Winner of the 2008 UNESCO Press Freedom Prize, Lydia Cacho Ribeiro in talks with Director-General of UNESCO, Mr. Koïsumo Matsuura at the award ceremony in Maputo. Photo: Jesper Højberg/IMS

Mexican journalist receives UNESCO Press Freedom Award 2008 for her courageous uncovering of sensitive issues thereby bringing international attention to the volatile situation engulfing journalists and media workers in Mexico

On Saturday, Lydia Cacho Ribeiro received the annual UNESCO World Press Freedom Award 2008 at a ceremony held in Maputo, Mocambique. Lydia Cacho Ribeiro, who is a Mexican national, has earned the prize following a journalistic career in which she has spared no cost or consequence for herself uncovering the involvement of high-ranking Mexican officials in child pornography and exposed drug traffickers in prostitution.

By insisting on breaking the silence of these and other highly sensitive issues in Mexico, Lydia Cacho Ribeiro has put herself in danger; she has received death threats, been targeted in a car bombing incident and been beaten up in jail. 

In her address at the award ceremony in Maputo, Lydia Cacho Ribeiro said:

-      This award may not protect me from death threats or from death itself. But it certainlyhelps to protect my written work and to enable a broader audience to know and understand the Mexican reality and the impact of the global crimes oftrafficking in persons and of child pornography. (see link to full speech)

IMS: Grave situation facing media in Mexico

IMS executive director, Jesper Højberg, who attended the UNESCO prize award in Maputo, participated in the international press freedom and freedom of expression mission to Mexico in April, which set out to investigate the attacks and killings of journalist and media practitioners in Mexico.

During the visit Jesper Højberg met Lydia Cacho Ribeiro and other journalists as well as civil society organisations to learn about the silencing of journalists who cover issues related to corruption and drug trafficking:

- The silence surrounding certain topics in Mexico is alarming. I have never experienced such deafening silence anywhere. Even the best media fall victim to the red lines that exist, especially in cases that suggest collusion between political actors and criminal groups, says Jesper Højberg.

During the international mission it became clear that access to information poses a particular challenge for media in Mexico. The federal government recently passed one of the most progressive laws on access to information. According to Jesper Højberg, this shows that at federal level there is an awareness of the importance of ensuring, that information is made available to the general public. In contrast to this, journalists and media workers like Lydia, who wish to apply the law, face serious difficulties in obtaining and delivering information.

- Lydia is the embodiment of these challenges; she rejected being silenced and had to face the consequences being targeted on her personal security. On top of that, Lydia was accused of defamation, which is a criminal offence in Mexico, as a means to silence her, says Jesper Højberg.

The International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Investigative Mission into Attacks and Killings of Journalists and Media in Mexico included representatives of Article 19, International Media Support (IMS); International Press Institute (IPI); World Association of Community Radios (AMARC); Rory Peck Trust; Reporters Without Borders (RSF); International Federation of Journalists (IFJ); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); International News Safety Institute (INSI); Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ); Inter-American Press Association (IAPA); Open Society Institute (OSI),and the Press Freedom Foundation in Colombia (FLIP).

The group will issue a report shortly on the findings of the mission focusing particularly on the issues on impunity, safety and protection as well as self-censorship. The report report will include recommendations and an action plan for all actors who expressed willingness to engage in addressing these key challenges.