Crime reporter shot dead in Mexico

The eastern coastal state of Veracruz is plagued by drug violence and is considered a particularly high-risk region for journalists.

Luis Angel Lopez Valdez had already received threats due to his reporting, and local authorities had taken measures to protect him, the Vanguardia newspaper said on social media.

"Lopez Valdez was killed early Thursday morning in (the city of) Poza Rica, after being intercepted by armed men while driving," an article published on its website stated.

The publication called for "justice" so that the reporter's death "does not go unpunished."

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to practice journalism, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The organization, which recorded more than 150 journalists killed in Mexico since 1994, called for an "urgent investigation and stronger safeguards for the press."

"As the country opened the 2026 @FIFAWorldCup, journalist Luis Angel Lopez Valdez of Vanguardia de Veracruz was murdered," RSF wrote on X.

Freedom of expression monitor Article 19 called for a "diligent and expeditious" investigation into Lopez Valdez's death.

Journalist Carlos Castro was also shot dead in Veracruz in January.

And in recent days, two men broke into the home of journalist Roxana Guzman and kidnapped her, in an incident captured in a chilling video recording. Her whereabouts remain unknown.