A former mayor in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico was sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting his involvement in the 2017 murder of journalist Miroslava Breach, lawyers for the family said on Wednesday. report.
Hugo Amed Shultz was sentenced Tuesday
"to eight years in prison, full compensation for damage, namely economic compensation and public apology"
by a court in Chihuahua, said in a statement Propuesta Civica, a civil organization which assists legally the family of the journalist.
Read also: Mexico: one of the murderers of journalist Javier Valdez found guilty
Amed Shultz, former mayor of Chinipas municipality, was arrested in December. According to the investigation of the prosecutor's office specializing in crimes against the press, the former city councilor, a member of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), had been charged with
"seeking and providing information"
on the journalist to the criminal group that 'killed. Miroslava Breach was assassinated in March 2017 after publishing an article in the daily La Jornada claiming that criminals from various organizations were seeking to run in local elections.
“I recognize that my contribution has affected Miroslava's rights and I regret the consequences it has had. The absence of Miroslava Breach as a critical voice of journalism has undoubtedly affected the right of society to public information, ”
said the former mayor during his trial, quoted by Propuesta Civica. This is the second conviction for the murder of Miroslava Breach, after that of Juan Carlos Moreno, one of the perpetrators of the murder, to 50 years in prison in March 2020. Miroslava Breach was a journalist recognized for her investigative articles concerning northern Mexico and his murder with eight bullets in the head in March 2017 sparked outrage at home and abroad.
The Breach-Valdez Prize, promoted by Unesco, the daily La Jornada, Agence France-Presse (AFP) and several European embassies, is awarded each year in Mexico in honor of Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez. The latter was another journalist recognized for his work in northern Mexico. A correspondent for La Jornada and AFP, he was assassinated in May 2017. Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with around 100 murdered since 2000, including seven in 2020 and one since the beginning of the year. More than 90% of these crimes go unpunished, according to press freedom organizations.
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