Armed individuals opened fire on the Televisa Laguna television station's broadcasting facilities in the city of Torreón, leaving behind more than 150 bullet casings.
(ARTICLE 19/CENCOS/IFEX) – At approximately 2:30 p.m. on 25 June 2010, a group of armed individuals opened fire on the Televisa Laguna station’s broadcasting facilities in the city of Torreón, in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila.
The attack took place minutes after the facilities’ workers left the building for lunch and several local media outlets have reported that more than 153 bullet casings were found at the scene. No one was injured, however windows were broken and electrical cables damaged such that the facility was out of service for a little less than an hour.
This attack represents the third such action against facilities owned by media outlets in Torreón within a period of 18 months. Most recently, on 22 June, unidentified individuals fired shots at the “Noticias de El Sol de la Laguna” newspaper’s offices in the city. The attacks bring to light the indifference and inadequacy of the Mexican authorities in dealing with violent actions against the media in the region.
ARTICLE 19 and CENCOS express their solidarity with the Televisa Laguna workers and journalists in the region. The two organisations call on the authorities at the municipal, state and federal levels to ensure that journalists and media outlets are provided with the conditions necessary to safely carry out their work.
(Please note this is an abridged translation)
