Zacatecas: Journalist Returns Home, was not Kidnapped

Chivis Martínez Borderland Beat

A press release from the Attorney General stated that the journalist Zacatecas Zoila Marquez Chiu, reported missing since Dec. 7,  is back with her family this was announced by the Attorney General of the State Zacatecas (PGJEZ), Arturo Garcia Nahle.

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He explained that it was the parents of the journalist who informed authorities that their daughter is at home, unharmed and in good health, she returned on Monday.

The attorney reports that authorities were able to determine that Marquez Chiu’s absence was not due to a kidnapping, but that in the absence of a crime, authorities are awaiting for information from the journalists to explain her absence.

"Zoila  will explain to her family and the journalists' union the reasons she was absent for 16 days," said Nahle García.

liin.tv where Zoila is employed issued a statement that said they have not been able to reach their employee after several attemps and:

"The official version that I have is that Zoila Edith was not the victim of unlawful or violent act, but I also think the authority should be clearer in the interests of transparency, because the purely journalistic field I also have many questions."

Since December 7^th when the disappearance complaint was filed with the PGJE,  Governor Miguel Alonso Reyes ordered an intensive operation in coordination with federal authorities to the locate the journalist.

Federal help was sought by the Secretary of Human Rights, who brought the matter of the missing journalist to President Enrique Peña’s attention, asking for assistance in the matter, which resulted in a meeting with the journalist’s parents and the Ministry of the Interior.

Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, applied pressure on the state and federal governments to pull out all stops in searching for the journalist, citing article 19 of the constitution that may  enact a special prosecutor being appointed in an investigation when a journalists freedom of speech right has been criminally compromised.

The investigation was initiated without proof from any source that there was even a kidnapping.  There was nothing to support that possibility.

It is difficult to understand why this case received such attention, and others have little help in resources and investigation in cases of the kidnapping of journalists, with evidence that a crime had occurred.

A massive search of footage from security cameras of each of the buildings in the metropolitan center revealed the journalist leaving the building, entering her vehicle and driving away without any signs of harassment or vehicles in pursuit.  She was not seen or heard from again for 16 days.

Reports of reasons for her disappearance vary, one is that she ran off and moved to Puerto Vallarta due to marital issues with her husband journalist  Iván Pastor.  It was noted that Zoila did not return home to her husband, she went home to her parents.

sources: Zacatecas hoy-liin.tv-proceso