Mexican journalist who received threats and had protection was murdered in Veracruz
Carlos Castro was the director of the news outlet Codigo Norte Veracruz, and had a history of threats, for which he received temporary protection
Carlos Castro, director of the news outlet Codigo Norte Veracruz, was shot while inside a restaurant in the municipality of Poza Rica.
According to initial reports, the journalist was at the business he managed with his family when unknown individuals and Heavily armed men stormed the place and shot him.
Castro covered security issues and had collaborated with various media outlets such as Vanguardia, Noreste, La Opinion de Poza Rica, and Enfoque.
After the murder was made public, the journalist's colleagues told local media that the victim had a history of threats and that, in 2024, the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists had granted him protection measures, but these were allegedly withdrawn months before the crime.
The state of Veracruz is considered one of the most dangerous for practicing journalism, according to EFE.
From 2005 to 2024, 31 journalists have been murdered, as well as four disappearances, according to figures from the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists.
Furthermore, in the municipality where Castro was attacked, there is a history of arrests of reporters linked to various crimes.
In 2020 alone, a correspondent for the newspaper La Opinion de Poza Rica and the website Al Calor Politico was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Maria Elena Ferral on March 30 of that year.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Mexico ranks this year as the second “most dangerous country for journalists,” second only to Gaza, where the Israeli invasion left more than 120 journalists dead.