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Mexico: UC Berkeley reports 337 murders of journalists and defenders
A report by the Human Rights Center (HRC) at the University of California, Berkeley, has documented the murders of 337 journalists and human rights defenders during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The investigation, titled ‘Bajo ataque: Persecución de periodistas y defensores de los derechos humanos en México’, identifies 78 journalists and 259 human rights defenders among the victims.
The HRC findings suggest a pattern of state-sponsored or state-tolerated violence, noting that impunity for crimes against these groups remained between 93% and 99%. The report also details the use of surveillance technology, including Pegasus software and Geomatrix, by military intelligence units within the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) to monitor activists and the press.
The research was supported by approximately 6 terabytes of leaked internal SEDENA documents and emails following the 2022 Guacamaya hack. The study covers the period from December 2018 through September 2024.
Entities
Andrés Manuel López Obrador · Article 19 · Human Rights Center · NSO Group · Pegasus · Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional · University of California, Berkeley
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Of the 337 victims, 78 were journalists and 259 were human rights defenders. www.uniradiosonora.com · www.uniradiobaja.com · drvnoticias.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The study covers the period from December 2018 to September 2024. drvnoticias.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] A military intelligence unit of the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) used Pegasus software to spy on journalists and defenders. www.uniradiosonora.com · www.uniradiobaja.com · drvnoticias.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Impunity for crimes against these groups remained between approximately 93% and 99% throughout the period. www.uniradiosonora.com · www.uniradiobaja.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The HRC documented 337 murders of journalists and human rights defenders during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. www.uniradiosonora.com · www.uniradiobaja.com · drvnoticias.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation utilized approximately 6 terabytes of leaked SEDENA emails and files from the Guacamaya hack in 2022. www.uniradiosonora.com · www.uniradiobaja.com · drvnoticias.com