruz-in-two-months.php|archive-date=13 June 2013|url-status=live|date=14 June 2012}}</ref> The atmosphere in Veracruz has also forced many media outlets to self-censor and stop reporting on the drug violence. With traditional reporting being too dangerous and intimidating, [[social media]] and [[blog]]s are often the only outlets for reporting serious crimes.<ref name=chapover>{{cite news|title=3 Mexico journalists slain, dumped in bags in drug gang-plagued Veracruz|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-mexico-journalists-slain-dumped-in-bags-in-drug-gang-plagued-veracruz/|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[CBS News]]|date=4 May 2012|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501052519/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57427733/3-mexico-journalists-slain-dumped-in-bags-in-drug-gang-plagued-veracruz/|archive-date=1 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>


The state of Veracruz used to be controlled by the [[Gulf Cartel]] before business was handed over to Los Zetas, their former allies, when they went to war across northeastern Mexico in early 2010. Since 2011, much of the drug-related violence is a result of the turf wars between Los Zetas and the [[Sinaloa Cartel]], a drug trafficking organization based in western Mexico and headed by [[Joaquín Guzmán Loera|Joaquín ''El Chapo'' Guzmán]], Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. These criminal groups are fighting for Veracruz because of its lucrative smuggling routes for contraband, drug trafficking, and illegal migrants heading to the United States. It has one of Mexico's busiest ports, and officials say that there is no way they can inspect all of the containers that come in by ship.<ref name=port>{{cite news|last=Castillo|first=Eduardo E.|title=Mexico Horror: Suspected Drug Traffickers Dump 35 Bodies On Avenue In Veracruz|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/mexico-bodies-gunmen_n_973298.html|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]]|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102060743/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/mexico-bodies-gunmen_n_973298.html|archivedate=2 January 2012|deadurl=no|date=21 September 2011|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Archibold|first=Randal C.|title=Killings Curb Reporting of Mexican Crime Wave|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/world/americas/killings-curb-reporting-of-mexican-crime-wave.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxjuAIFG?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/world/americas/killings-curb-reporting-of-mexican-crime-wave.html?pagewanted=all|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=22 June 2012|df=}}</ref> Corruption is also widespread in Veracruz; investigators have been slow and reluctant to link the Martínez Pérez murder to organized crime.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regina Martínez, Mexico, Journalist|url=http://www.pen-international.org/regina-martinez-mexico-journalist/|publisher=[[PEN International]]|accessdate=28 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxjXSUaQ?url=http://www.pen-international.org/regina-martinez-mexico-journalist/|archivedate=28 May 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref> According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Veracruz is by "general consensus one of the most politically corrupt [states in Mexico]".<ref name=nolescreemos/> Mexico was ruled by the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI) for 71 years until it lost the presidential seat to the conservative [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN) in 2000.<ref>{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Dave|title=Enrique Pena Nieto, the new face of Mexico's old rulers|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-mexico-election-penanieto-idUSBRE8610TT20120702|accessdate=17 July 2012|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gy6rVbXs?url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-mexico-election-penanieto-idUSBRE8610TT20120702|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=2 July 2012|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rodriguez|first=Olga|title=Mexico swears in president; old ruling party returns to power amid violent protests|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/12/01/mexico_swears_in_president_old_ruling_party_returns_to_power_amid_violent_protests.html|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gy6lnZni?url=http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/12/01/mexico_swears_in_president_old_ruling_party_returns_to_power_amid_violent_protests.html|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=1 December 2012|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Weisbrot|first=Mark|title=For Mexicans, It Was the Economy, Stupid|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/opinion/for-mexicans-it-was-the-economy-stupid.html|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gy6hLdXz?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/opinion/for-mexicans-it-was-the-economy-stupid.html?_r=0|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=2 July 2012|df=}}</ref> The PRI has long been criticized for being corrupt and allowing the drug trafficking organizations in the country to operate freely if they maintained relative peace.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=Mexican election raises fears in Washington|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9365421/Mexican-election-raises-fears-in-Washington.html|accessdate=3 July 2012|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=29 June 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/69hQQqqBz?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9365421/Mexican-election-raises-fears-in-Washington.html|archivedate=5 August 2012|deadurl=no|location=London|df=}}</ref> Although the PRI lost the national presidency in 2000, some states remained under the rule of PRI politicians. "Democratic transition never quite reached Veracruz," a state of 8 million people.<ref name=kansas/> PRI governors in Veracruz continued to rule with the state with tactics largely abandoned by the PRI at a national level.<ref name=kansas/>
The state of Veracruz used to be controlled by the [[Gulf Cartel]] before business was handed over to Los Zetas, their former allies, when they went to war across northeastern Mexico in early 2010. Since 2011, much of the drug-related violence is a result of the turf wars between Los Zetas and the [[Sinaloa Cartel]], a drug trafficking organization based in western Mexico and headed by [[Joaquín Guzmán Loera|Joaquín ''El Chapo'' Guzmán]], Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. These criminal groups are fighting for Veracruz because of its lucrative smuggling routes for contraband, drug trafficking, and illegal migrants heading to the United States. It has one of Mexico's busiest ports, and officials say that there is no way they can inspect all of the containers that come in by ship.<ref name=port>{{cite news|last=Castillo|first=Eduardo E.|title=Mexico Horror: Suspected Drug Traffickers Dump 35 Bodies On Avenue In Veracruz|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/mexico-bodies-gunmen_n_973298.html|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Huffington Post]]|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102060743/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/21/mexico-bodies-gunmen_n_973298.html|archive-date=2 January 2012|url-status=live|date=21 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Archibold|first=Randal C.|title=Killings Curb Reporting of Mexican Crime Wave|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/world/americas/killings-curb-reporting-of-mexican-crime-wave.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528222138/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/world/americas/killings-curb-reporting-of-mexican-crime-wave.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&|archive-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live|date=22 June 2012}}</ref> Corruption is also widespread in Veracruz; investigators have been slow and reluctant to link the Martínez Pérez murder to organized crime.<ref>{{cite web|title=Regina Martínez, Mexico, Journalist|url=http://www.pen-international.org/regina-martinez-mexico-journalist/|publisher=[[PEN International]]|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528221610/http://www.pen-international.org/regina-martinez-mexico-journalist/|archive-date=28 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the committee to Protect Journalists, Veracruz is by "general consensus one of the most politically corrupt [states in Mexico]".<ref name=nolescreemos/> Mexico was ruled by the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI) for 71 years until it lost the presidential seat to the conservative [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN) in 2000.<ref>{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Dave|title=Enrique Pena Nieto, the new face of Mexico's old rulers|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-election-penanieto-idUSBRE8610TT20120702|access-date=17 July 2012|newspaper=[[Reuters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425003538/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/02/us-mexico-election-penanieto-idUSBRE8610TT20120702|archive-date=25 April 2013|url-status=live|date=2 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Rodriguez|first=Olga|title=Mexico swears in president; old ruling party returns to power amid violent protests|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/12/01/mexico_swears_in_president_old_ruling_party_returns_to_power_amid_violent_protests.html|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620135759/http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2012/12/01/mexico_swears_in_president_old_ruling_party_returns_to_power_amid_violent_protests.html|archive-date=20 June 2015|url-status=live|date=1 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Weisbrot|first=Mark|title=For Mexicans, It Was the Economy, Stupid|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/opinion/for-mexicans-it-was-the-economy-stupid.html|access-date=28 May 2013|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424064723/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/opinion/for-mexicans-it-was-the-economy-stupid.html?_r=0|archive-date=24 April 2013|url-status=live|date=2 July 2012}}</ref> The PRI has long been criticized for being corrupt and allowing the drug trafficking organizations in the country to operate freely if they maintained relative peace.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sanchez|first=Raf|title=Mexican election raises fears in Washington|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9365421/Mexican-election-raises-fears-in-Washington.html|access-date=3 July 2012|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=29 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805233200/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/9365421/Mexican-election-raises-fears-in-Washington.html|archive-date=5 August 2012|url-status=live|location=London}}</ref> Although the PRI lost the national presidency in 2000, some states remained under the rule of PRI politicians. "Democratic transition never quite reached Veracruz," a state of 8 million people.<ref name=kansas/> PRI governors in Veracruz continued to rule with the state with tactics largely abandoned by the PRI at a national level.<ref name=kansas/>


