Woman journalist María Luisa Estrada was once again the victim of death threats. Last Wednesday, 25 June, at approximately 1pm, when she was with her underage daughter in her home in Guadalajara, Jalisco, unknown persons broke one of the windows of her van. Upon searching the vehicle, the journalist found a note on the back seat that read, “You are going to die”.
María Luisa Estrada, who covers security, corruption and political matters, has been the target of harassment and repeated attacks due to her work as a journalist and news reporter. On 15 July 2023, while she was traveling in her vehicle, she was intercepted by a car driven by an unknown person who shot at her at least five times, shouted that he would kill her and then fled. Fortunately, the journalist managed to escape and was protected by members of the tourist police. After the incident, she filed a report with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the Guadalajara Municipal Police, the National Guard, and the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists, but so far, despite the continuous attacks, she has not been granted protection measures to ensure her safety.
In September of the same year, María Luisa reported that she was refused reception at the Attorney General’s Office, that she was expelled by private security personnel, and that the Public Prosecutor's Office refused to investigate her complaint. The journalist also denounced the attack she experienced when she went to drop her daughter off at school, and was detained and harassed by various Guadalajara municipal police officers.
It is important to note that in 2023, the journalist attended a press conference of then Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, where she gave an account of the attempts on her life and how the authorities have obstructed her access to justice.
The National Network of Women Defenders in Mexico and IM-Defensoras are concerned about the increasing and systematic nature of the attacks and harassment that place María Luisa Estrada’s life at risk. Monitoring her emotional stability and that of her family is a matter of urgency.
We condemn the threats, harassment and attacks against her and demand that the responsible authorities carry out a thorough, serious and impartial investigation of these incidents, with a gender perspective and taking into account María Luisa’s profession as a journalist as one of the possible causes.
We also demand that the Mexican State, at all levels, take the necessary measures to guarantee the exercise of journalism in the state of Guadalajara under the due conditions of freedom and security.
Finally, we ask our allies, the international and national community to remain vigilant regarding this case and to support María Luisa in this moment of multiple attacks. Defending rights should not endanger the life of any of our sisters.