AMERICAN JOURNALIST IS KILLED IN MEXICO

MEXICO CITY -- An autopsy has revealed that Philip True, a Mexico
City-based reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, was sexually
assaulted and killed in a remote area of western Mexico, authorities
said Thursday.

The U.S. Embassy had said on Wednesday that True, 50, apparently died
of injuries suffered in a fall while hiking in the mountains of
Jalisco. But Gerry Keener, an embassy spokeswoman, said Thursday that
an autopsy had shown that True had been the victim of foul play. She
would not elaborate.

Mexican government officials said in television interviews that True
had suffered head injuries and had been strangled with a cord. He also
had been sexually assaulted, officials said.

Word of True's slaying sent a chill through Mexico's journalism
community because it appears he may have been killed while
investigating drug trafficking.

Although on vacation, True apparently was reporting on the Huichol
Indian community. The area reportedly has ruthless drug-trafficking
gangs that often employ the indigenous population.

Joel Simon, program coordinator for The Committee to Protect
Journalists in New York, said True may have stumbled upon an elicit
enterprise, such as drug running or illegal logging.

"I'm afraid that there are strong suggestions that this was carried
out because of his work," Simon said. "He wasn't robbed."

True's body was recovered in a canyon on Wednesday on the border
between the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. He was wearing his watch
and his wedding ring and his wallet was on his person.

People familiar with the drug trade in Mexico speculated that the
sexual assault could have been an attempt by drug barons to intimidate
reporters.

On Thursday, the office of President Ernesto Zedillo issued a
statement condemning the slaying. Zedillo ordered federal authorities
to launch an all-out investigation.

The president also asked the governments of Jalisco and Nayarit to
cooperate in the investigation. "The Mexican government," the
statement said, "ratifies its respect for journalism and for freedom
of expression."

Although the motive is uncertain, True's slaying has rattled some of
his colleagues in Mexico. American reporters generally have believed
they are off limits to violence at the hands of narco-traffickers.

Mexican journalists often are targeted by the cartels. In February, a
Mexican reporter who covered drug trafficking for a Mexico City daily
was killed.

Simon said that True's death serves as a reminder of the dangers of
working as a journalist in Mexico. "Clearly," he said, "there are
special risks that journalists face . . . when they visit isolated
villages."

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady