Oaxaca Journalist Shot Dead, Federal Probe Opened

A veteran journalist known for his critical reporting on corruption in southern Mexico was shot and killed this week, prompting a federal investigation and renewed condemnation of the country's deadly environment for the press. Francisco Alejandro Leyva, 60, was murdered on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, while eating at a roadside food stand in San Pablo Etla, a municipality outside Oaxaca City.

According to authorities, gunmen on a motorcycle approached Leyva, shot him, and fled the scene. The Oaxaca state Attorney General's Office opened an investigation and has since obtained surveillance video of possible suspects. The office has also formally requested assistance from a federal special prosecutor, a step that typically occurs when a crime is suspected to be linked to a victim's journalistic work.

Leyva was an independent journalist and political columnist who had reported for over three decades, including a stint as director of the Oaxaca Radio and TV Corporation. In recent years, his column, "El Zumbido Del Moscardón," which was reprinted in various state newspapers, focused on exposing government corruption and criminal violence in Oaxaca, often directing criticism at the...