Today, journalist and advocate groups for the freedom of speech protested in the capital and in various Mexican cities against attacks on the press, and demanded that the authorities investigate the crimes that have been committed against professionals who work in the media.

The protests took place to commemorate the first anniversary of the murder of journalist Regina Martinez, who was a correspondent for the publication Proceso and murdered in Xalapa, Veracruz. Martinez was found a year ago in the bathroom of her home with signs of torture and suffocation.

Protesters in Mexico City carried a coffin outside the office of the Ministry of the Interior, and also in front of the state government of Veracruz.

The journalists read a letter out loud to the Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto and other government officials, to ensure the country's security and rights and the work of journalists.

In their letter, the protesters recalled that Mexico is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, and mentioned the 15 murders that occurred last year in several states, mainly in Veracruz.

Killed last year in Veracruz were Regina Martinez, Gabriel Huge, Guillermo Luna Varela, Esteban Rodriguez and Victor Manuel Baez. In the state of Chihuahua the victims were Javier Salinas, Javier Moya Muñoz and Ernesto Araujo Cano.

They also mentioned other journalists killed in the states of Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Morelos, Baja California and Puebla.

Journalists simultaneously protested in various cities like Veracruz, Chihuahua, Jalisco, Morelos, Oaxaca and Chiapas.

According to the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), since the year 2000 there have been about 80 journalists killed in Mexico, which is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for this profession.

Editorial@Sandiegored.com

Omar.Martinez@Sandiegored.com