Mexican journalist killed in Veracruz, 10th murdered in 2019

XALAPA, Mexico – A journalist in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz has been shot dead just days before he was scheduled to testify before state authorities about threats of violence against him.

The state attorney’s office said in a statement that Jorge Celestino Ruiz Vázquez was found dead at his home shortly before midnight Friday after police responded to a call alerting them to gunshots at the residence in Actopan, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of state capital Xalapa.

Ruiz Vázquez was scheduled to give statements to authorities next Tuesday. He alleged that Actopan Mayor Paulino Domínguez Sánchez was behind the threats.

The Committee to Protect Journalists says Ruiz Vázquez was the third journalist killed in a single week, and the 10th killed this year, in Mexico./gsg