El Imparcial del Istmo
October 8, 2007, in Tehuantepec, Mexico

Assailants in an SUV pursued and intercepted a newspaper delivery truck bearing the logo of the daily El Imparcial del Istmo along a rural stretch of highway connecting the cities of Salina Cruz and Tehuantepec in southern Mexico, according to local news accounts. The attackers shot Cortés, the driver, and delivery workers Agustín López Nolasco and Flor Vásquez López at close range, El Imparcial del Istmo reported.

Luis David Quintana, El Imparcial del Istmo's deputy director, told local reporters that the newspaper had received several threatening e-mail messages and letters in the previous month, warning the paper to tone down coverage of local drug trafficking. Numerous staff members resigned a day after the murders, Quintana told CPJ.

Media Support Worker: In 2003, CPJ began documenting the deaths of vital media employees such as translators, drivers, fixers, and administrative workers.

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