Journalist Hamurabi Huesca Manzano was shot dead on Friday in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, becoming the ninth media worker killed in the country this year, according to the human rights organisation Article 19. Huesca Manzano, who owned the news website Pinotepa Comunica with more than 52,000 followers, was gunned down when an armed group opened fire on him and two other men, the state prosecutor's office said.
The killing adds to a grim tally that has made Mexico one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. More than 150 media professionals have been killed in the country since 1994, according to Reporters Without Borders, and convictions in such cases remain vanishingly rare.
The attack
According to the Oaxaca state prosecutor's report, Huesca Manzano was shot on Friday after gunmen attacked him along with two others. One line of investigation suggests a dispute between local criminal groups, and that the intended target was a man known as "El Dario," a figure described by prosecutors as notorious for instigating violence on the Oaxaca coast.
El Dario was wounded in the shooting and died in hospital hours later. Prosecutors said Huesca Manzano had been working as a taxi driver at the time — waiting to drive El Dario to another location when the journalist was shot dead.
The office said the attackers have been "fully identified," though it did not name them, nor did it say whether Huesca Manzano's journalistic work played any role in the attack. Local reports have offered differing accounts of where the shooting happened: some say the journalist was shot at his home and that a woman was also injured, according to Al Jazeera.
Demands for a real investigation
Article 19, which tracks attacks on the press in Mexico, condemned the killing and demanded that the prosecutor's office treat Huesca Manzano's journalistic work as a priority line of inquiry.
"We demand that the prosecutor's office treat his journalistic work as a priority in its investigation," the organisation wrote on X.
Pinotepa Comunica published news about politics and local issues in Santiago Pinotepa Nacional, the coastal city where Huesca Manzano lived. In regions like the Oaxaca coast, where criminal groups wield heavy influence over daily life, local journalists covering politics and public affairs work in conditions of near-total impunity for their attackers.
A deadly year for Mexico's press
Huesca Manzano's death continues a pattern that shows no sign of easing. Article 19's tally of nine journalists killed this year places 2026 among the deadliest recent years for the Mexican press. The country has long been considered the most dangerous place in the Western Hemisphere to practice journalism — and one of the deadliest in the world outside active war zones.
Mexico's federal government has repeatedly promised to rein in the violence against journalists, but investigations into media killings almost never lead to convictions, particularly when local criminal groups or corrupt officials are involved. As Chronicle has previously reported, Egypt's journalists have faced terrorism charges and torture claims this year, while press freedom in the United States has come under scrutiny — a reminder that threats to independent journalism are hardly confined to Mexico's borders. Within Mexico itself, violence has also erupted in Sinaloa's prisons, reflecting the broader grip of organised crime on the country's institutions.
Key takeaways
- Hamurabi Huesca Manzano, owner of Pinotepa Comunica, was shot dead in Oaxaca on Friday.
- Prosecutors say the attack may have been linked to a dispute between criminal groups targeting a man known as "El Dario."
- Article 19 says he is the ninth journalist killed in Mexico this year.
- The organisation demands that investigators prioritise his journalistic work as a possible motive.
- More than 150 media workers have been killed in Mexico since 1994, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Hamurabi Huesca Manzano?
He was the owner of Pinotepa Comunica, a news website with more than 52,000 followers covering politics and local issues in Santiago Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca. He also worked as a taxi driver.
What happened to him?
He was shot dead on Friday, October 9, when an armed group opened fire on him and two other men. Prosecutors say a dispute between criminal groups is one line of inquiry, with a man known as "El Dario" possibly the intended target.
How many journalists have been killed in Mexico this year?
According to the human rights NGO Article 19, Huesca Manzano is the ninth journalist killed in Mexico in 2026.
Why is Mexico so dangerous for journalists?
Local journalists covering politics, corruption and crime operate in regions where criminal groups wield heavy influence, and investigations into their killings almost never lead to convictions, creating a climate of impunity.
