[REVISION HISTORY]

Mexico journalist murders surge 2026

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-13 14:03 UTC → 2026-09-01 20:58 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The wave of journalist killings that began after Governor Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024 has continued to intensify. A tally released by local media in early July 2026 lists sixteen journalists killed between October 2024 and July 2026, spanning states such as Michoacán, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Puebla. Reporters Without Borders recorded nine murders in 2025 and two further killings in early 2026 – the shooting of Carlos Castro on 8 January in Poza Rica and the abduction and later discovery of Roxana Guzmán’s body in June-July. The summer of 2026 saw at least six additional journalists slain: Juan David Gámez (Nuevo León), Luis Ángel López (Veracruz), Alex Serna (Guerrero), Josué Martínez Contreras (Puebla), and political columnist Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar (Oaxaca), whose death on 22 July sparked a coalition of Oaxaca media organisations forming a common front demanding a full investigation and protection of press freedom. New reports indicate that the violence in 2026 has reached levels not seen since 2011-2012. Regarding the assassination of Leyva, details have emerged that he had spent a year seeking protection following death threats and smear campaigns. Despite reporting threats to state and federal authorities in July 2025, no protection was provided, and a case file from the Federal Attorney General's Office was reportedly lost. Leyva had been planning to appeal to the Inter-American system of human rights before he was killed. Additionally, the killing of Roxana Berenice Guzmán in Veracruz has led to the detention of several local police officers for alleged complicity. Reporters Without Borders has called for an emergency plan to combat systemic impunity. In Oaxaca, journalist Ernesto Rojas Ayuzo has filed formal complaints with the Human Rights Defender of the People of Oaxaca and criminal charges against state officials.

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