December 11, 2020 - 7:53 PM
MEXICO CITY - Press groups called on authorities in Mexico on Friday to investigate the killing of a news photographer who was shot to death, reportedly after taking photos of dead bodies.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said photojournalist Jaime Castaño was shot to death Wednesday in the northern state of Zacatecas.
The group said authorities should “swiftly and credibly investigate the murder.”
The CPJ lists Mexico as the deadliest country in the world for journalists in 2020. The Inter American Press Association said that prior to Castaño’s death, 10 media workers had been killed in Mexico so far this year.
The press group Article 19 reported Castaño was killed after taking photos of two bodies left on a roadside. Local media said he was killed after being told to leave the scene.
Castaño also reportedly worked for the press office of the city government of Jerez in Zacatecas. The city government posted its condolences for Castaño, signed by his “colleagues and friends of the press office and city council.”
Journalists in provincial Mexico often hold more than one job.
Zacatecas has been the scene of turf battles between the Jalisco drug cartel and other gangs, including elements of the Sinaloa cartel.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020