Truth-telling can and does cost journalists and investigators their lives in many parts of the world. Earlier this month, Mexican photojournalist Rubén Espinosa lost his life for reporting corruption, as Avaaz raises a voice to get justice for him.
The petition launched by Avaaz targets Attorney General for Mexico City, Ricardo Nájera, Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Freedom of Expression, and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto with the demand for a full investigation into the murder. To date, over 480K people have signed the petition.
Within hours of the first story about his killing, The Guardian quoted a free press advocacy group telling that Espinosa had been tortured before death. Not only that but three women who lived in the same place were sexually assaulted before being shot in the head like Espinosa was shot.
The brutal killings of journalists and investigators are very prevalent in the third world. Pakistan for example is a highly insecure place for investigative journalists. The killing of journalist Saleem Sehhzad took place within a week of the publication of his book Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11.
They all fight for truth and are thus the true martyrs in this war of good and evil that goes back to the dawn of time.
