Monitor Michoacán closed after murders of journalists Roberto Toledo and Armando Linares

The press has become the main target of violence in Mexico. So far in 2022 alone, eight journalists have been killed in different parts of the country, a situation that has led to the measures to be taken by the media to ensure their safety, including total closure.

This was the case of Monitor Michoacán, a media outlet that ceased to exist since March 15, the date on which the death of Armando Linares, the second collaborator of this medium executed this year, was recorded.

Through his Facebook profile, Joel Vera, another journalist on this website, shared a statement to reveal the details of this decision, as well as his feelings regarding the murder of his colleagues.

On behalf of the digital portal, Vera condemned the execution of Linares, who served as director, and recalled that he was cowardly attacked with firearms while he was at home. “We raise our prayers and we stand in solidarity with his family who we hope will find resignation soon,” he said.

He later condemned the lack of professionalism of the Office of the Special Prosecutor for the Attention of Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression, an instance which, he said, has in its possession evidence of the masterminds of the murder.

She also criticized her failure to act and provide protective measures, and therefore urged her to change her way of acting so as not to wait for the death of a journalist at the hands of crime or the government itself.

Vera made a wake-up call to the State Government and the Attorney General's Office. He noted that, despite having been aware of all the threats, intimidations and repression of freedom of expression, they only issued a statement 43 days after the assassination of Roberto Toledo Barrera.

“The only thing that has been evidenced is a lack of interest in finding those responsible both intellectual and material, which is understandable because within both ranks the murderers are found”, the journalist deepened.

He also reproached the Municipal Government of Zitácuaro for not addressing the problems that exist in the territory, since, he said, since the entry of the new administration, only the media have been bought from the media to sell the image of a few politicians, a fact that was evidenced by Linares.

Nor were the media in the Eastern Region of Michoacán spared Joel Vera's questioning, especially those he called “chayoteros”, since he pointed out that they should use their freedom of expression to benefit from politicians who profit from their work, a scenario that includes them in the actions of corrupt governments.

For this reason, he indicated that with their “lack of professionalism and respect for society” they turned their backs on communicators who strive to do journalistic work in order to have a better society.

Finally, he confirmed that the journalistic work carried out through the Digital Monitor Michoacán Portal was completed. He said that his work made many people in power uncomfortable, so, he explained, they will continue to demand justice from the authorities for the deaths of Roberto Toledo and Armando Linares.

“Those of us who make up the Monitor Michoacán team remember Armando Linares López as a strong, fierce, passionate person, he made a difference and demonstrated that journalism can be practiced while faithful to society. We will always remember you with the smile that characterized you and the wise words that at the time you said 'we are not armed, we do not carry weapons; our only defense is a pen, a pen, a notebook, '” the statement concluded.

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