Journalists protest harassment in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Reporters and journalists in Playa del Carmen demonstrated today on Freedom of Expression Day to remember colleagues who have been killed while performing their duties and others who have been harassed for keeping the population informed.

The protest took place around 9:30 a.m. in Plaza 28 de Julio, where communicators displayed various banners with slogans such as “Neither the pen nor the keyboard explode,” “The truth needs brave voices,” “Being a journalist is not a crime,” among others.

Among the journalists present were Alejandra Escobar, Víctor Rodriguez, Fernando Morcillo, Víctor Hugo Vargas, and other prominent communicators from the municipality.

During the demonstration, a statement was read in which the journalists specified that, with this gathering, they were joining the national march for Journalist’s Day.

In this regard, they condemned any form of censorship, aggression, intimidation, or abuse of power by authorities against journalists, communicators, and critical citizens.

“We express our solidarity with journalists who have been harassed, persecuted, sanctioned, detained, or criminalized for doing their work, and we demand greater accountability and unrestricted respect for fundamental rights,” read Víctor Hugo.

Furthermore, the journalists highlighted that 2025 was marked by an escalation of legal censorship against journalists, communicators, and media outlets.

They cited the organization Article 19, which documented a total of 51 cases of judicial harassment against journalists, among which they highlighted the most recent: Rafael León Segovia, detained in Veracruz under accusations of “terrorism” for covering violent events of public interest; Héctor de Mauleón, forced to remove critical content by order of the Electoral Court of Tamaulipas, establishing a precedent of prior censorship; Karla Estrella, sanctioned by the National Electoral Institute (INE) and the Electoral Court of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) after questioning on social media a possible case of nepotism; and Laisha Wilkins, reported for political violence based on gender for sharing a critical message.

According to the protesters, these events reveal deeply concerning trends, such as the misuse of legal figures to criminalize opinion, journalism, and citizen participation; the increase in judicial and legislative censorship in entities like Campeche, Puebla, and Veracruz; administrative pressures, economic sanctions, and legal threats as mechanisms of intimidation against journalists and media.

Faced with this situation, the journalists demanded the immediate end of judicial harassment against journalists, communicators, and critical citizens; real guarantees for the free, safe, and ethical exercise of journalism; that no law be used as an instrument of censorship or political retaliation; and full respect for freedom of expression and the right to information.

“Being a journalist is not a crime, informing is not terrorism, silencing the press is silencing society,” they expressed.