Mexican journalist Antonio de la Cruz has been shot dead near his house in Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas. This is the 12th journalist murdered in Mexico this year, a worrying increase. De la Cruz was said to be leaving for work with his daughter who is also injured.
De La Cruz worked for the Expreso newspaper for 15 years. He primarily covered environmental and agricultural issues and is known for his scathing critique of the Mexican government, often revealing the corruption central to Mexican authorities. The deputy of Tamaulipas, Gustavo Cárdenas confirmed the murder of de la Cruz and stated, “the main suspects are those of the state government.”
The Mexican government has shown what can only be described as utter incompetence in regard to this new wave of the murders of Mexican journalists. While Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) inherited and didn’t create the problem of violence against the press, he has done little to tackle it. An investigation revealed in 90% of the cases of journalists murdered under AMLO there has been no conviction.
Update: The Attorney General’s Office has announced it will investigate the murder.
RIP Antonio de la Cruz.
