The vibrant energy of a family-owned restaurant in Poza Rica, Veracruz, was shattered on January 8th with the brutal murder of Carlos Leonardo Ramírez Castro. The 26-year-old journalist, a fearless voice reporting on local organized crime, was silenced in a place meant for connection and sustenance.
Ramírez Castro directed Código Norte Veracruz and contributed to other regional news outlets, relentlessly pursuing stories others dared not touch. He had previously received police protection in 2024, a direct response to threats originating from within the municipal police force itself.
That protection, however, was tragically withdrawn when Ramírez Castro briefly left the state. Upon his return, the security detail was not reinstated, leaving him vulnerable to the very dangers he’d been warned about.
The aftermath of his funeral on January 10th brought further anguish. Two young women closely connected to Ramírez Castro – his girlfriend, Wendy Arantxa Portilla, 23, and friend, Karime Montserrat Murrieta, 22 – vanished without a trace, deepening the mystery and fear surrounding his death.
Ramírez Castro’s killing marks the eleventh death of a media professional since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024, and the first of 2026. It’s a stark and chilling statistic that underscores the escalating risks faced by journalists in Mexico.
International press freedom organizations have vehemently condemned the assassination, urgently calling on President Sheinbaum to fulfill her campaign promises to protect journalists. A comprehensive plan, developed with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) before the May 2024 election, remains largely unimplemented.
That plan included crucial reforms – ending the use of frivolous lawsuits to silence critical voices, strengthening journalist protection programs, and ensuring thorough federal investigations into attacks and disappearances. None of the 22 proposed steps have been fully realized.
Mexico consistently ranks among the most dangerous nations for journalists globally. In 2024, it was second only to Palestine, with nine journalists murdered. The situation has deteriorated rapidly, with four killings in 2023 and five in 2024.
The statistics are harrowing: over half of all journalists killed in the Americas were in Mexico, and the country accounts for roughly a third of all cases worldwide. The risks are particularly acute for those reporting on crime outside of the capital city.
The state of Veracruz has become a focal point of this violence. Just months before Ramírez Castro’s murder, photojournalist Avisack Douglas Coronado, 47, was killed while working with a mayoral candidate in Veracruz city.
The case of Rafael Leon Segovia, detained on terrorism charges after investigating the Veracruz Prosecutor’s office, further illustrates the dangers. Though recently released from house arrest with all charges dropped, his experience serves as a chilling warning to those who dare to investigate power.
These events paint a grim picture of a nation struggling to protect its journalists and uphold the fundamental right to freedom of the press. The call for justice, and a break from the cycle of impunity, grows ever more urgent.
