Threats

Any action by which a message is directly or indirectly issued verbally, in writing, or otherwise to journalists, communicators, editors, directors or communications media with the objective of procuring self-censorship or direct or indirect censorship. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 289 threats to communicators and media.

 

Homicide

Any action that deprives an individual of his or her life. Considered to be the most extreme form of censorship. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 64 homicides in Mexico.

Slander, Defamation and Libel

Actions by which a media journalist, communicator, editor, or director stands accused by the courts due to the content of a publication or any other form of media speech with the objective of procuring self-censorship or to discredit said content, causing him or her to run the risk of being sanctioned with prison sentences or the payment of fines. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 22 cases of criminal charges filed against communicators for slander or libel.

Disappearance

Action that brings about a lack of information concerning the whereabouts of a media journalist, editor, director or worker who has vanished without a trace, leaving behind evidence of violence committed by government agents either directly or through tolerance or acquiescence. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 14 disappearances.

 

Displacement

A person who finds themselves compelled to flee their city or community as a consequence of a serious violation of their personal safety or threats to the practice of their profession. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented the emigration of 33 communicators for these reasons.

 

Arbitrary Arrest

When the arrest of an individual by an officer of the law lacks legal grounds and is in violation of his or her human rights, it is considered illegal and arbitrary. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 152 arbitrary arrests of communicators.

Physical/Material

Forms of aggression that seek to cause some kind of physical or material damage to the journalist or media. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 813 physical aggressions against communicators or media. This is the form of violence most frequently committed against the press.

Intimidation/Pressure

Actions that seek to influence the professional labor, editorial profile or line of investigation of the media journalist, communicator, editor, director, or worker in order to prevent him or her from disseminating specific information. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 257 acts of intimidation or pressure against the press.

Illegal Deprivation of Liberty

Action by which an individual deprives another person of their liberty without seeking profit (unlike kidnapping, where profit is involved) with the objective of compelling him or her to act or to stop acting a certain way; in the case of journalists, to prevent them from publishing information. From 2007 to 2014, ARTICLE19 has documented 36 cases of this form of aggression.

Torture

Any intentional act where physical or mental suffering is inflicted on a person with the objective of advancing a criminal investigation, as a means of intimidation, as personal punishment, as a preventive measure, as a prison sentence or with any other objective either by government agents or with their tolerance or acquiescence. In 2014, ARTICLE19 documented the case of journalist Edwin Canché, a victim of torture by the mayor and municipal police force of Seyé, Yucatán.
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Gustavo Ruiz Lizárraga, a photojournalist and a contributor to the SubVersiones Autonomous Communications Agency, was arbitrarily and unjustifiably beaten and placed under arrest by police officers of Mexico City while in the process of covering the protests that took place in response to Enrique Peña Nieto's first State of the Union address in 2013. Despite having continually identified himself as a member of the press, he was subdued with excessive force and deprived of his equipment. Ruiz was held incommunicado for more than five hours. Moreover, he was transferred to the Public Ministry of the delegation Milpa Alta and the Southern Penitentiary despite having paid his bail in full upon request.

After two days in prison, where he was subjected to torture, Gustavo Ruiz was released thanks to a public opinion campaign to support the free media community and the network #RompeElMiedo, or "Shatter the Fear".

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In response to Enrique Peña Nieto's first State of the Union Address, numerous protesters marched from the Angel of Independence to the Main Square of Mexico City. Different contingents that can be identified as having participated in this protest include: #YoSoy1321, Morena2, AMLO, the MPJD3 and the CNTE4.

1 Student social movement generated by the rejection of the visit in May 2012 of Enrique Peña Nieto, a presidential candidate at the time, to the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. The main objectives sought by #YoSoy132 were: the democratization of the media, the programming of a third debate between presidential candidates –one that would involve public participation– and the rejection of Enrique Peña Nieto's candidacy by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in that year's elections.
2 Left-wing political party. Officially recognized on July 9, 2014.
3 Citizen's movement led by the poet Javier Sicilia that began in May 2011, following a march held from Cuernavaca to Mexico City in protest of the murder of his son, Juanelo Sicilia. The Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity became a nationwide movement of the parents of those who are missing or have been killed within the context of the war on drugs during Felipe Calderón's six-year presidential administration.
4 The National Coordination of Workers for Education (CNTE) is a Mexican labor union created in 1979 by a group of dissident teachers, former members of the National Labor Union (SNTE).
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Towards the end of the protest, a group of approximately 15 young people was placed under arrest near the subway station San Antonio Abad in Mexico City. Several journalists, including Gustavo Ruiz, attempted to document the arrests. The police reacted violently in order to prevent them from doing so, using their shields to push the journalists into the flow of traffic on Tlalpan Avenue.

