A Mexican journalist was shot and killed in the central state of Zacatecas on Friday, officials said, the latest in a string of assassinations of media workers this year that has piled criticism on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s government.
Juan Carlos Muniz, who worked for local news website Testigo Minero and was also a taxi driver, was shot in the head while driving at least two passengers, an employee at the outlet told Reuters.
Muniz’s death, which was confirmed by state police, follows at least five other murders of media workers in Mexico this year.
Local activists along with international groups and US lawmakers have called on Lopez Obrador to ramp up efforts to rein in the violence and protect reporters, including in Zacatecas.
Police said they would investigate the murder in relation to Muniz’s work as a reporter.
Around 145 journalists were killed in Mexico from 2000 to 2021, according to human rights organisation Article 19, making the country one of the deadliest for journalists.
