RSF - Reporters sans frontières
RSF - Reporters sans frontières
01/09/2026 | Press release | Archived content
Mexico: RSF calls for justice after killing of Carlos Castro, eleventh journalist murdered under Sheinbaum’s presidency
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) unequivocally condemns the murder of Mexican journalist Carlos Castro on the night of 8 January in Poza Rica, a city in the state of Veracruz, as violence against the press persists in Mexico. He is the eleventh journalist to be killed since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024. RSF urges the authorities to ensure the ongoing investigation is swift, rigorous, completely transparent, and explores the possibility that the journalist's work was the motive for the crime as a priority.
Aged 25, Carlos Castrowas the director of the Facebook news page Código Norte de Veracruz, focused on security issues in the northern part of the state. He was shot deadon the night of 8 January in Poza Rica by unidentified armed men who burst into the restaurant where he was dining, fired at him at point-blank range and then fled the scene. The Veracruz Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation, while the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists (Comisión Estatal para la Atención y Protección de los Periodistas - CEAPP) condemned the crime, demanded that justice be served and expressed solidarity with the journalist's family.
According to RSF information, Carlos Castro had been threatened just over two years ago by municipal police officers in Poza Rica, which led to him being included in the local protection programme. Fearing for his life, the journalist temporarily left the city before resuming his work in 2025. According to the CEAPP, these protection measures were discontinued in 2024, as the authorities felt he was no longer at risk.
"We deeply regret the assassination of Carlos Castro, another deadly blow to journalism in Mexico. We call on the authorities to act swiftly and transparently, to identify and punish those responsible, and to prioritise the possibility that his journalism was a possible motive for the crime. Starting 2026 with the murder of a journalist, right on the heels of 2025 - the deadliest of the past three years for the Mexican press - is an extremely alarming sign. As President Claudia Sheinbaum enters the second year of her term, she once again has the opportunity - and the responsibility - to ensure this pattern of deadly violence does not continue in 2026.
Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America
Carlos Castro had also collaborated with other local media outlets, such as Vanguardia, La Opinión de Poza Ricaand the news portal Enfoque, mainly covering local police news, including arrests, accidents, homicides, kidnappings and corruption cases involving the authorities. His murder comes amid a climate of growing hostility towards the press in the region, where several journalists have reported repeated threats, abduction attempts and a glaring lack of resources provided by the authorities to ensure their safety.
Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. According to the 2025 RSF Round-Up, it remains one of the countries with the highest number of murdered journalists, an alarming situation that demands a firm commitment from the state to protect media professionals and guarantee the public's right to information.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Claudia Sheinbaum signed a pledgein favour of the protection and defence of journalism, drafted by RSF. However, to date, none of these measures has been fully implemented.
Published on09.01.2026
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