 

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Rafael Camacho, a SubVersiones contributor, is subdued by Mexico City police officers, who unsuccessfully attempt to confiscate his camera. Ruiz informs the police that Camacho is a member of the press and succeeds in salvaging his camera; as a result, another group of police officers start to physically subdue Ruiz, finally managing to confiscate Camacho's equipment.

 

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Ruiz Lizárraga is placed under arrest and transferred, along with three other young men, to the Public Ministry located in the Milpa Alta delegation. This transfer lasts over 4 hours.

 

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Despite having identified himself as a photojournalist, Ruiz is presented before the court at the Public Ministry and accused of having committed two crimes: assault against an officer of the law and resisting arrest. Bail is set at 23,000 pesos and paid, despite which Ruiz is transferred to the penitentiary for men located south of Mexico City.

 

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Their first court appearance is held. Those under arrest are transferred from the penitentiary for men located south of Mexico City to the 23rd Court for Misdemeanors, where Judge Fausto Agustín Favela Ayala dismisses the evidence presented by the defense and sets a fine of $126,474 pesos. The testimony of the police officers is given precedence, despite the contradictions and inconsistencies manifested in their accusations.

 

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After paying their respective fines, six of the seven defendants imprisoned in the Penitentiary for men south of Mexico City are released under bail, including Gustavo Ruiz Lizárraga.

 

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A trial is held in which statements are made, witnesses called and evidence submitted by the defense. 

 

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Twenty-third Judge of Misdemeanors Fausto Agustín Favela Ayala hands down a prison sentence against Gustavo Ruiz Lizárraga for the crimes of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. 

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The Superior Court revokes his prison sentence and sets Ruiz Lizárraga free, arguing a "lack of sufficient evidence to convict. The lawsuit shall remain standing under Article 36 of the Mexico City Penal Code." ARTICLE19 launches the communiqué "Free Gustavo Ruiz!" sustaining that despite his liberation, "the same conditions prevail that enabled the arrest of Gustavo Ruiz Lizárraga," placing emphasis on the serious implications for the citizenry when penal judges of Mexico City ratify charges that are full of holes and arbitrary arrests directed at criminalizing freedom of speech.

 

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Rapid follow-up on the Ruiz Lizárraga case was made possible by the immediate response of the network #RompeElMiedo or "Shatter the Fear", an assembly of alternative and collective human rights media created with the objective of guaranteeing the safety and protection of its members within high-risk contexts in Mexico City. Originally designed to monitor aggressions against the press during protests and marches, the activation of this network has two specific objectives: first, to monitor protests in such a way that nodes of the network exchange information in real time in order to register aggressions and/or incidents. The second, to activate an early alert system in the event of security incidents. The legal and protection teams at ARTICLE19 provide follow-up and support for cases of serious aggression. The network is currently comprised by 14 nodes or members.

#RompeElMiedo continues to grow, expanding to include Guanajuato and Puebla, where 38 cases of aggression have been registered.

 

 

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am
2015

Gustavo Ruiz

Gustavo Ruiz Lizárraga, a photojournalist and a contributor to the SubVersiones Autonomous Communications Agency, was arbitrarily and unjustifiably beaten and placed under arrest by police officers of Mexico City while in the process of covering the protests that took place in response to Enrique Peña Nieto's first State of the Union address in 2013. Despite having continually identified himself as a member of the press, he was subdued with excessive force and deprived of his equipment. Ruiz was held incommunicado for more than five hours. Moreover, he was transferred to the Public Ministry of the delegation Milpa Alta and the Southern Penitentiary despite having paid his bail in full upon request.

After two days in prison, where he was subjected to torture, Gustavo Ruiz was released thanks to a public opinion campaign to support the free media community and the network #RompeElMiedo, or "Shatter the Fear".

 

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