The UN human rights office in Mexico said on Wednesday that journalists in Mexico need greater protection. Gunmen killed a journalist He covers the violent western Mexican state of Michoacan on his Facebook news page. Then, less than 24 hours later, an entertainment reporter in the western city of Colima was murdered at a restaurant he owned.

Journalist Mauricio Solís of the news page Minuto por Minuto was shot and killed late Tuesday, minutes after interviewing the mayor of the city of Uruapan on a sidewalk. State prosecutors said A second person was also injured in the fire.

Solís had just finished an interview with Mayor Carlos Manzo on the street outside city hall. Manzo told local media that he walked away and said, “I think two minutes later, we heard gunshots, four or five gunshots, a few meters away.”

“We tried to hide because we thought the attack was targeting us,” Manzo said. “A few minutes later, we learned that the person they attacked was Mauricio.”

Manzo said he could not rule out a connection between the meeting and the murder.

The radio station where Solis worked mourned his murder Statement published on social media.

“Mauricio was more than a colleague, he was an unconditional friend, an inspiration, and a tireless voice in service of our community,” the station said.

The U.N. human rights office said Solís was at least the fifth journalist killed in Mexico this year. He said he had previously reported security issues with his business. The Facebook page reported on social unrest and drug cartel violence plaguing the city.

“His murder is a wake-up call to defend the right to information and freedom of expression in Mexico,” the office wrote.

A growing number of journalists killed in Mexico are self-employed and report on local Facebook and online news sites.

Uruapan is the closest major city to Michoacan’s avocado-growing region and has been the scene of drug cartel takeovers and turf wars between gangs. The cartels demand protection money from local avocado and lemon groves, cattle ranches, and just about any business.

Just before he was shot, Solís was reporting a suspicious fire at a local market. Gangs sometimes burned businesses that refused to pay extortion demands.

Later on Wednesday afternoon, entertainment reporter Patricia Ramírez González was found seriously injured at a Colima restaurant and died at the scene. Colima State Attorney’s Office.

Ramírez, better known as Paty Bunbury in the local press, was reported to have published a blog on local entertainment and contributed to the Colima newspaper.

The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned both killings and called for transparent investigations.

Mexico, devastated by drug-trafficking-related violence, is one of the world’s largest countries. The most dangerous countries for journalistsThat’s what news advocacy groups say.

Reporters Without Borders says more than 150 journalists have been killed in Mexico since 1994, and 2022 is one of those incidents. deadliest years ever At least 15 people have been killed for journalists in Mexico.

media workers Regularly targeted in Mexicooften in direct retaliation for his work covering issues such as corruption and the country’s violent drug traffickers.

In August, a Mexican journalist covering one of the country’s most dangerous criminal cases killed by gunmenand two government-appointed guards were also injured.

In April, Roberto Figueroa, who covered local politics and became a follower of social media with his satirical videos, found dead in car In his hometown of Huitzilac in Morelos, south of Mexico City, where drug-fueled violence is rife.

All but a handful of murders and kidnappings remain unsolved.

“Impunity is the norm for crimes committed against the press” The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report: In Mexico in March.