Shelter To Open In Mexico For Reporters Under Threat

Faizan Hashmi Published July 30, 2016 | 12:59 PM

MEXICO CITY, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th july,2016) - When photojournalist Ruben Espinosa felt harassed by the authorities in eastern Mexico, he fled to the capital. Without protection, he was shot dead in a case still unsolved a year later. Now, a group of journalists is about to open a secret shelter in Mexico City to protect colleagues like Espinosa in one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a reporter. "It's a house where we want them to have food, with all the basic services, where they are safe and they have psychological help," Judith Calderon, president of the House of Rights of Journalists, told AFP.

Journalists who face threats can request government protection in Mexico, but the hideout will give another option for those who don't trust the authorities, who sometimes are the tormentors. The organization refused to reveal the shelter's location for security reasons, but said that it will be able to house a dozen people when it opens in the coming weeks. The group already has a waiting list.