Mexico — In 2025, Mexico registered a significant increase in the murders of journalists, becoming the deadliest non-conflict country for the press, with at least nine journalists killed, although some sources report higher figures, such as 12 or even 13 murders. The majority of the victims worked for local media and covered sensitive topics such as corruption, organized crime, and security.
The documented cases occurred in states such as Guanajuato, Guerrero, Puebla, Durango, and Sonora. The last recorded murder was that of Miguel Ángel Beltrán Martínez, a journalist for La Gazzeta Dgo, in October 2025, whose crime was accompanied by a message directly related to his journalistic work.
The number of murders exceeded the total from the previous year, with an 84% increase in crimes against the press compared to 2024. Mexico ranked second globally in lethality for journalists, only behind Gaza, and maintained first place in Latin America.
The figures vary between sources, according to their documentation methodology. ARTICLE 19 and Reporters Without Borders speak of nine murders, while the Permanent Monitoring of FAPERMEX, CONALIPE, and FELAP-México indicates 13 cases, including a friend of a communicator and the discovery of the body of a journalist missing since 2019.
The murders occurred in contexts of impunity and without effective protection, with a pattern of judicial harassment, threats, and censorship that discourages investigation. International organizations such as RSF and the UN-DH have warned about the high risk of practicing journalism and defending human rights in Mexico.
On January 8, another murder was perpetrated; the victim is journalist Carlos Castro, who was shot dead by members of an armed group that entered a restaurant in Poza Rica, Veracruz, where the communicator was having dinner.
Carlos Castro worked as a reporter for local media and was known for his coverage of social issues and crime news.
Due to insecurity in the performance of his journalistic work, a few years ago he was forced to relocate from the Northern region of Veracruz, for which he was a beneficiary of the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists under the Ministry of the Interior. However, to secure an income, he had to return to Poza Rica. Now, the head of the Ministry of the Interior, Rosa Isela Rodríguez, says he abandoned the protection measures, but these only consisted of a “panic button” and local police patrols.
If Carlos Castro abandoned the “protection” of the Ministry of the Interior, it was because those measures are insufficient to protect life.
It is timely to mention, as a warning to the various state and federal agencies present in Quintana Roo, that the Cambio 22 team continues to be the target of digital harassment and intimidation. Proof of this are the repeated occasions on which the website of this important media outlet with influence in the Yucatán Peninsula is hacked, violating the right to information of the society in the states of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, and Campeche.
At the end of 2025, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) disseminated a summary about various cases of judicial harassment against Mexican journalists.
Journalist Rodolfo Ruiz, director of the portal e-Consulta, was linked to proceedings for alleged handling of resources of illicit origin in the state of Puebla, in a process marked by accusations of judicial irregularities and questions about the strength of the charges.
Likewise, in the state of Veracruz, journalist Rafael León Segovia was charged with the crimes of concealment by favoritism and crimes against public security institutions, in events related to his journalistic coverage. This has been pointed out by organizations defending freedom of expression as a dangerous precedent that could inhibit information work. The attorney general of Veracruz, Lizbeth Aurelia Jiménez Aguirre, reported that the crime of “terrorism,” which was initially indicated, was not included. As a precautionary measure, house arrest was imposed for one year.
Therefore, the Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is monitoring the case and urged the authorities to respect judicial guarantees and due process, through a message on the X network.
These situations, in which the penal system is involved against journalists for acts supposedly linked to their professional practice, generate alarm in the entire journalistic community and represent a risk for society’s right to be informed.
This Friday, January 9, Armando Castilla, general director of Grupo Vanguardia de México, which operated various media outlets, was detained in Mexico.
The IAPA (@sip_oficial), an association dedicated to defending freedoms of expression and the press with more than a thousand members throughout the Americas, stated: “The detention of the general director of Grupo Vanguardia of #Mexico, Armando Castilla, which occurred today, points to an arbitrary and illegal action. We demand his immediate release and full respect for legal guarantees and freedom of the press.” This message joins the multiple alerts in favor of journalists that the organization denounces through its channels. For its part, the Alianza de Medios (@AlianzaMediosMx) recalled the medium’s previous complaints: “Grupo Vanguardia has pointed out for years that both the medium and its general director are victims of judicial persecution in the form of disproportionate lawsuits and legal abuses,” it published on its portal.
