Carlos Domínguez Rodríguez

Veteran journalist Carlos Domínguez Rodríguez was murdered on 13 January 2018 in broad daylight in the centre of Nuevo Laredo, a border town in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. Masked men dragged Carlos from the car in which he was travelling and stabbed him repeatedly.
A politically committed reporter and columnist for the Noreste Digital and Horizonte de Matamoros news websites, he had been a journalist for nearly 40 years and had always been very critical of the local authorities. Colleagues paid tribute to his independence and dedication.

In recent years, he had been very critical of former Nuevo Laredo mayor Carlos Cantú Rosas and the current mayor of the nearby city of San Nicolás, Verónica Castellanos. His articles also often criticized the frequent kidnappings and the increase in organized crime violence in Nuevo Laredo.

On the eve of his murder, he wrote an impassioned editorial headlined, ‘Mexico shaken by election period violence’ in which he denounced the failures of the federal government’s security policies and the past 18 years of impunity. He also accused the mayor of San Nicolás of “turning on journalists who criticize her enormous shortcomings.”

Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, stated, “I condemn the assassination of Carlos Domínguez Rodríguez in Mexico and urge the authorities to ensure an effective investigation” adding, “bringing journalists’ killers to justice is crucial to end violence against those who defend the public’s right to know.”

Source: Reporters without Borders / UNESCO


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Region:Americas

Country:Mexico

Department/Province/State:Tamaulipas

Sex1:Male

Age:77

Date of Killing:13/01/2018

Previous Threats:No

Type of Work:Journalist/communicator

Sector or Type of Rights the HRD Worked On:Civil and Political Rights, ESC Rights

Sector Detail:Abuse of power/corruption, Impunity/Justice

More information:Front Line Defenders

1This database records an individual's chosen gender identity. If they do not self-identify as male or female they can use the option of recording other/neither or use the term NBGI (non binary gender identity).