Gerardo García Pimentel

Gerardo Israel García Pimentel
Born	1983
Died	December 8, 2007 Uruapan, Michoacán
Occupation	Journalist

Gerardo Israel García Pimentel^[1] (1983 – December 8, 2007) was a Mexican journalist and crime reporter.

He was shot dead outside his home in Uruapan, Michoacán, after a high-speed car chase.^[2][3][4]

García Pimentel worked as a reporter for the newspaper La Opinión de Michoacán.^[2] He covered mainly agriculture, but occasionally also police affairs.^[5] The region has been scene of drug trafficking and frequent violence.^[6] In 2006 nine journalists were killed in Mexico for reporting on violence and drug traffic, according to Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders. The last 30 years more than 50 journalists were murdered in Mexico, many of the killings carried out to silence journalists reporting on organized crime such as drug trafficking.^[7] This makes Mexico one of the world's most dangerous areas for reporters – only Iraq is considered more dangerous.^[4][7]

The killing incident has been covered by newspapers worldwide.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13]}

Reaction

• Reporters Without Borders - “The motive for terrible murder is still unknown but the way García was apparently pursued before he was killed suggests he was personally targeted. “Michoacán is one of the states that have been hit worst by violence against the press, above all because of its powerful drug cartels. We extend our condolences to García’s family and we urge the authorities to take the case seriously and to explore the possibility that he was killed in connection with his work.” ^[1]

See also

• Mexican Drug War
• List of journalists killed in Mexico

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.nowpublic.com/crime/local-reporter-shot-dead-northern-mexico-0
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Asesinan a reportero en Michoacán" El Manana – Domingo, 09 de Diciembre de 2007 (Spanish) (Retrieved on December 9, 2007)
3. ↑ "Asesinan a tiros a un periodista en México" La Tercera – 09/12/2007 (Spanish) (Retrieved on December 9, 2007)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Gunmen in Mexico kill crime reporter" Reuters – Sun Dec 9, 2007 (Retrieved on December 9, 2007)
5. ↑ Un journaliste criblé de balles dans l’Etat du Michoacán pour des raisons encore inconnues Reporters Sans Frontiers – Mexique10.12.2007 (French) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
6. ↑ http://www.nowpublic.com/crime/local-reporter-shot-dead-northern-mexico-0 Now Public includes photo
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Journalist gunned down in western Mexico EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc. - Sunday, December 09, 2007 (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
8. ↑ "ASESINAN A UN PERIODISTA EN MICHOACAN" Ansalatina.com (Italian) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
9. ↑ "Drogen-Reporter mit 45 Schüssen getötet" Spiegel 09. Dezember 2007 (German) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
10. ↑ "Haber yapmanin bedeli 45 kursun!" Firat News Agency (Turkish) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
11. ↑ "Jornalista é morto a tiros no oeste do México" Folha Online (Portuguese) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
12. ↑ "Journalist skutt 45 ganger" Nettavisen (Norwegian) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)
13. ↑ "Drogenreporter in Mexiko nach Hetzjagd getötet" Basler Zeitung (German) (Retrieved on December 10, 2007)