Kidnappers free two of three journalists taken in Mexico, group says
Two of three journalists recently kidnapped in southern Mexico have been freed unharmed, the journalists’ international free-speech group Article 19 said in a statement on Saturday.
Silvia Arce and Alberto Sánchez, who lead the digital RedSiete platform, were released during the early hours of the morning, the organisation said.
Both journalists were kidnapped on Wednesday by armed men who entered the outlet’s central Taxco offices, according to testimonies collected by Article 19.
Pedro Cardenas, a member of the press group, told Reuters the release was confirmed by people close to the journalists, but he declined to give further details.
Journalist Marco Toledo, director of the weekly Espectador de Taxco, remains kidnapped along with his son, while his wife was released, according to the organisation.
Cardenas said the woman had not suffered physical violence, citing people close to Toledo.
The attorney general’s office in the state of Guerrero on Thursday said it was investigating the disappearance of five people in the tourist town of Taxco, among them journalists Toledo, Arce and Sánchez.
Guerrero’s attorney general’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on recent developments.
Mexico is among the world’s deadliest countries for journalists, with five killed so far this year, according to Article 19. Last year marked the deadliest since the group began records in 2000, with 13 journalists murdered.