By Elvia Díaz
Eight journalists have been slain so far this year, making Mexico once again one of the most dangerous countries in the Western Hemisphere for journalists and media workers. At least 148 have been murdered since 2000.
This level of violence against journalists is on par with war zones like Syria and Afghanistan, according to various groups.
Why is this happening? Why is the Mexican government tolerating this brutality and letting most murders of journalists – not to mention the hundreds of thousands of drug-related killings – go unpunished?
Why violence in Mexico matters
Mexico is just next door, our neighbor to the south. What happens there should concern us all, especially the killing of journalists because it reflects a steep decline in democratic values.
The White House and European lawmakers are finally beginning to raise the alarm. The European Union seems to understand how serious of a threat those killings are to democracy in Mexico and how that has repercussions around the world.
The stakes are even higher for the United States because the flow of goods and services between the 2,000-mile-shared-border isn’t limited to the $677 billion worth of trade between the two countries.
To grasp the undercurrents raging in Mexico, we have to go beyond the sensational headlines about throngs of border crossers and Trump’s border wall.
Cartel turf battles are part of daily life
Mexico is a country of nearly 130 million people, rich in oil and ancient cultures. It is famous for stunning beaches and tequila sipped around the world. It has a growing middle class that can afford anything from cars to smartphones to flat-screen TVs.
But 56 million people still lived in poverty in 2020, Reuters reports.
Its people live in parallel worlds, one in which thugs leave bodies hanging on bridges, dumped on roadsides, tossed in clandestine mass graves, or riddled with bullets in front of their homes.
By Elvia Díaz, Arizona Republic
Source: YN
