Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday snapped back at U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after he expressed concern over a spate of journalist killings in Mexico, saying he was misinformed.
"What he's saying is not true. Of course, it's very unfortunate that there are murders of journalists ... In all cases we're doing something about it, there is no impunity, these are not state crimes," Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference.
A string of Mexican journalists have been killed in 2022, prompting U.S. lawmakers to pressure Mexico to step up protections.
"The high number of journalists killed in Mexico this year and the ongoing threats they face are concerning. I join those calling for greater accountability and protections for Mexican journalists," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
"My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who gave their lives for the truth," said Blinken.
According to human rights organization Article 19, around 145 journalists were killed in Mexico from 2000 to 2021, making it one of the deadliest countries in the world for people involved in such work.
"He is misinformed because otherwise he would be acting in bad faith," said Lopez Obrador, who on Monday urged the U.S. government to stop funding groups in Mexico that are critical of his administration.
Lopez Obrador called that financial support a "shame" and a breach of Mexico's sovereignty.
(Reporting by Anthony Esposito and Raul Cortes Fernandez; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
