Call for the fifth Breach Award launched — Valdez

This Tuesday, from the Casa de France in Mexico, representatives of UNESCO, UN-DH, UNICEF and the Delegation of the European Union in Mexico, as well as the French and Swiss embassies in our country, the French Press Agency (AFP ), the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Universidad Iberoamericana presented the call for the fifth edition of the Breach—Valdez Prize for Journalism and Human Rights.

This recognition, founded in 2018 on behalf of two prominent Mexican journalists murdered in 2017 in the exercise of their profession, Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez, will recognize this year the two best journalistic works with a human rights approach and will recognize work more related with children’s rights, all published in 2022.

In this context, Griselda Triana, communicator, member of the jury and widow of Javier Valdez, co-founding journalist of the Sinaloan weekly Riodoce, stated: “Miroslava Breach and Javier Valdez deserve to continue in the collective memory, in the memory not only of us, their families, but also also in that of many of his colleagues who still report in the most inhospitable regions, in territories riddled with criminal organizations, in places where the lives of women seem not to count, where it is so easy to disappear, or where girls, boys and adolescents They are easy prey for crime.

Triana expanded that in a few weeks, the journalists Miroslava Breach and Javeier Valdez will be six years old since they were murdered. “Although there are advances, such as the fact that some of the perpetrators have already been tried and sentenced, the truth is that both crimes remain unpunished because the masterminds are still free, so we, their families, continue to demand justice, right and memory”.

For her part, Balbina Flores, representative of Reporters Without Borders in Mexico added: “The zones of silence for information have deepened in some states such as Guerrero, Veracruz, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas; but others have also been opened where information is at risk (…) it is urgent to redouble efforts so that impunity ends and the protection of journalists is an urgent priority”.

Joint efforts to end impunity

At the event, Carmen Morales, director of the United Nations Information Center (CINU Mexico), highlighted that the 2023 edition of the award coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a historic milestone that requires recognition and protection of journalistic work with guarantees for its exercise with total freedom of opinion and expression.

Present at the event, the French ambassador in Mexico, Jean-Pierre Asvazadourian, reinforced the call of the organizing organizations by pointing out that the award responds to the imperative that any violation of human rights in its broadest sense be investigated and that promotes the dignity of all human beings, even when this prevents the role of authorities and society from being questioned.

He explained that in addition to the economic prize, whoever wins first place will travel to France and Europe to give visibility to their work, exchange experiences, work methods and reflections on the profession of journalism.

Guillermo Fernández-Maldonado, UN Human Rights representative in Mexico, added that “with the launch of this fifth call, we remember that it is urgent that all the actors of the Mexican State and international cooperation join forces to put an end to impunity. It is essential that authorities at all levels publicly and unequivocally condemn any attack on freedom of expression and that we support comprehensive strategies to reverse this serious trend.”

The reception of the works will take place from January 24 to March 10, while the awards ceremony will take place on May 3, World Press Freedom Day.

Call and reception of works

Premio BREACH / VALDEZ 2023

Winners of the 2022 edition:

“The survivors forgotten by justice”, by Gloria Piña

“Looking at our death: Being an expert woman in Mexico”, by Wendy Selene Pérez and Paula Mónaco Felipe