From the Committee to Protect Journalists, Nov. 17:
José Manuel Nava Sånchez, former director of the Mexico City-based daily Excélsior and columnist for the national daily El Sol de México, was found murdered yesterday in his apartment. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating whether the killing is connected to his work.
According to the Mexican press, Navaâs body was found around 9 a.m. by a cleaner in his Mexico City apartment. He had been stabbed at least seven times on the neck and chest. Local authorities told reporters that a number of valuable items were apparently missing from the journalistâs home.
Nava had been ExcĂ©lsiorâs director from February 2002 until December 2005, when the paper was bought by Grupo Imagen, owner of several Mexican radio stations. Until then, ExcĂ©lsior had been run by its journalists and employees as a cooperative. Before taking over as director, Nava had been ExcĂ©lsiorâs correspondent in Washington D.C. for 16 years.
In September, Nava began writing the daily column “Nuevo Poder” (New Power) for El Sol de MĂ©xico, said Guillermo Chao, information director for the Mexican Editorial Organization that owns the daily. Navaâs columns focused on political and social analysis, Chao told CPJ.
On November 6, Nava published a book entitled ExcĂ©lsior, el asalto final (ExcĂ©lsior, the Final Assault), criticizing Mexican government officials, ExcĂ©lsior employees and members of the Mexican business community for their role in the demise of ExcĂ©lsior as a cooperative, the local press reported. Nava accused several individuals of dishonesty, Octavio Colmenares, a spokesman for the bookâs publisher Libros para Todos Editorial, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. Both Colmenares and Chao said that they know of no threats against Nava.
Mexico City authorities conducting an investigation into the murder said that they have not been able to determine a motive and do not have suspects in custody, according to the local press.
“We are shocked by the killing of our colleague JosĂ© Manuel Nava, the fifth journalist murdered this year in Mexico,” said CPJ Executive Director, Joel Simon. “We urge Mexican authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into Navaâs death.”
CPJ has confirmed that one of the five journalists killed this year was slain in connection with his reporting. It continues to investigate the killings of the four others.
See our last posts on Mexico and the ongoing attacks on the press.