===Journalists assassinated===
===Journalists assassinated===
Martínez Pérez was the fifth journalist killed in Veracruz during the ''[[Sexenio (Mexico)|sexenio]]'' of Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa, which started in 2010.<ref name=duarte>{{cite web|last=Sánchez|first=Daniel|title=Javier Duarte Ochoa: Gobernador Electo de Veracruz|url=http://www.sexenio.com.mx/articulo.php?id=1230|publisher=Sexenio|accessdate=29 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112084416/http://www.sexenio.com.mx/articulo.php?id=1230|archivedate=29 May 2013|language=Spanish|date=26 November 2010}}</ref><ref name=quinta/> The first journalist assassinated was [[Noel López Olguín]] (March 2011), followed by [[Miguel Ángel López Velasco]] and his son Miseal (June 2011). Then [[Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz]] was killed (July 2011), followed by Martínez Pérez (April 2012). Just a few days after her death, the mutilated bodies of [[2012 Veracruz murder of journalists|four media professionals]] were discovered.<ref name=quinta>{{cite news|title=Homenaje a Regina Martínez y periodistas asesinados, exiliados y desaparecidos|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=321759|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=5 October 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010082128/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=321759|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> There would be still another journalist murdered in Veracruz: [[Víctor Manuel Báez]] (June 2012).<ref>{{cite news|title=Mexican crime reporter killed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/15/mexican-crime-reporter-killed?newsfeed=true|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 June 2012|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622154311/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/15/mexican-crime-reporter-killed?newsfeed=true|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|location=London}}</ref> Although not officially counted in the death toll of journalists, at least three journalists have been kidnapped and have remained in captivity since 2010: [[Manuel Gabriel Fonseca Hernández]] (September 2011),<ref>{{cite web|title=Periodista desaparecido en Veracruz|url=http://www.ifex.org/mexico/2011/09/27/fonseca_desaparecido/es/|publisher=[[IFEX (organization)]]|accessdate=29 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203195716/http://ifex.org/mexico/2011/09/27/fonseca_desaparecido/es/|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|date=27 September 2011}}</ref> [[Miguel Morales Estrada]] (July 2012),<ref>{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Allison|title=Mexico violence: Veracruz photojournalist Miguel Morales Estrada is missing|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120725/mexico-violence-veracruz-photojournalist-miguel-morales|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[GlobalPost]]|date=25 July 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801065626/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120725/mexico-violence-veracruz-photojournalist-miguel-morales|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|location=Guadalajara, Jalisco}}</ref> and [[Sergio Landa Rosales]] (November 2012).<ref>{{cite news|title=Secuestran a periodista|url=http://www.elmundodecordoba.com/noticias/expediente/181-principal/1976008|accessdate=15 April 2013|newspaper=El Mundo de Córdoba|date=27 November 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxuiRbcK?url=http://www.elmundodecordoba.com/noticias/expediente/181-principal/1976008|archivedate=29 May 2013|language=Spanish|deadurl=yes|df=}}</ref>
Martínez Pérez was the fifth journalist killed in Veracruz during the ''[[Sexenio (Mexico)|sexenio]]'' of Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa, which started in 2010.<ref name=duarte>{{cite web|last=Sánchez|first=Daniel|title=Javier Duarte Ochoa: Gobernador Electo de Veracruz|url=http://www.sexenio.com.mx/articulo.php?id=1230|publisher=Sexenio|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112084416/http://www.sexenio.com.mx/articulo.php?id=1230|archive-date=12 November 2012|language=Spanish|date=26 November 2010}}</ref><ref name=quinta/> The first journalist assassinated was [[Noel López Olguín]] (March 2011), followed by [[Miguel Ángel López Velasco]] and his son Miseal (June 2011). Then [[Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz]] was killed (July 2011), followed by Martínez Pérez (April 2012). Just a few days after her death, the mutilated bodies of [[2012 Veracruz murder of journalists|four media professionals]] were discovered.<ref name=quinta>{{cite news|title=Homenaje a Regina Martínez y periodistas asesinados, exiliados y desaparecidos|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=321759|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=5 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010082128/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=321759|archive-date=10 October 2012|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref> There would be still another journalist murdered in Veracruz: [[Víctor Manuel Báez]] (June 2012).<ref>{{cite news|title=Mexican crime reporter killed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jun/15/mexican-crime-reporter-killed?newsfeed=true|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=15 June 2012|agency=[[The Associated Press]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622154311/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/15/mexican-crime-reporter-killed?newsfeed=true|archive-date=22 June 2012|url-status=live|location=London}}</ref> Although not officially counted in the death toll of journalists, at least three journalists have been kidnapped and have remained in captivity since 2010: [[Manuel Gabriel Fonseca Hernández]] (September 2011),<ref>{{cite web|title=Periodista desaparecido en Veracruz|url=http://www.ifex.org/mexico/2011/09/27/fonseca_desaparecido/es/|publisher=[[IFEX (organization)]]|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203195716/http://ifex.org/mexico/2011/09/27/fonseca_desaparecido/es/|archive-date=3 December 2011|url-status=live|language=Spanish|date=27 September 2011}}</ref> [[Miguel Morales Estrada]] (July 2012),<ref>{{cite news|last=Jackson|first=Allison|title=Mexico violence: Veracruz photojournalist Miguel Morales Estrada is missing|url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120725/mexico-violence-veracruz-photojournalist-miguel-morales|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[GlobalPost]]|date=25 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801065626/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120725/mexico-violence-veracruz-photojournalist-miguel-morales|archive-date=1 August 2012|url-status=live|location=Guadalajara, Jalisco}}</ref> and [[Sergio Landa Rosales]] (November 2012).<ref>{{cite news|title=Secuestran a periodista|url=http://www.elmundodecordoba.com/noticias/expediente/181-principal/1976008|access-date=15 April 2013|newspaper=El Mundo de Córdoba|date=27 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601195743/http://www.elmundodecordoba.com/noticias/expediente/181-principal/1976008|archive-date=1 June 2013|language=Spanish|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Nearly 100 journalists, bloggers and writers have been kidnapped or killed in Mexico since 2000, making the country one of the most dangerous places on the planet in which to be a journalist. Most of these crimes, too, have remained unsolved, and only a few perpetrators have been brought to justice.<ref name=PEN>{{cite web|title=Crime Reporter Shot Dead in Puebla|url=http://www.pen.org/rapid-action/2012/11/22/crime-reporter-shot-dead-puebla|publisher=[[PEN American Center]]|accessdate=15 January 2013|location=New York City|date=22 November 2012|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6DkQFAEId?url=http://www.pen.org/rapid-action/2012/11/22/crime-reporter-shot-dead-puebla|archivedate=17 January 2013|deadurl=no|df=}}</ref>
Nearly 100 journalists, bloggers and writers have been kidnapped or killed in Mexico since 2000, making the country one of the most dangerous places on the planet in which to be a journalist. Most of these crimes, too, have remained unsolved, and only a few perpetrators have been brought to justice.<ref name=PEN>{{cite web|title=Crime Reporter Shot Dead in Puebla|url=http://www.pen.org/rapid-action/2012/11/22/crime-reporter-shot-dead-puebla|publisher=[[PEN American Center]]|access-date=15 January 2013|location=New York City|date=22 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012054154/http://www.pen.org/rapid-action/2012/11/22/crime-reporter-shot-dead-puebla|archive-date=12 October 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>


