UNESCO DG condemns the killing of journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís in Mexico

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has condemned the killing of journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís in the city of Uruapan, State of Michoacán, Mexico on 29 October 2024. He was reportedly shot dead in the streets minutes after a live-streamed interview with the mayor of Uruapan.

"I condemn the killing of Mauricio Cruz Solís and call for a full and thorough investigation to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Impunity must not be tolerated as it emboldens those who seek to silence journalists and prevent them from fulfilling their crucial role of informing the public."

Mauricio Cruz Solís was a 25-year-old reporter working as a news anchor for radio station Radiorama Michoacán, and the director of digital outlet Minuto x Minuto. He had also worked for ABC de Urapán and Enlace Zamora Noticias.

Familiares y reporteros marchan en Uruapan para exigir justicia por el homicidio del periodista Mauricio Cruz Solíshttps://t.co/QeSBbqgGjk pic.twitter.com/uu8CpUqgBo

— La Voz de Michoacán (@vozmichoacan) November 10, 2024

He was only 25 years old. Mauricio Cruz Solís, director of the digital media Minuto x Minuto and presenter of the news programme "La Poderosa Uruapan" (“The Powerful Uruapan”) on the local radio station Radiorama, was brutally shot dead in the centre of the municipality of Uruapan, in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, on Tuesday 29 October. 

According to official reports, the murder took place a few minutes after the journalist had broadcast live on his social networks an interview with the town's mayor, Carlos Manzo. Mauricio was covering issues relating to public safety and local politics. The Michoacán Attorney General's Office publicly announced that an investigation had been opened into the case.