NEW YORK—In response to reports that the Mexican journalist Santiago Barroso Alfaro was shot just outside his house and died two hours later at the hospital, PEN America Free Expression at Risk Programs Director Karin Karlekar issued the following statement:
“The brutal death of Barroso Alfaro at the front door of his house represents the harshest of threats to press freedom. He is the fourth journalist to be killed in Mexico this year. As indispensable contributors to freedom of expression, democracy, and peace, no journalist should become a target of violence as a result of carrying out their professional duty to inform the public. We condemn the assassination of Barroso Alfaro and call on the Mexican authorities to immediately investigate the murder and take necessary all steps to ensure the safety of journalists and to prevent future violence and harassment targeting them.”
Barroso Alfaro hosted the morning news program “Buenos Días San Luis” on Rio Digital FM 91.1. He was the director of the online news site Red 653 and the correspondent for Radio Sonora, as well as a reporter for several newspapers, including El Imparcial. Finally, he was a teacher of journalism at the Universidad Tecnológica de San Luis Río Colorado.
Read more on PEN America’s work on Mexico here and about threats to journalists, lawyers, and immigration advocates along the U.S.-Mexico border here.
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PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. pen.org
CONTACT: Anoosh Gasparian, External Relations Manager: [email protected]