On 22 June 2012, former [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Felipe Calderón]] signed the "Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists" ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Ley Para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas''), which makes attacks against journalists a federal crime and establishes a fund for investigating these crimes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Los delitos contra periodistas serán perseguidos por autoridades federales|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/06/22/los-delitos-contra-periodistas-seran-perseguidos-por-autoridades-federales|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=22 June 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102031907/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/06/22/los-delitos-contra-periodistas-seran-perseguidos-por-autoridades-federales|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref> The law also establishes several preventative measures to protect journalists, such as providing them bodyguards, armored vehicles, bullet-proof vests, security cameras, wireless equipment and satellite cellphones to communicate in case of any danger, and temporary relocation if deemed necessary.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lara|first=Tania|title=Mexican president signs law to protect journalists|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10564-mexican-president-signs-law-protect-journalists|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|accessdate=29 May 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701031134/http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10564-mexican-president-signs-law-protect-journalists|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=25 June 2012}}</ref> [[Congress of the Union|Congress]] passed a law on 7 June 2012 that allowed the federal government to investigate attacks against journalists, crimes which used to be under the jurisdiction of state and municipal forces.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lara|first=Tania|title=Mexican states give final approval to federalize crimes against journalists|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10440-mexican-states-give-final-approval-federalize-crimes-against-journalists|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|accessdate=29 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6Gy4CuQvH?url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10440-mexican-states-give-final-approval-federalize-crimes-against-journalists|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=12 June 2012|df=}}</ref>
On 22 June 2012, former [[President of Mexico|President]] [[Felipe Calderón]] signed the "Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists" ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Ley Para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas''), which makes attacks against journalists a federal crime and establishes a fund for investigating these crimes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Los delitos contra periodistas serán perseguidos por autoridades federales|url=http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/06/22/los-delitos-contra-periodistas-seran-perseguidos-por-autoridades-federales|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=CNNMéxico|date=22 June 2012|agency=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102031907/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/06/22/los-delitos-contra-periodistas-seran-perseguidos-por-autoridades-federales|archive-date=2 January 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref> The law also establishes several preventative measures to protect journalists, such as providing them bodyguards, armored vehicles, bullet-proof vests, security cameras, wireless equipment and satellite cellphones to communicate in case of any danger, and temporary relocation if deemed necessary.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lara|first=Tania|title=Mexican president signs law to protect journalists|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10564-mexican-president-signs-law-protect-journalists|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701031134/http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10564-mexican-president-signs-law-protect-journalists|archive-date=1 July 2012|url-status=live|date=25 June 2012}}</ref> [[Congress of the Union|Congress]] passed a law on 7 June 2012 that allowed the federal government to investigate attacks against journalists, crimes which used to be under the jurisdiction of state and municipal forces.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lara|first=Tania|title=Mexican states give final approval to federalize crimes against journalists|url=https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10440-mexican-states-give-final-approval-federalize-crimes-against-journalists|publisher=Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at [[The University of Texas at Austin]]|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529033141/https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-10440-mexican-states-give-final-approval-federalize-crimes-against-journalists|archive-date=29 May 2013|url-status=live|date=12 June 2012}}</ref>


