U.S. The U.S. accuses Sanjuana Martínez, director of Notimex, of orchestrating attacks on journalists, in its 2020 National Report on Human Rights practices, in its chapter: Mexico.
Editor. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The U.S. State Department points to Sanjuana Martinez, director of the Mexican State News Agency, Notimex, of orchestrating a series of actions that threaten freedom of expression, in its 2020 National Report on Human Rights Practices, in its chapter: Mexico.
In section 2 of the report, which is titled Respect for Civil Libertieswhich includes freedom of expression, reports that "Sanjuana Martínez Montemayor, director of Notimex, the Mexican State News Agency, ordered journalists to remove or not to publish content about certain institutions and government officials.
The above, he said, according to information from the news agency Aristegui NewsThe digital studies laboratory Signa Lab and the non-profit organization Article 19.
Regarding Internet FreedomOn May 12, Article 19 and the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) of the Jesuit University of Guadalajara published a report on the attacks against journalists orchestrated by Sanjuana Martínez, director of Notimex," the U.S. State Department said.
In that sense, it explains that "ten witnesses with direct knowledge of the Notimex newsroom told Artículo 19 about the existence of a WhatsApp chat called 'The Avengers N'".
That chat, he said, "was used by agency executives, at the behest of Sanjuana Martinez, to order journalists to create fake Twitter accounts and post messages against voices critical of Notimex's leadership."
The document details that "Sanjuana Martinez ordered her collaborators to attack prominent Mexican journalists who questioned the appointment of Sanjuana Martinez as director of the state news agency".
In view of this, the organization "Article 19 pointed out that the attacks were very serious and put the lives and careers of the journalists at risk".
It should be noted that Notimex, which is now on strike, has been involved in various controversies due to the actions of Sanjuana Martínez Montemayor, as the workers of the Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de Notimex - SutNotimex - have pointed out on several occasions that the director of the agency dismissed several workers in an irregular manner, in addition to having closed the offices of Mexico's correspondents abroad.
The Mexican State News Agency has been on strike since February 2020, where dozens of workers are suffering from the inclemencies and ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The document issued Tuesday also notes that the Mexican government did not restrict or disrupt Internet access, nor did it block or filter online content.
However, he pointed out that the report Freedom on the Net by Freedom House of 2019 classified Mexico's Internet as "partially free," and noted concerns about online manipulation tactics, high levels of violence against digital reporters, and investigations surrounding abusive surveillance practices.
Similarly, he said the report noted that political supporters launched campaigns on social networks against journalists who criticized the daily live press conferences of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
While "a trend on social media also saw public officials blocking critical journalists and media from following their social media accounts."
For the full report by the U.S. State Department's Mexico chapter, go to the website https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/mexico/.
