Dear Editor,
I wish to refer to the editorial which was published in your prestigious newspaper on Saturday November 12, 2011, under the title ‘News from nowhere.‘
In this regard, contrary to your statement that the Government of Mexico has done nothing to protect the media, I wish to ask you to publish in your prestigious newspaper the following comments:
On July 5, 2010, the Attorney General of the Republic established the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression whose principal activities include attention to crimes committed against journalists, attention to reports of missing journalists and to the right to information and freedom of expression.
Since the beginning of its activities, in February 2010, and to date, the Special Prosecutor conducted 192 investigations and brought before the judicial authorities 47 perpetrators, responsible for various crimes committed against journalists.
Also, in November 2010, different entities and state agencies, together with the National Human Rights Commission, signed the “coordination agreement for the implementation of preventative actions and protection of journalists,” under which an Advisory Committee is responsible for providing technical assistance to the authorities to adopt measures to prevent and protect journalists. The committee has the necessary human and material resources to ensure its efficient performance in emergencies, both at the federal and local level.
It must be noted that the Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States and the United Nations, jointly made an official visit to Mexico in August 2010 and their May and June 2011 report highlights the progress made in this area, which includes the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression and the establishment of a protection mechanism for journalists.
Therefore, Editor, as part of the strategy to fight organized crime, the Government of Mexico gives special importance to the protection of journalists in the context of the performance of their professional activities.
Yours faithfully,
Fernando Sandoval
Ambassador
