Threats against journos continue through April
Silvia Otero of the Mexican national newspaper El Universal wrote an article earlier this week reporting the arrest of Daniel Perez Rojas, also known as ‘El Cachetes’, in Guatemala.
According to CENCOS, Pérez Rojas is a former military officer and the former head bodyguard of drug cartel leader Osiel Cárdenas. He is also believed to have been one of the founders of the “Los Zetas” gang, ex-Army Special Forces turned mercenaries operating along the Texas-Mexico border region.
After writing the report. Otero received a far from courteous phone call from Pérez Rojas lawyer, Omar Cerecedo. He warned the journalist to be ‘careful and ask God to protect you.’
Meanwhile, in the state of Zacatecas, the family of MartÃn Carcaño received a phonecall just after 8pm on Monday night. Carcaño who works for Noticias en Tiempo Real Medios de Comunicación (NTR) – a media company that produces television programmes, printed supplements and websites.
A woman at the end of the line said: “watch your tongue; it’s too loose,” and “your family will be attacked.”
Carcaño thinks that the threats may well be related to the content of an investigative piece published in the supplement “La Semana”, distributed along with “El Sol de Zacatecas”
newspaper.
The investigative piece referred to the failures of Zacatecas Governor Amalia GarcÃa Medina’s inner circle, and the various ways in which they exercise their power.