GUANAJUATO, Gto. (Apro).- Municipal government official, Jorge Alberto Rodríguez Rocha, was accused of allegedly attacking a reporter on Tuesday March 7th. The injured member of the press has issued a formal complaint before the Attorney General’s Office.
AM newspaper journalist, Gilberto Navarro Basaldúa suffered serious injuries after Rodríguez Rocha, an official of the Municipal Economic Development Secretariat allegedly ran him over with his car, while he was riding his motorcycle on the San Miguel – Dolores Hidalgo highway.
According to criminal complaint 23764 / 2017, journalist Gilberto Navarro was riding his motorcycle heading towards Dolores Hidalgo, at normal speed, carrying out his normal journal activities, when the official’s car intentionally hit him. After the incident, the journalist was taken to a local IMSS (Mexican Institute of Social Security) Hospital.
This same official was recently involved in a quarrel with a trader in the Mercado Hidalgo of San Miguel de Allende.
Jorge Rodríguez Rocha, a former official of the Municipal Economic Development Directorate (Image: Proceso)
According to witnesses, Rodríguez Rocha had an argument and insulted one of the merchants at Mercado Hidalgo, and some women who testified on this situation, had to intervene and asked him to calm down.
AM local newspaper reported this incident in a publication signed by reporter Gilberto Navarro, referring to the complaint and considering that it could have been an aggression by retaliation.
And this is how, on Tuesday March 7th, the same reporter suffered serious injuries in one of his legs, in a car accident where Rodríguez’s car was involved.
Last night, through a statement from the municipal government, it was officially announced that as a result of this complaint, Rodríguez Rocha was dismissed.
“We have received the instruction to remove this public official who used to collaborate with the Economic Development Secretariat”, a municipal government spokesperson told AM.
AM Newspaper (Google)
In addition, the municipal administration expressed their total respect to freedom of expression and journalistic exercise.
On Wednesday March 8, the Human Rights Ombudsman announced the opening of complaint file 48/17-A and issued a precautionary measure, requesting the state’s Public Security Secretariat to assign the required personnel to protect this journalist, who now fears there could be retaliation acts from the dismissed official.
Jorge Alberto Rodríguez Rocha, is the son of Municipal official Silvia Rocha Miranda, a member of the Democratic Revolution Party (Partido de la Revolución Democrática: PRD), and Jorge Alberto Medrano, owner of the local TV channel TV8.
Source: http://www.proceso.com.mx/
