In a letter to Tomas Yarrington, governor of the state of Tamaulipas (Northeast), RSF expressed concern over the assassination of Pablo Pineda of “La Opinion” newspaper. “La Opinion” is published in the city of Matamoros in the State of Tamaulipas, bordering on the United States. In the letter, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, suggested that “Pablo […]
In a letter to Tomas Yarrington, governor of the state of Tamaulipas (Northeast), RSF expressed concern over the assassination of Pablo Pineda of “La Opinion” newspaper. “La Opinion” is published in the city of Matamoros in the State of Tamaulipas, bordering on the United States. In the letter, Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, suggested that “Pablo Pineda’s assassination could be linked to his work as a journalist” and asked that the governor “use whatever influence he has to launch a full-scale investigation to uncover the motives of the crime.” RSF also requested that it be kept informed about the progress of the investigation.
On 9 April 2000, Pineda’s body was discovered by border guards from the state of Texas, in the United States, who, at 2:45 a.m. (local time) noticed a “suspicious package” being deposited on the banks of the Rio Grande. The journalist was last seen the previous evening at the local police station in Matamoros. At 9:30 p.m., Pineda left the station after having received a call on his cellular phone, and after informing one of his colleagues, who was also at the station at the time, that he would return soon. According to the autopsy report, the journalist was shot in the head by a 9 mm calibre pistol and died at about midnight. Pineda was a journalist and illustrator for “La Opinion”, and covered local police and crime matters. Some of the journalists in the province are not rejecting the possibility that he was killed for having participated himself in the illicit activities that he reported on.
RSF is concerned about the threats directed against journalists who are investigating the trafficking between Mexico and the United States, and by the impunity enjoyed by the authors of those threats. On 15 July 1997, Benjamin González Flores, editor of the newspaper “La Prensa” (published in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora state) was assassinated after having reported on drug trafficking organized by the Juárez Cartel (see IFEX alerts of 8 December, 17 November and 16 July 1997). Jaime González Gutierrez, who is suspected of having planned the crime, was released on 5 March 1999 without facing trial.
