Tuesday, August 25, 2015

At least 6 people killed in Mexico attack

At least 6 people killed in Mexico attack
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/08/14/424623/Mexico-gunmen-kill-journalist
Fri Aug 14, 2015 1:11AM

Mexican photojournalists hold a picture of murdered colleague, Ruben Espinosa, and a banner reading "Duarte assassin. Not one more" – for Javier Duarte, the governor of Veracruz – during a demonstration in Guadalajara City, on August 2, 2015. ©AFP

A journalist and five other people have been killed in the southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz, which has been described as one of the most dangerous places in the country for reporters.

Journalist Juan Santos Carrera worked in Veracruz for news broadcaster, Telever.

He was at a venue in the early hours of Thursday when armed attackers opened fire on him killing him and several others at a bar.

Jose Marquez Balderas, a local leader of the criminal gang Los Zetas, was also among the dead. The Veracruz state government said he was presumably the main target of the attack.

However, other journalists who witnessed the attack believe Santos had been the main target of the attack.

Santos was reportedly chatting with two people at a table when five armed men arrived at the bar, heading directly for their table.

The area where the attack happened is popular among reporters who cover crimes in Mexico.

At least two reporters who witnessed the attack are now under government protection in the city of Veracruz.

Santos is the 14th reporter killed in Veracruz since 2010, when Governor Javier Duarte took office.

Last month, photojournalist Ruben Espinosa was killed in Mexico City after receiving death threats and fleeing Veracruz.

He was found dead in an apartment with four women, one of them a social activist who had also fled Veracruz. The victims all showed signs of torture and each had a bullet wound to the head.

Espinosa's murder unleashed a wave of outrage and highlighted the dangerous conditions for journalists in Mexico.

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