Fetisov Journalism Awards 2021
Category: Outstanding Investigative Reporting
First Prize
Audrey Travère, Phineas Rueckert, Paloma Dupont de Dinechin
(France)
Series:
Uncovered: The Buried Truth of Assassinated Journalist Regina Martínez;
Mexican Cartels: "The Asian Connection";
An Ocean of Guns: Mexico's Journalists in the Crossfire of the International Arms Trade
(The Cartel Project)
Uncovered: The Buried Truth of Assassinated Journalist Regina Martínez
Forbidden Stories
The original publication is available via the following link: https://forbiddenstories.org/the-buried-truth-of-assassinated-journalist-regina-martinez/
December, 2020
Paloma Dupont de Dinechin
Translation: Phineas Rueckert
On April 28, 2012, the murder of journalist Regina Martínez in the Mexican state of Veracruz marked a turning point in terms of impunity for crimes against the press in Mexico. Eight years later, Forbidden Stories and its media partners came together to pursue her investigations into the links between politicians and drug traffickers. They discovered that Martínez was preparing to publish an explosive report on thousands of people who had mysteriously disappeared in Veracruz in the months before she was killed.
Mexican Cartels: "The Asian Connection"
Forbidden Stories - December 2020
By Audrey Travère
Translation: Sophie Stuber
From Sinaloa to Shanghai, the disastrous fentanyl business still slips through the cracks.
The original publication is available via the following link: https://forbiddenstories.org/mexican-cartels-the-asian-connection/
Mexican cartels are now full-fledged multinational businesses. Their main expertise? Synthetic drugs. In recent years, the very potent opioid fentanyl has appeared as the new drug of choice. In order to prosper and stay one step ahead of the authorities, Mexican cartels need partners in every corner of the world. From a small laboratory in India to the metropolis of Shanghai, Forbidden Stories and its partners investigated this supply chain, where everyone shares a responsibility in the cartels’ success, and the ensuing violence in Mexico.
An Ocean of Guns: Mexico's Journalists in the Crossfire of the International Arms Trade
Forbidden Stories - December 2020
By Phineas Rueckert
The original publication is available via the following link: https://forbiddenstories.org/an-ocean-of-guns-mexicos-journalists-in-the-crossfire-of-the-international-arms-trade/
At least 86 of 119 journalists and media workers killed in Mexico since 2000 have been killed by firearms. Yet very few cases lead to an arrest and even fewer to a conviction. Over a months-long investigation, Forbidden Stories examined the flow of weapons into Mexico, analyzing thousands of declassified documents obtained by the NGO Stop US Arms to Mexico. These documents, along with the new report “Deadly Trade,” published today, suggest that in addition to weapons trafficked illegally across the US border, weapons produced overseas and sold legally to the Mexican Army may also be used to commit human rights violations.