== Reactions ==
== Reactions ==
[[Irina Bokova]], who is the Director-General of [[UNESCO]], said, "News of the murders of Gabriel Huge and Guillermo Luna Varela – tortured and killed less than one week after the murder of Regina Martínez Pérez – is deeply disturbing, and reflects an alarming state of affairs in the state of Veracruz. That these gruesome crimes have been committed on the eve of [[World Press Freedom Day]] – a day on which we honour the vital role played by journalists in upholding democratic values, protecting citizens’ rights to be informed and calling those in power to account – makes the situation all the more intolerable. I condemn these three murders in the strongest possible terms and urge the Mexican authorities to act quickly and decisively to find those responsible. Impunity is not an option."<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|last=Coudray|first=Sylvie|title=Director-General alarmed by wave of journalist assassinations in Mexico and calls for urgent investigation|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/director_general_alarmed_by_wave_of_journalist_assassinations_in_mexico_and_calls_for_urgent_investigation/|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|accessdate=28 May 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxqJYwom?url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/director_general_alarmed_by_wave_of_journalist_assassinations_in_mexico_and_calls_for_urgent_investigation/|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|date=4 May 2012|df=}}</ref>
[[Irina Bokova]], who is the Director-General of [[UNESCO]], said, "News of the murders of Gabriel Huge and Guillermo Luna Varela – tortured and killed less than one week after the murder of Regina Martínez Pérez – is deeply disturbing, and reflects an alarming state of affairs in the state of Veracruz. That these gruesome crimes have been committed on the eve of [[World Press Freedom Day]] – a day on which we honour the vital role played by journalists in upholding democratic values, protecting citizens' rights to be informed and calling those in power to account – makes the situation all the more intolerable. I condemn these three murders in the strongest possible terms and urge the Mexican authorities to act quickly and decisively to find those responsible. Impunity is not an option."<ref name=unesco>{{cite web|last=Coudray|first=Sylvie|title=Director-General alarmed by wave of journalist assassinations in Mexico and calls for urgent investigation|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/director_general_alarmed_by_wave_of_journalist_assassinations_in_mexico_and_calls_for_urgent_investigation/|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120524054456/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/director_general_alarmed_by_wave_of_journalist_assassinations_in_mexico_and_calls_for_urgent_investigation/|archive-date=24 May 2012|url-status=live|date=4 May 2012}}</ref>


