UN Urges Mexico to Investigate Death of Blogger Killed by Narcos

The head of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Monday urged Mexico to investigate the murder of citizen journalist Maria del Rosario Fuentes.

“It is important that the authorities do all in their power to bring those responsible for the killing of Ms Fuentes Rubio to justice, as this could help strengthen media independence and the right of information,” Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement.

Fuentes Rubio, a physician, was kidnapped Oct. 15 after leaving work at a clinic in Reynosa, a city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, which has long been a battleground for rival drug cartels.

The following day, a photograph of her dead body appeared on her social media account.

Bokova described Fuentes Rubio as “a brave woman who used social networks to circumvent organized crime groups’ efforts to suppress information about their activities in the media.”

Fuentes Rubio was a frequent contributor to the blog Valor por Tamaulipas (Courage for Tamaulipas), where she encouraged crime victims to report offenders to police.

Published in Latino Daily News