The Mexican communicator Alan García Zúñiga, who was violently deprived of his liberty on January 22 in Veracruz, appeared safe and sound, state authorities reported this Sunday. The victim, who operates a Facebook page with official police information and works as an stretcher bearer at a Pemex hospital, was transferred to a health institution for a medical evaluation and is currently under the protection of his family.
The State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists, an autonomous governmental body, confirmed the communicator's appearance and said it was thanks to a joint operation between federal and state authorities. In a press release, the Commission stated that it maintains close coordination with the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists of the Ministry of the Interior to ensure proper follow-up of the case.
However, state authorities have not provided details about the victim's appearance. On January 22, the victim's family reported that the communicator had been deprived of his liberty by an armed group in the municipality of Poza Rica, in northern Veracruz.
García Zúñiga had previously collaborated with the newspapers Noreste and El Dictamen, later he stopped reporting and maintained his page on the social network. In addition, he was registered in the Federal Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists after suffering a gun attack in 2017.
Veracruz is considered by non-governmental organizations as one of the most dangerous regions in Mexico and the world to practice journalism. According to statistics from the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists, there have been 31 murders of journalists and four disappearances from 2005 to 2024 in Veracruz.
