SAN PABLO ETLA, Oaxaca — Political columnist and former public media director Alejandro Leyva Aguilar was shot and killed on Wednesday, July 22, while eating breakfast at a local establishment in San Pablo Etla, a municipality near Oaxaca’s capital.
Emergency medical personnel and local law enforcement dispatched to the scene confirmed that Leyva Aguilar died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Leyva was a veteran Oaxacan communicator who previously served as director general of the state public broadcasting network, Corporación Oaxaqueña de Radio y Televisión (CORTV), during former Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa’s administration. He was currently writing the political column “El Zumbido del Moscardón” (The Buzz of the Blowfly), where he regularly published sharp critiques regarding public spending, regional security, and the administration of Governor Salomón Jara Cruz.
Press freedom organization Artículo 19 confirmed that Leyva represents the sixth media worker killed in Mexico in 2026. The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) and Alianza de Medios Mx issued statements condemning the assassination and demanding an exhaustive, transparent investigation that includes his journalism as a primary line of inquiry.
📣 ARTICLE 19 condena el asesinato del periodista Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, exdirector de la Corporación Oaxaqueña de Radio y Televisión (CORTV), autor de la columna El Zumbido del Moscardón, ocurrido esta mañana, en el municipio de San Pablo Etlan, #OaxacaDeJuárez
— ARTICLE 19 México y Centroamérica (@article19mxca) July 22, 2026
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Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz firmly condemned the murder and expressed solidarity with Leyva’s family and colleagues. Despite Leyva’s outspoken criticism of his administration, Jara emphasized that no political disagreement justifies violence and requested coordination between state prosecutors and the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to bring those responsible to justice. Federal security officials pledged full support to ensure the crime does not go unpunished.
Mexico continues to rank as one of the most hazardous countries globally for journalists, particularly for those reporting on regional politics, corruption, and local governance.
Source: OEM