''Proceso'' magazine wrote, in reaction to its colleague's murder, "The murder of journalist Regina Martinez Perez, on Saturday April 28, is the result of a broken country, a situation of daily violence in which extreme acts are not the exception but the rule daily."<ref name=procesoexception>{{cite news|title=Proceso ante el crimen de Regina Martínez|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305845|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=29 April 2012|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430174854/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305845|archivedate=29 April 2012|deadurl=no|language=Spanish}}</ref>
''Proceso'' magazine wrote, in reaction to its colleague's murder, "The murder of journalist Regina Martinez Perez, on Saturday April 28, is the result of a broken country, a situation of daily violence in which extreme acts are not the exception but the rule daily."<ref name=procesoexception>{{cite news|title=Proceso ante el crimen de Regina Martínez|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305845|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=29 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430174854/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=305845|archive-date=30 April 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref>


On 29 April 2013, the [[Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)|Chamber of Deputies of Mexico]] observed a [[moment of silence]] to remember Regina Martínez, after a proposal made by Manuel Rafael Huerta from the [[Labor Party (Mexico)|Labor Party]] (PT). Huerta mentioned in his petition that a year after the murder the circumstances were still unclear and the official version from the government of Veracruz was not to be believed. The president of the chamber left those comments out, but found the proposal relevant and invited deputies to join in the minute of silence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cervantes|first=Jesusa|title=Diputados guardan un minuto de silencio por Regina Martínez|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340477|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)]]|date=29 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxqlfiMQ?url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340477|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Diputados guardan minuto de silencio por Regina Martínez|url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/sociedad/2013/04/29/diputados-guardan-minuto-silencio-regina-martinez|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Economista]]|date=29 April 2013|archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6GxqsOn1j?url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/sociedad/2013/04/29/diputados-guardan-minuto-silencio-regina-martinez|archivedate=29 May 2013|deadurl=no|language=Spanish|df=}}</ref>
On 29 April 2013, the [[Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)|Chamber of Deputies of Mexico]] observed a [[moment of silence]] to remember Regina Martínez, after a proposal made by [[Manuel Rafael Huerta]] from the [[Labor Party (Mexico)|Labor Party]] (PT). Huerta mentioned in his petition that a year after the murder the circumstances were still unclear and the official version from the government of Veracruz was not to be believed. The president of the chamber left those comments out, but found the proposal relevant and invited deputies to join in the minute of silence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cervantes|first=Jesusa|title=Diputados guardan un minuto de silencio por Regina Martínez|url=http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340477|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[Proceso (magazine)|Proceso]]|date=29 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530152745/http://www.proceso.com.mx/?p=340477|archive-date=30 May 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Diputados guardan minuto de silencio por Regina Martínez|url=http://eleconomista.com.mx/sociedad/2013/04/29/diputados-guardan-minuto-silencio-regina-martinez|access-date=29 May 2013|newspaper=[[El Economista (Mexico)|El Economista]]|date=29 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607135338/http://eleconomista.com.mx/sociedad/2013/04/29/diputados-guardan-minuto-silencio-regina-martinez|archive-date=7 June 2013|url-status=live|language=Spanish}}</ref>

In 2020 [[Forbidden Stories]] coordinated reports of international journalists on Mexican drug cartels,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=6 December 2020|title=About the Cartel Project|url=https://forbiddenstories.org/the-cartel-project/|access-date=12 December 2020|website=[[Forbidden Stories]]|language=en-US}}</ref> which included continuation of Martínez Pérez' work.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lakhani|first=Nina|date=6 December 2020|title=Murder in Mexico: journalists caught in the crosshairs|language=en-GB|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/06/murder-in-mexico-journalists-caught-in-the-crosshairs-regina-martinez-cartel-project|access-date=12 December 2020|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Mexican Drug War]]
*[[Mexican Drug War]]
*[[List of journalists killed in Mexico]]
*[[List of journalists killed in Mexico]]
*[[List of unsolved murders]]


==References==
==References==
Line 124: Line 124:


== External links ==
== External links ==
* [http://vimeo.com/65013631 Regina Martínez #impunidadmata], video published by [[Article 19]] {{Es icon}}
* [http://vimeo.com/65013631 Regina Martínez #impunidadmata], video published by [[Article 19]] {{in lang|es}}
* [http://www.proceso.com.mx/?author=70 All articles published by Regina Martínez in Proceso] {{Es icon}}
* [http://www.proceso.com.mx/?author=70 All articles published by Regina Martínez in Proceso] {{in lang|es}}
* [http://www.proceso.com.mx/?cat=7137 All articles mentioning Regina Martínez in Proceso] {{Es icon}}
* [http://www.proceso.com.mx/?cat=7137 All articles mentioning Regina Martínez in Proceso] {{in lang|es}}


