Two of three Journalists kidnapped from office in Mexico freed unhurt

The international free-speech organization Article 19 for journalists said in a statement on Saturday that two of the three journalists who were kidnapped recently in southern Mexico have been released unharmed.

The heads of the RedSiete digital platform, Silvia Arce and Alberto Sánchez, were freed in the wee hours of the morning, according to the organization.

Testimonies gathered by Article 19 indicate that both journalists were abducted on Wednesday by armed men who broke into the outlet’s central Taxco offices.

A press group member named Pedro Cardenas told Reuters that sources close to the journalists confirmed the release, but he would not provide additional information.

According to the organization, journalist Marco Toledo, the director of the weekly Espectador de Taxco, and his son are still missing; his wife was freed.

Cardenas, citing people close to Toledo, claimed the woman had not been physically abused.

On Thursday, the Guerrero state attorney general’s office announced that it was looking into the five-person disappearance in the tourist town of Taxco, including the disappearances of journalists Toledo, Arce, and Sánchez.

An inquiry about recent events was not immediately answered by Guerrero’s attorney general’s office.

Five journalists have died in Mexico so far this year, making it one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists, according to Article 19. With 13 journalists killed, last year was the deadliest since the group started keeping records in 2000.