Hereâs What Happened When a Journalist Exposed a Pedo Sex Ring in Mexico
On July 23, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for Mexican authorities to protect investigative reporter Lydia Cacho Ribeiro.
Two days prior, unidentified thugs broke into the journalistâs home, killed her two dogs, stole a laptop, audio recorder, three cameras, memory cards, and ten hard drives âcontaining information about sexual abuse cases the reporter was investigating,â according to the CPJ and Cacho. The attackers also damaged personal belongings including photographs.
This is my personal response to the new attack we recieved at home. Thank you for your solidarity. We must focus on facts and evidence regarding the extent of impunity and how it empowers the mafias. #WeWillNorSurrenderToSilence #JournalismIsAlive pic.twitter.com/aEJoKbITT1
â Lydia Cacho (@lydiacachosi) July 25, 2019
Itâs remarkable Cacho is still alive. In 1999, she was beaten and raped in retaliation for her investigations. Despite this, she continued to report on sex rings and the trafficking and murder of Mexican girls.
In 2005, she published Los Demonios de EdĂŠn (The Demons of Eden), a book exposing a child sex trafficking ring involving politicians, government officials, and businessmen. Cacho was arrested and charged with defamation following the bookâs publication.
CPJ reported at the time:
The underlying defamation case is based on a complaint filed by Puebla-based clothes manufacturer JosĂŠ Camel Nacif Borge, the Mexican press said. In a book released in May titled, âThe Demons of Eden,â Cacho described the activities of a child prostitution ring that she said operated with the complicity of local police and politicians. She alleged that Nacif had ties to an accused pedophile, which the businessman said damaged his reputation.
Borge is one of the wealthiest men in Mexico. Known as âEl Rey de la Mezclillaâ (the Denim King), he amassed his wealth by manufacturing clothing for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Chaps, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, and American Eagle Outfitters. An investigation by the Game Commission of Nevada looked into Borgeâs links to drug smuggling and gun-running.
Threats against Cachoâs life were serious enough to warrant protection by the federal police. In 2006, a transcript of telephone conversations between Borge and Mario MarĂn, then governor of the state of Puebla, was published by the Mexico City daily La Jornada. Borge and MarĂn discussed having Cacho arrested and thrown in jail where she would be beaten and abused.
In November 2009 the Supreme Court of Mexico ruled that Chacoâs arrest on defamation charges did not violate her rights as a journalist. The ruling was made despite the fact at least 30 public officials, including MarĂn, had conspired to harass her, according to The New York Times.
Por mĂĄs que lo intenten no dejarĂŠ de investigar. El miedo no colonizarĂĄ mi espĂritu. Soy periodista, soy feminista y defensora de #DerechosHumanos el poder conlleva responsabilidad social. A los que me amenazan les digo: #AquĂNadieSeRinde #Justicia #NiĂąezPrimero pic.twitter.com/WW3J2P3xGd
â Lydia Cacho (@lydiacachosi) July 22, 2019
https://youtu.be/jHGFf7xxcF8
https://www.activistpost.com/2019/07/heres-what-happened-when-a-journalist-exposed-a-pedo-sex-ring-in-mexico.html