{{Mexican Drug War}}
{{Mexican Drug War}}


{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Regina}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez Perez, Regina}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:Assassinated Mexican journalists]]
[[Category:Assassinated Mexican journalists]]
[[Category:Female murder victims]]
[[Category:Journalists killed in the Mexican Drug War]]
[[Category:Journalists killed in the Mexican Drug War]]
[[Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard]]
[[Category:Mexican women journalists]]
[[Category:Mexican women journalists]]
[[Category:Writers from Veracruz]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in Mexico]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in Mexico]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Writers from Veracruz]]
[[Category:21st-century Mexican women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Mexican journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century women journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Mexican women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century women journalists]]

Latest revision as of 02:32, 11 November 2024

Regina Martínez Pérez
Born(1963-09-07)7 September 1963
Rafael Lucio, Veracruz, Mexico
Died28 April 2012(2012-04-28) (aged 48)
Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
Cause of deathAsphyxia by strangulation
EducationUniversidad Veracruzana
OccupationJournalist
Years active1980s–2012
Employers

Regina Martínez Pérez (7 September 1963 – 28 April 2012) was a Mexican journalist and veteran crime reporter for Proceso, a center-left Mexican news magazine known for its critical reporting of the social and political establishment.

Born in a small town in the state of Veracruz, Martínez Pérez left her hometown to study journalism at Universidad Veracruzana. After graduating from university, she went to work at a state-owned television company in Chiapas in the early 1980s, but she encountered various forms of censorship that convinced her to pursue a career in print media. After five years in Chiapas, Martínez Pérez relocated to Veracruz and worked for several local newspapers. In Veracruz, Martínez Pérez faced several challenges of censorship by the political establishment for her direct reporting, and particularly for being an outspoken critic of human rights violations, government corruption, abuse of authority, and for her in-depth coverage of the drug trafficking organizations that operate in Veracruz.

Early in the morning of 28 April 2012, Martínez Pérez was murdered inside her home in Xalapa after being severely beaten. A suspect was arrested in October 2012 and publicly confessed to the murder, while the Mexican authorities concluded that the motive of the murder was theft. However, the suspect later retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured and threatened by officials to lie and admit to the murder. Investigators have relied solely on the suspect's confession to incriminate him; the DNA and fingerprint samples collected at the murder scene did not match the suspect's according to sources close to Committee to Protect Journalists.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, Proceso magazine, and several journalists and press freedom organizations have complained about irregularities in the investigation and question the legitimacy of the whole case. They believe that their colleague's murder was part of a campaign of intimidation against those who investigate alleged links between drug traffickers and politicians in the state of Veracruz.

Early life

[edit]

Regina Martínez Pérez was born in the small town of Rafael Lucio, Veracruz on 7 September 1963. Her parents, María Lorenza Pérez Vázquez and Florencio Martínez Romero, had 11 children. From a young age, Martínez Pérez wanted to be a journalist; after graduating from high school, she left her hometown to study journalism at Universidad Veracruzana (UV). Shortly after graduating, she moved to the state of Chiapas to work as a reporter for Mexican Rural Television (Televisión Rural MexicanaTRM), a state-owned television company, in the early 1980s. Martínez Pérez was part of a group of former students from the UV who were hired by the government to work at the television company. But after demanding better working conditions and facing censorship from the company, she left the company to pursue a career in print media.[1][2][3]

Career

[edit]

Martínez Pérez worked for several newspapers in Chiapas, like El Sol de Chiapas and Número Uno, for five years before she returned to her home state of Veracruz, where she became the editorial assistant of the news channel Cuatro Más. The journalist then left to work for the daily Política, where she covered topics on security and social justice.[4][5] Martínez Pérez was also a journalist and investigative crime reporter for the Diario de Xalapa newspaper.[1][6] Her journalistic career in Veracruz, however, faced several challenges from the political elite; governors and government secretaries wanted to censor Martínez Pérez for criticizing their administration. Instead of self-censoring like other media outlets in the state, she became known for her direct reporting style, which frequently angered the authorities. She wrote over 63 reports covering political assassinations, natural disasters, authority abuses, human right violations, corruption, and government mismanagement.[1][7]

After working for the Diario de Xalapa, Martínez Pérez became a local correspondent for the newspaper La Jornada in the state and later joined the news magazine Proceso, where she worked for more than ten years.[4][5][8] The news magazine is well known for having an "anti-establishment publication" style, and often runs articles that criticize politicians across the country. Many of its reporters have been threatened in the past for their journalistic coverage.[8]

In Proceso, Martínez Pérez was an open critic of government corruption and abuse of authority, and wrote extensively on the local drug trade and organized crime.[4][9] She was particularly known in Mexico for her in-depth reporting on the Mexican drug cartels and how they corrupted government officials in Veracruz.[10] Among her last publications before her murder was a political profile about Reynaldo Escobar Pérez and Alejandro Montano, two politicians of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who were running for office in Congress.[5] A week before her murder she had also written about an incident in which the Mexican Navy arrested nine policemen in the state who were allegedly working for a drug trafficking organization,[11] the arrest of a high-profile leader of Los Zetas drug cartel known as Comandante Chaparro,[12] and a story involving mayor Martín Padua Zúñiga from the National Action Party (PAN) who was arrested with drug traffickers following a gunfight with the Mexican Army.[6][10][13]

Death

[edit]
THE ADDED CITY is located in Mexico.
Mexico City
Mexico City
Xalapa
Xalapa
Mentioned locations within Mexico relative to the capital Mexico City.

