IAPA warns of judicial harassment against journalists in Mexico

The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) warned this Sunday about an increase in judicial harassment against journalists and media outlets in Mexico during the first year of President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration. Although she has spoken out against censorship, she has maintained mechanisms to control access to information and public criticism.

In its most recent country report, the IAPA noted that "President Claudia Sheinbaum has expressed her opposition to censorship; but, at the same time, she has adopted measures that strengthen government control over media access and telecommunications regulation."

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One of the main outstanding issues, the organization noted, is the lack of transparency in the allocation of official advertising.

"Although there is greater state advertising investment in the media than under the previous administration, discretionary rules are still in place to favor some over others," the document stated.

The report recorded three murders of people indirectly linked to news platforms or social media, although it noted that "the evidence suggests that these incidents were not related to news reporting, but rather to the environment of violence in general."

JUDICIAL HARASSMENT IS A CONCERN

However, the main concern centers on the expansion of judicial harassment as a silencing mechanism. According to Article 19 Mexico, cited in the report, there were 51 cases of legal harassment against journalists in the first half of the year.

Among the most serious cases, the IAPA highlighted that of journalist Jorge Luis González Valdez, former editor of the newspaper Tribuna de Campeche, who was prosecuted for "inciting hatred and gender violence" following complaints from Governor Layda Sansores.

A judge ordered the outlet's closure for two years, banned him from practicing journalism during that period, and imposed a censor on him to review his columns.

Another emblematic case is that of citizen Karla María Estrella, sanctioned by the Federal Electoral Tribunal for a comment on the X network about an alleged case of nepotism.

She was fined, issued a 30-day public apology, and registered in the National Registry of Persons Sanctioned for Political Gender Violence until 2027. She announced that she will take the case to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

In Tamaulipas, columnist Héctor de Mauleón and the newspaper El Universal were charged with slander and political gender violence after revealing alleged corruption networks. Although the National Electoral Institute (INE) ruled out gender violence, it upheld the order to remove the column and sanctioned the newspaper with a fine and a public apology.

The agency also criticized the closure of the National Transparency Institute (INAI) and its replacement by the "Transparency for the People" office, which "rejected 99.6% of information requests."

Sheinbaum has maintained an ambivalent relationship with the media.

Although he recently described some cases of judicial harassment against journalists as "excessive," he also radicalized his approach against media outlets investigating alleged acts of corruption by the previous government.

However, the IAPA acknowledged that the president "publicly rejected censorship" by asking the Senate to block an article in the new Telecommunications Law that would allow the government to block digital platforms.