The body of Luis Martín Sánchez, a correspondent for the leading national daily La Jornada, has been found, bearing the signs of torture, in the state of Nayarit, in western Mexico. We call on the Mexican authorities to shed all possible light on his brutal murder and the abduction of two other journalists who had worked with  him.

Luis Martín Sánchez’s murder is a tragedy not only for those close to him but also for Mexican society as a whole. The level of violence against journalists has spiralled out of control in Mexico and must not be minimised. The Mexican authorities must urgently show that they are committed to changing this reality, and that they will prioritise combatting violence against media personnel. It will be impossible to rein in this vicious circle of extreme violence and censorship as long as it is seen as just a collateral effect of the structural violence that afflicts Mexico more broadly, rather than a constant attack on democracy itself.