Martínez Pérez was murdered early in the morning of 28 April 2012 in her home in the Felipe Carrillo Puerto neighborhood in Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz.[4] When police went to her home to investigate in response to a neighbor's call about her door being open all day, Martínez Pérez's corpse was found on the bathroom floor.[14] According to official reports, she had been severely beaten around her face and ribs, and then strangled to death.[10] The cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation.[15] At the time of her death, the Mexican authorities said they were investigating all the possible motives behind her assassination, including personal motives and theft, and that they would investigate whether the killing was work-related.[10][14]

In October 2012, new details emerged in her murder investigation. Charges were brought against Jorge Antonio Hernández Silva (alias El Silva) and José Adrián Hernández Domínguez (alias El Jarocho), two men who were alleged to have murdered Martínez Pérez.[16][17] Silva, who had already been arrested, confessed to the murder. According to Silva's confession, the reporter knew Domínguez and therefore allowed both of them into her house on the night of her murder. After some conversation, Domínguez grew angry and started beating Martínez Pérez with the intention of forcing her to reveal where she hid her money and other valuable possessions. Silva then joined his accomplice in the beating until they killed her. Investigators said that the attackers had plunged the journalist's head into a toilet bowl, hit her on the head several times with brass knuckles, and threw her against a tub, where she cracked her skull. Martínez Pérez unsuccessfully tried to defend herself by grabbing a kitchen knife and stabbing one of the attackers in the forearm, but they managed to overpower her as she only weighed 108 lbs (48.9 kg). Both men then stole a plasma TV, two cellphones, a laptop computer, a camera and a small box, and the journalist's wristband from her home before leaving the crime scene.[16][17]

Investigation

[edit]

When Silva was arrested in October 2012, he confessed to the murder of Martínez Pérez. Investigators and authorities in Veracruz concluded that the journalist was killed during a robbery.[18] When placed before a judge, Silva retracted his confession and stated that he had been tortured, held hostage for over a week, and threatened by Veracruz authorities in order to make him confess to the assassination. Silva said that officials had threatened to kill his mother, his last remaining family member.[19][20] During a press conference, the Veracruz authorities relied solely on the confession of Silva as evidence against him. None of them made references to DNA, fingerprint, or blood samples from the murder scene. Sources close to the Committee to Protect Journalists stated that the samples collected at the crime scene do not match those of any of the criminals listed on the national database. This should rule out both Silva and Domínguez (who is still at large) from the murder, because both of them have extensive criminal records.[20] Proceso news magazine immediately took a critical stance toward the investigation and said that they did not believe that the Veracruz authorities were capable of completing a clean investigation. The committee to Protect Journalists believes that the murder case was possibly fabricated, and that Silva was likely used as a scapegoat by the authorities. Just a few items were stolen from Martínez Pérez's house while valuable goods were left behind, so they allege that theft was not the real motive behind her murder.[20][21] According to Mexican law, Proceso was allowed to participate in the investigation, so they appointed a top journalist to cover every detail of it. Proceso has complained that the Veracruz authorities have lied to them regarding possible developments in the investigation.[20]

Six months after Martínez Pérez's slaying, the Veracruz authorities stated that her murder was also a crime of passion. According to the reports, Domínguez was the alleged boyfriend of the journalist.[22][23] In April 2013, Proceso stated that it had received classified information that its senior editor who was covering the investigation, Jorge Carrasco, was a possible target by corrupt Veracruz officials. Reportedly, members of the administration of Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa were allowed to carry out "hostile actions against the reporter in response to his most recent publication on the Regina Martínez case."[22] Sources close to the news magazine alleged that officials were plotting to kill the reporter while he was in the nation's capital, Mexico City. The Veracruz authorities responded by stating that the accusations were false and asked Proceso to provide evidence for its claims.[22] The governor promised that he would investigate the threats, and the journalist went into hiding with several armed bodyguards.[16] That same month, Silva was sentenced to 38 years and 2 months in prison for the murder. The judge also ordered the murderer to pay roughly US$8,000 in reparations for her death and the stolen possessions. Proceso, however, expressed its doubt on the murder case and trial once again, stating that they did not believe the court was sentencing the right man.[24][25]

Many journalists continue to dispute the facts in the case, believing that the murder was retribution for reports by Martínez Pérez on drug trafficking and political corruption; they have questioned the investigation by the state of Veracruz.[20][26][27] Proceso magazine's reporter said the investigators never explored the possibility that her journalism may have been the motive behind her murder.[21] Press freedom organizations across the world have complained that the case was designed to cover up the crime instead of clarifying what actually happened.[16] "We don't believe them [the authorities]", said Proceso reporter Jorge Carrasco on behalf of the whole newspaper magazine.[20] The case was the subject of a podcast [28] by A Safer World for Truth and openDemocracy released in December 2021.

