(RSF/IFEX) – RSF expressed concern over the death, under unusual circumstances, of journalist José Miranda Virgen. “It is imperative that an in-depth investigation be carried out, so that the exact cause of the journalist’s death can be established,” noted RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. In a letter to Interior Minister Santiago Creel Miranda, RSF asked that […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF expressed concern over the death, under unusual circumstances, of journalist José Miranda Virgen. “It is imperative that an in-depth investigation be carried out, so that the exact cause of the journalist’s death can be established,” noted RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard. In a letter to Interior Minister Santiago Creel Miranda, RSF asked that all leads be investigated to ascertain the cause of the explosion.
On 11 October 2002, Miranda Virgen, journalist and vice-president of the daily “El Sur de Veracruz”, published in the city of Veracruz (mid-eastern Mexico), was seriously injured after an explosion destroyed part of his apartment. The journalist subsequently passed away on 16 October as a result of his injuries.
According to the authorities, the explosion was an accident caused by a gas leak. However, the local press questioned this allegation, noting that the main damage had occurred in the living room and not in the kitchen, where supposedly the gas had leaked. Pablo Robles Barajas, “El Sur de Veracruz” general director, noted that Miranda Virgen had recently published a series of articles on alleged links between drug traffickers and state police officers. He told RSF that the daily had asked for an independent assessment of the explosion.
