Journalist’s Oaxaca restaurant shot at after extortion complaint, Digi Mart USA News (Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico): Journalist José Ignacio Santiago Martínez was attacked with gunfire at his Rockaway restaurant in the municipality of Juchitán, Oaxaca, after publicly reporting that he had been asked to pay 50,000 pesos in protection money, known locally as “derecho de piso.”
Santiago Martínez has documented extortion affecting local merchants in Juchitán and has described an increasing frequency of intimidation against businesses. The Oaxaca State Attorney General’s Office (FGEO) said it opened an investigation into the gunfire directed at the establishment, which occurred Saturday morning on Carretera Canal 33 in the 19 de Marzo neighborhood.
According to the authority, no one was inside the property at the time of the attack. The FGEO said the case was assigned to the Regional Deputy Prosecutor’s Office of the Isthmus and to specialized units handling crimes against freedom of expression within the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes of Social Significance.
The FGEO said it is providing comprehensive support and accompaniment to the victims to guarantee their safety and rights. The attack also follows complaints from Elvis Guerra, a muxe designer who has publicly denounced the same extortion problem.
