Journalist Roxana Guzmán kidnapped in Veracruz; organizations demand her location

Journalist Roxana Guzmán Ramírez, director of the news portal Pulso Informativo del Sureste, has been kidnapped from her home in Veracruz. The abduction occurred when armed individuals reportedly broke down her door and forcibly took her.

Prominent organizations dedicated to freedom of expression, such as Alianza de Medios Mx, Artículo 19, and the Association of Displaced and Attacked Journalists, have issued urgent calls for a thorough investigation into the kidnapping and for Guzmán's immediate location.

Guzmán Ramírez leads the Pulso Informativo del Sureste portal, which covers news from the Nanchital municipality in Veracruz. The portal's Facebook page, with around 21,000 followers, reports on environmental issues, security, missing persons, citizen complaints, and cultural and sports news.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Guzmán had previously requested protection from the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists in Veracruz. This request followed her reporting of alleged harassment by a municipal official in her home region. Adding to the concern, her partner, Carlos Fernández Escalante, was murdered in 2017, prompting Guzmán to leave the state for several years before returning to Nanchital.

Local media reported that Fernández Escalante had survived a previous attack in 2015 and had been detained by the Army in 2014 for possession of firearms and drugs. The Fiscalía General del Estado and the Government of Veracruz have confirmed that a search operation is underway, involving various security elements. The Fiscalía Regional Coatzacoalcos has opened an investigation into the incident.