Context

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Background

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Veracruz is the most dangerous place in Mexico for journalists;[29] at least nine journalists have been killed since Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa took office in 2010, many of them by the Los Zetas drug cartel.[30][31][32] Most of these reporters were killed under unclear circumstances, and few arrests have been made in their respective investigations. Given the high levels of corruption, criminal impunity, and drug-related attacks against the press all across Veracruz, many local journalists have decided to leave the state and relocate in other parts of Mexico.[33] The atmosphere in Veracruz has also forced many media outlets to self-censor and stop reporting on the drug violence. With traditional reporting being too dangerous and intimidating, social media and blogs are often the only outlets for reporting serious crimes.[34]

The state of Veracruz used to be controlled by the Gulf Cartel before business was handed over to Los Zetas, their former allies, when they went to war across northeastern Mexico in early 2010. Since 2011, much of the drug-related violence is a result of the turf wars between Los Zetas and the Sinaloa Cartel, a drug trafficking organization based in western Mexico and headed by Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, Mexico's most-wanted drug lord. These criminal groups are fighting for Veracruz because of its lucrative smuggling routes for contraband, drug trafficking, and illegal migrants heading to the United States. It has one of Mexico's busiest ports, and officials say that there is no way they can inspect all of the containers that come in by ship.[35][36] Corruption is also widespread in Veracruz; investigators have been slow and reluctant to link the Martínez Pérez murder to organized crime.[37] According to the committee to Protect Journalists, Veracruz is by "general consensus one of the most politically corrupt [states in Mexico]".[20] Mexico was ruled by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) for 71 years until it lost the presidential seat to the conservative National Action Party (PAN) in 2000.[38][39][40] The PRI has long been criticized for being corrupt and allowing the drug trafficking organizations in the country to operate freely if they maintained relative peace.[41] Although the PRI lost the national presidency in 2000, some states remained under the rule of PRI politicians. "Democratic transition never quite reached Veracruz," a state of 8 million people.[16] PRI governors in Veracruz continued to rule with the state with tactics largely abandoned by the PRI at a national level.[16]

Journalists assassinated

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Martínez Pérez was the fifth journalist killed in Veracruz during the sexenio of Governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa, which started in 2010.[32][42] The first journalist assassinated was Noel López Olguín (March 2011), followed by Miguel Ángel López Velasco and his son Miseal (June 2011). Then Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz was killed (July 2011), followed by Martínez Pérez (April 2012). Just a few days after her death, the mutilated bodies of four media professionals were discovered.[42] There would be still another journalist murdered in Veracruz: Víctor Manuel Báez (June 2012).[43] Although not officially counted in the death toll of journalists, at least three journalists have been kidnapped and have remained in captivity since 2010: Manuel Gabriel Fonseca Hernández (September 2011),[44] Miguel Morales Estrada (July 2012),[45] and Sergio Landa Rosales (November 2012).[46]

Nearly 100 journalists, bloggers and writers have been kidnapped or killed in Mexico since 2000, making the country one of the most dangerous places on the planet in which to be a journalist. Most of these crimes, too, have remained unsolved, and only a few perpetrators have been brought to justice.[47]

On 22 June 2012, former President Felipe Calderón signed the "Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists" (Spanish: Ley Para la Protección de Personas Defensoras de Derechos Humanos y Periodistas), which makes attacks against journalists a federal crime and establishes a fund for investigating these crimes.[48] The law also establishes several preventative measures to protect journalists, such as providing them bodyguards, armored vehicles, bullet-proof vests, security cameras, wireless equipment and satellite cellphones to communicate in case of any danger, and temporary relocation if deemed necessary.[49] Congress passed a law on 7 June 2012 that allowed the federal government to investigate attacks against journalists, crimes which used to be under the jurisdiction of state and municipal forces.[50]

Reactions

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Irina Bokova, who is the Director-General of UNESCO, said, "News of the murders of Gabriel Huge and Guillermo Luna Varela – tortured and killed less than one week after the murder of Regina Martínez Pérez – is deeply disturbing, and reflects an alarming state of affairs in the state of Veracruz. That these gruesome crimes have been committed on the eve of World Press Freedom Day – a day on which we honour the vital role played by journalists in upholding democratic values, protecting citizens' rights to be informed and calling those in power to account – makes the situation all the more intolerable. I condemn these three murders in the strongest possible terms and urge the Mexican authorities to act quickly and decisively to find those responsible. Impunity is not an option."[51]

Proceso magazine wrote, in reaction to its colleague's murder, "The murder of journalist Regina Martinez Perez, on Saturday April 28, is the result of a broken country, a situation of daily violence in which extreme acts are not the exception but the rule daily."[52]

On 29 April 2013, the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico observed a moment of silence to remember Regina Martínez, after a proposal made by Manuel Rafael Huerta from the Labor Party (PT). Huerta mentioned in his petition that a year after the murder the circumstances were still unclear and the official version from the government of Veracruz was not to be believed. The president of the chamber left those comments out, but found the proposal relevant and invited deputies to join in the minute of silence.[53][54]

In 2020 Forbidden Stories coordinated reports of international journalists on Mexican drug cartels,[55] which included continuation of Martínez Pérez' work.[56]

See also

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References

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  2. ^ Espinosa, Verónica (5 May 2012). "Honesta, comprometida y recta. Así era Regina…". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  3. ^ Mandujano, Isaín (28 April 2013). "Un año sin Regina, la periodista que "nació" profesionalmente en Chiapas". Proceso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d "Yet another journalist murdered in Veracruz". International Freedom of Expression Exchange. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
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