Chronicle of Journalist Murders in Mexico During 2025
During 2025, Mexico experienced a lethal year for journalism. These crimes, mostly linked to information work, occurred in contexts of impunity, violence from organized crime, and failures in official protection mechanisms.
- Calletano de Jesús Guerrero – State of Mexico
Date: January 17, 2025
Medium: Global México
Circumstances: Guerrero, subdirector of the medium, was murdered in Teoloyucan. Despite being registered since 2014 in the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, he did not have active security measures at the time of the attack. Topics covered: He denounced local corruption and operations of organized crime in the area. Relevance: His murder evidenced the structural failures of the state protection system. - Alejandro Gallegos de León – Tabasco
Date: January 25, 2025
Medium: La Voz del Pueblo
Circumstances: He was found dead in Cárdenas after being reported missing. He had received previous threats for his critical coverage.
Topics covered: He investigated activities of organized crime in the north-central part of the country.
Relevance: His case illustrated the danger faced by journalists in regions with a high presence of armed groups. - Kristian Uriel Zavala Martínez – Guanajuato
Date: March 2, 2025
Medium: El Silaoense MX / Reporte Silao
Circumstances: Founder of the digital medium, he was murdered in Silao. He had received threats for investigating networks of state violence and forced disappearances.
Topics covered: Institutional violence, disappearances, and operations of organized crime.
Relevance: Guanajuato, highly affected by the war between cartels, consolidated as one of the most dangerous zones for the press. - Raúl Irán Villarreal Belmont – Guanajuato
Date: March 13, 2025
Medium: Observatorio Ciudadano (community medium)
Circumstances: Murdered in the same entity, shortly after Zavala. Both worked on sensitive topics related to public security.
Topics covered: Human rights, forced disappearances, and state violence.
Relevance: His death reflected the extreme risk for community journalists in conflict zones. - José Carlos González Herrera – Guerrero
Date: May 15, 2025
Medium: El Guerrero, Opinión Ciudadana
Circumstances: Director of the digital medium, he was riddled with bullets by armed men in the center of Acapulco, one of the most violent cities in the country.
Topics covered: Security, local politics, and citizen demands.
Relevance: Acapulco has become an epicenter of attacks on the press for its coverage of drug trafficking. - Salomón Ordoñez Miranda – Puebla
Date: June 23, 2025
Medium: Shalom Cuetzalan Producciones (Facebook page)
Circumstances: Founder of the local medium, he was shot dead in Cuetzalan. His aggressors fled without being identified.
Topics covered: Community news, insecurity, and citizen complaints.
Relevance: His case showed how journalists in local digital media are targets of attacks without state protection. - Ángel Sevilla – Sonora
Date: July 7, 2025
Medium: Noticias 644
Circumstances: Director of the digital medium, he was murdered while traveling on a motorcycle in Cajeme, the most violent municipality in the state.
Topics covered: Crime news, local politics, and deterioration of security.
Relevance: His medium was a key source of real-time information about clashes between criminal groups and security forces. - Ronald Paz Pedro – Guerrero
Date: July 9, 2025
Medium: NotiExpress Paz Pedro (Facebook page)
Circumstances: Shot dead minutes after broadcasting live about a street collapse in Acapulco.
Topics covered: Police sources, insecurity, and citizen concerns.
Relevance: His death occurred live, symbolizing the constant exposure of journalists on social media. - Miguel Ángel Beltrán Martínez – Durango
Date: October 25, 2025
Medium: La Gazzeta Dgo
Circumstances: He was murdered on the Durango-Mazatlán highway. His body was found with a message directly related to his journalistic work.
Topics covered: Investigations about corruption and security in the region.
Relevance: He was the last journalist murdered in 2025, and his case evidenced a pattern of symbolic attacks against the press.
Impunity: More than 95% of journalist murders in Mexico remain unresolved.
Protection Mechanism: Ineffective; at least two journalists murdered in 2025 had official protection measures.
Most dangerous regions: Guerrero, Guanajuato, State of Mexico, Sonora, Veracruz, and Durango.
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