On January 17, Margarito Martinez a 20-year veteran photojournalist was shot dead in front of his Tijuana home. He worked with local, national, and international outlets covering crime and police. According to the investigation run by the state prosecutors office, the perpetrators shot him two times with a 9mm gun.
A month ago, Margarito asked for help from the state government after being named as the administrator of the Tijuana en Guerra Facebook page, which exposes cartel members, during a live-streamed video while covering a fire December 13.
Angel Pena, as "communicator" of the Facebook page La Noticia con Angel, was having an argument with Margarito. Angel accused him of being paid by the government.
"I don't care about your 20 years of being a reporter, I'm a communicator, nobody pays me off, I tell the truth, and I'm don't care whether if you administer Tijuana en Guerra."
On the day of Margarito's death and during the coverage where almost all regional reporters showed up, Angel arrived to the crime scene and had a confrontation with Sonia de Anda, a local reporter, and other members of the YoSiSoyPeriodista collective.
“His death is your fault,” She told the communicator.
"He was an accredited journalist and worked for la Jornada, Punto Norte, Frontera, and Zeta all serious media outlets."
A press release from the collective explained that Margarito expressed his concern and fear for his personal security due to the accusations Angel Pena made.
The release demanded the state prosecutors office for an effective investigation. That same day, Angel was interviewed by a national media outlet and was asked if he was conscious that accusing Margarito on a public video of being the administrator of these pages could put him in danger. Angel's answer: “not directly in danger, nobody knows if reporters are working badly, we never know people totally; he could have had problems with neighbors”.
The next day, January 18, the prosecutor's office issued a search warrant for Angel's house to get information about Margarito's case. According to the prosecutor's office, officers found undetermined amount of drug known as Marihuana,” and he was detained to be interrogated.
After Angel's detention, his website co-director made a couple of livestream Facebook videos in which comments of followers were said to incite lynching Sonia de Anda and spotlighted the other reporters that appeared on the contentious video.
Margarito is the second reporter murdered in 2022 and the 29th during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. According to Reporters Without Borders, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism.
On January 17, Margarito Martinez a 20-year veteran photojournalist was shot dead in front of his Tijuana home. He worked with local, national, and international outlets covering crime and police. According to the investigation run by the state prosecutors office, the perpetrators shot him two times with a 9mm gun.
A month ago, Margarito asked for help from the state government after being named as the administrator of the Tijuana en Guerra Facebook page, which exposes cartel members, during a live-streamed video while covering a fire December 13.
Angel Pena, as "communicator" of the Facebook page La Noticia con Angel, was having an argument with Margarito. Angel accused him of being paid by the government.
"I don't care about your 20 years of being a reporter, I'm a communicator, nobody pays me off, I tell the truth, and I'm don't care whether if you administer Tijuana en Guerra."
On the day of Margarito's death and during the coverage where almost all regional reporters showed up, Angel arrived to the crime scene and had a confrontation with Sonia de Anda, a local reporter, and other members of the YoSiSoyPeriodista collective.
“His death is your fault,” She told the communicator.
"He was an accredited journalist and worked for la Jornada, Punto Norte, Frontera, and Zeta all serious media outlets."
A press release from the collective explained that Margarito expressed his concern and fear for his personal security due to the accusations Angel Pena made.
The release demanded the state prosecutors office for an effective investigation. That same day, Angel was interviewed by a national media outlet and was asked if he was conscious that accusing Margarito on a public video of being the administrator of these pages could put him in danger. Angel's answer: “not directly in danger, nobody knows if reporters are working badly, we never know people totally; he could have had problems with neighbors”.
The next day, January 18, the prosecutor's office issued a search warrant for Angel's house to get information about Margarito's case. According to the prosecutor's office, officers found undetermined amount of drug known as Marihuana,” and he was detained to be interrogated.
After Angel's detention, his website co-director made a couple of livestream Facebook videos in which comments of followers were said to incite lynching Sonia de Anda and spotlighted the other reporters that appeared on the contentious video.
Margarito is the second reporter murdered in 2022 and the 29th during the presidency of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. According to Reporters Without Borders, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries to practice journalism.
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