One of Mexico’s best-known journalists, who is a prominent critic of the country’s president, said Friday he had survived an apparent assassination attempt.
Ciro Gomez Leyva is known for his criticism of the government led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who regularly lambasts him at press conferences.
Agradezco sus mensajes. Me salvó el blindaje de la camioneta. CGL pic.twitter.com/jNfX0N5uCA— Ciro Gómez Leyva (@CiroGomezL) December 16, 2022
“At 11:10 pm (0510 GMT Friday) 200 meters from my house, two people on a motorbike shot at me, apparently with the clear intention of killing me," Gomez Leyva tweeted.
“I was saved by the armor plating on my van that I was driving and I have informed the authorities," he added, posting images of bullet holes in his car.
Lopez Obrador condemned the attack.
“I want to send my solidarity, my support for Ciro Gomez Leyva," the president said during his daily morning conference.
“He is a leader of public opinion and damage to a personality like Ciro generates a lot of political instability."
Lopez Obrador has not been shy to criticize the journalist.
Only on Wednesday he said that listening to Gomez Leyva and other journalists critical of his administration was “dangerous for your health."
“Imagine if you just listen to Ciro… you might even get a tumour in your brain," the president said.
The attack on Gomez Leyva comes during one of the deadliest years for journalists in Mexico, with 13 murders so far this year, according to government data.
The country is considered one of the world’s most dangerous places to work as a journalist, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Since 2000, more than 150 journalists have been murdered in Mexico, according to an RSF count. Most of these crimes have gone unpunished.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - AFP)
