Press Freedom Monitoring Desk Islamabad
Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas, a 35-year-old photographer and local journalist, was killed on 29 August in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, in the state of Puebla, after publicly reporting threats linked to his reporting. He is the second journalist to be murdered in Puebla in less than two months.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the murder, calls for a thorough investigation and urges President Claudia Sheinbaum and the federal authorities to activate the nationwide emergency response to violence against journalists demanded by RSF on 26 August.
Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas was shot dead on 29 August in the small rural community of Santa Cruz Atopoltitlán, in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, Puebla. He is the eighth reporter in Mexico to be killed due to their work in 2026 — an average of one dead journalist per month.
According to press reports such as El Universal or La Jornada, two men on a motorbike arrived at Productos Zuma, Zúñiga’s cleaning-products store, where the media worker was present, entered the premises and shot him, who was taken to Tehuitzingo Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The local journalist primarily used his Facebook page, which had around 13,000 followers, to publish photographs and videos, and livestream citizen complaints and reports on matters of public interest in Tehuitzingo and other municipalities in the region. He also published content through his YouTube channel, Richie TV, covering local public works, the management of public funds and other matters of public interest in the region.
On 9 May, Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas reported publicly on his Facebook page that he had received a phone call on 3 April from an unidentified person who demanded that he stop questioning the municipal administration about the management of the local rubbish dump, the use of public funds, municipal works and other local political issues. According to his Facebook post, the caller warned him that there would be consequences for him if he continued reporting on these issues.
A police investigation into the murder is already underway. The government of the state of Puebla has publicly condemned the murder and called on the Attorney General’s Office (FGE) of Puebla state to determine whether Zúñiga’s reporting activities were the motive for the crime.
Artur Romeu, Director, RSF Latin America said, “The murder of Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas cannot be treated as an isolated incident. The news professional, who had publicly reported threats linked to his journalistic work, was killed just 23 days after RSF and other organisations called on the authorities in Puebla to urgently strengthen investigations and protection measures for journalists. The State Attorney General’s Office must now turn its commitments into concrete results and establish both who killed Zúñiga and who was behind the threats that preceded his murder.
2026: a wave of murdered journalists
Zúñiga’s murder comes just three days after a communications operation by RSF and over 40 media outlets across Mexico calling on President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government and the justice department to take concrete action to protect the country’s endangered news professionals. RSF had also met with Puebla State Attorney General Idamis Pastor Betancourt on 6 August to call for stronger protection measures for journalists, alongside fellow press freedom organisations ARTICLE 19, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Propuesta Cívica.
2026 Murdered Journalists in Mexico
Ricardo Zúñiga Rosas (Puebla) – Shot dead on August 29, 2026, at his cleaning-products store in Tehuitzingo by two men on a motorcycle. He ran a local media outlet and had reported public threats.
Francisco Alejandro Leyva Aguilar (Oaxaca) – Shot dead on July 22, 2026, at a food stall in San Pablo Etla. He was a veteran political columnist and former director of CORTV who had previously filed complaints over death threats.
Josué Martínez Contreras (Puebla) – Shot dead on July 16, 2026, in San Martín Texmelucan in front of his 13-year-old son by gunmen on a motorcycle. He founded the news site Noticias San Martín Texmelucan.
Manuel Alejandro Moreno Serna / Alex Serna (Guerrero) – Found dead on July 3, 2026, showing signs of torture after being reported missing on June 20. He worked for Observatorio Ciudadano de la Costa Grande.
Roxana Berenice Guzmán Ramírez (Veracruz) – Abducted from her home in Nanchital on June 2, 2026, and later found murdered and calcinated in late June. She reported for Pulso Informativo del Sureste.
Luis Ángel López Valdez (Veracruz) – Murdered on June 11, 2026, in Poza Rica. He was the director of Reportaje Policiaco Veracruzano and had been enrolled in a state protection scheme.
Juan David Gámez (Guerrero / Nuevo León context) – Killed on March 18, 2026, while working for the outlet Táctica SS.
Carlos Leonardo Castro (Veracruz) – Shot dead on January 8, 2026, in Poza Rica. He led the news website Código Norte Veracruz and covered local crime.
Key Concerns from Press Organizations
Impunity: Press freedom watchdogs like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) note that arrests are rare and systemic impunity continues to fuel violence against local reporters.
Protection Failures: Several victims had previously received threats or were even enrolled in state protection programs that failed to prevent their deaths.
