UNITY Journalists urges the Mexican government to swiftly implement the ‘Law for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists’ which has been approved by both chambers of the Mexican Federal Congress. This legislation seeks to guarantee and safeguard the life, integrity and security of human rights defenders and journalists by creating a mechanism with authority to implement measures to protect those at risk, as well as preventing such risks from reoccurring.

UNITY Journalists joins the United Nations, the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters without Borders in advocating for an immediate stop to the killings and threats repeatedly suffered by rights defenders and journalists in Mexico. The recent killing of four press workers in Veracruz underscores the dire need for concrete steps to be taken to guarantee the safety of journalists and put an end to impunity.

UNITY Journalists is an alliance of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA). It is based in Washington, D.C.

For release May 15, 2012
Contact: Onica Makwakwa, Executive Director
UNITY: Journalists of Color
Telephone: 703.854.3594
Email: executive@unityjournalists.org