Ex-policeman confesses to murder of abducted Mexican journalist

The body of a Mexican journalist who was abducted by armed men three weeks ago has been found. And, according to authorities in Veracruz state, a former police officer has confessed to murdering Moises Sanchez, claiming he did so at the request of a mayor.

Sanchez a journalist in the town of Medellin de Bravo who published a weekly newspaper, La Union, disappeared on 2 January.

He published articles about local government corruption and violent deaths, and one of his paper’s frequent targets was the mayor, Omar Cruz. Sanchez’s relatives said he received threats before his disappearance.

On Sunday, the Veracruz state prosecutor, Luis Angel Bravo, announced that Sanchez’s body had been found the previous day on the outskirts of Medellin de Bravo.

Bravo said an ex-police officer had confessed to participating in Sanchez’s murder along with five other people on the instructions of the deputy director of the town’s police force, and allegedly at the request of Cruz.

The ex-police officer said they decapitated the journalist, mutilated his body and abandoned it in a ravine.

The mayor has immunity from prosecution but Bravo said he will ask the state legislature to withdraw the immunity so that Cruz can be charged.

At least 11 journalists have been killed in Veracruz state since December 2010, making it one of the most dangerous states in Mexico - itself a dangerous country - for reporters.

Source: AP via ABC, Theguardian.com
Photo: Reuters