In a 17 September 1996 letter to Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, CPJ expressed concern over the circumstances of the recent arrest of Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, owner of the Mexico City daily “El Universal”. CPJ does not pretend to have any information on the veracity of tax evasion charges levelled against Ealy Ortiz by federal […]
In a 17 September 1996 letter to Mexican President Ernesto
Zedillo, CPJ expressed concern over the circumstances of the
recent arrest of Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, owner of the Mexico
City daily “El Universal”. CPJ does not pretend to have any
information on the veracity of tax evasion charges levelled
against Ealy Ortiz by federal authorities. Nor does the
organization question either the authority or the decision of the
Mexican government to prosecute Ealy Ortiz. However, CPJ is
troubled by the Mexican government’s excessive use of force to
apprehend the owner of a major national newspaper.
An estimated 40 armed federal judicial police were dispatched to
arrest Ealy Ortiz on 12 September 1996, at the offices of “El
Universal” in the centre of Mexico City. The facts do not indicate
that this kind of tactical manoeuvre was justified. Ealy Ortiz
turned himself him in peacefully to the Attorney General’s office
the following morning. He posted bail and is currently free
pending a judicial proceeding.
CPJ therefore questions what the motivation was for this extreme
show-of-force. According to CPJ, it is widely known that, in
recent months, “El Universal” has hired some of Mexico’s best
known journalists, some of whom have been critical of President
Ernesto Zedillo’s regime. This widely publicized police operation
to apprehend Ealy Ortiz comes at a time when the Mexican press is
becoming increasingly independent and is playing a crucial role in
Mexico’s economic and political evolution.
Recommended Action
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Appeals To
His Excellency Ernesto Zedillo de Leon
President of the Republic of Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Fax: +525 271 1764
Please copy appeals to the originator if possible.
