Police attack journalists in Mexico

The breakdown of law and order in certain Mexican cities means that journalists can not only not count on police protection but are also coming under attack from police officers. The latest example of police assaults on reporters happened last Friday, 3 February, in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. Joel González, a reporter with El Diario, was arrested and beaten by officers while attempting to report on the arbitrary arrest of a citizen in front of the newspaper's offices. He has since filed a complaint with the attorney general for abuse by the authorities. El Diario also reported that on 31 January, police threatened and attacked reporters trying to photograph and film a police search of a home where three people were arrested and drugs and arms were seized. The day before, police pointed their rifles at two journalists from the newspaper Norte, forcing them to delete photos they had taken. The Association of Journalists of Ciudad Juarez urged the state governor to institute controls over the city's police.