MEXICO NEEDS LEGISLATION TO ENSURE PRESS FREEDOM

The recent decision by the San Antonio Express-News to temporarily
remove its border correspondent from its Laredo bureau was a judicious
move. The paper temporarily withdrew reporter Mariano Castillo after a
U.S. law enforcement source warned that an unspecified American
journalist was on the hit list of a Mexican criminal group.

In the current context of rampant violence, the threat must be taken
seriously.

Mexico's powerful drug cartels have repeatedly targeted Mexican
journalists, fueling a culture of self-censorship particularly along
the border. Despite a constitutional mandate to safeguard freedom of
the press, Mexico's federal government has done little either to
protect journalists or ensure the free circulation of
information.

The recent threat shows that U.S. journalists are not immune to the
dangers of reporting on drug trafficking, but Mexican journalists have
borne the brunt of the violence. The number of killings has spiraled
as cartels battle it out over lucrative smuggling routes. Mexico now
rivals Colombia as the most dangerous place to practice journalism in
Latin America.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists research, 18
journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000, six of them in
direct reprisal for their work. Meanwhile, five journalists have gone
missing since 2005. Three of them were covering crime stories.

Though the drug wars are particularly acute along the U.S.-Mexico
border, violence has spread to almost every Mexican state in the past
year. Organized crime-related executions have increased 10 percent
since President Felipe Calderon took office seven months ago, said
Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora. This year has been devastating:
More than 1,300 people have been killed in drug-related crimes.

One of the most damaging consequences of this climate of terror is the
fear it creates among different sectors of Mexican society. Scores of
reporters and numerous outlets are engaging in self-censorship for
fear of retaliation.

In late May, the Hermosillo-based daily Cambio de Sonora suspended
publication after two bomb attacks and repeated threats in a one-month
period. In the central state of Michoacan, five dailies abstain from
any reporting on crime, the news magazine Proceso reported this week.
In the lawless border city of Nuevo Laredo, identifying drug
traffickers by name is off-limits.

Sensitive issues such as drug trafficking, crime, corruption, human
rights abuses and other problems that affect the daily lives of
ordinary people are not being covered. The absence of a profound
debate over issues of public interest is seriously affecting the
health of Mexico's democracy.

Although the right to free expression is guaranteed by the Mexican
Constitution, thousands of citizens are not able to exercise this
right for fear of physical retribution. This unprecedented wave of
violence goes beyond the press: It is actually inhibiting the ability
of Mexicans to communicate with each other.

The federal government recognized violence against the press as a
national problem when it created a special prosecutor's office to
investigate crimes against the media in early 2006. But there have
been no successful prosecutions partly because murder and assault are
state crimes and the federal government has no jurisdiction to
intervene. And recent statements by the prosecutor's office
downplaying the threat to press freedom are deeply
discouraging.

President Calderon can help fulfill his constitutional responsibility
by proposing legislation making it a federal crime to conspire to
deprive Mexicans of their right to freedom of expression. Such
legislation would give the federal government the legal tools it needs
to protect the work of the press.

Joel Simon is executive director of the Committee to Protect
Journalists. Carlos Lauria is senior program director.