The Saltillo, Coahuila-based news organisation has withstood a decade of intensifying legal harassment, culminating in the falsified arrest of its top executive in what has been described as a coordinated attempt to kidnap and extort. The post WAN-IFRA denounces systemic legal targeting of Vanguardia in Mexico appeared first on WAN-IFRA.
Authorities detained Vanguardia CEO, Armando Castilla, at Monterrey airport on 9th January after the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Nuevo León issued an arrest warrant. Officials accused him of accepting money as part of an illegal real estate deal, but quickly dropped charges and released Mr Castilla the next day after evidence showed he had not been in the country at the time of the alleged incident.
According to Mr Castilla, the Attorney General’s Office “designed an elaborate operation involving at least 36 officers and a dozen vehicles” as a means to guarantee his apprehension.
“Once detained, the next step was to formally charge me and, given that I reside in Saltillo, argue that pre-trial detention was necessary due to an alleged “risk of flight” and potential evasion of justice,” said Mr Castilla.
Evidence proved the allegations false after records showed that Mr Castilla was in Colombia attending an international media industry event at the time of the supposed transaction. Immigration stamps from his passport showed he could not possibly have been present at the time of the alleged incident.
“They invented a story which – through the complicity of authorities who have not only chosen to abandon their responsibilities but to become part of a criminal scheme that engages in kidnapping and extortion without restraint – was turned into a fictitious criminal case,” Mr Castilla continued.
It is the latest in a series of fabricated legal actions against Mr Castilla and the news organisation, allegedly in reprisal for Vanguardia’s 2016 reporting on the arrest of former Coahuila governor, Humberto Moreira. At the time, Moreira was under investigation in Spain for money laundering and links to organised crime.
The media outlet has since become the victim of a series of legal proceedings, including an ongoing commercial lawsuit initiated in Coahuila which seeks the seizure and sale of the company.
Reports indicate that irregularities and contradictions riddled the process, prompting the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice to step in and take up the case in November 2025.
In the meantime, Mr Castilla continues to face harassment and legal threats.
Independent analysis of the original complaint filed against Mr Castilla with the Nuevo León State Attorney General’s Office in January showed the false real estate investigation lacked even the basic requirements for admissibility.
A lack of supporting documentation further undermined the accusations, which appeared to rely solely on the testimony of a notary professionally linked to the former Coahuila governor.
WAN-IFRA stands with Armando Castilla and colleagues at Vanguardia in their fight against the impunity that undermines legality and due process, and which has captured elements of law enforcement and the judicial system in Mexico.
Equally, WAN-IFRA calls on the Mexican authorities to take action against the perpetrators of the fabricated accusations against Mr Castilla, and for an end to the systematic judicial harassment against his publication.
“Protecting journalists and media organisations from the threat of legal persecution and unwarranted legal action is vital to ensuring a free press can perform its critical role in society,” said WAN-IFRA Executive Director for Media Freedom, Andrew Heslop.
“In a country where the physical safety of journalists and media workers is a daily preoccupation, we need the appropriate legal protections and consistent enforcement of the rule of law to send a clear message that impunity – of any kind – will not be tolerated.”
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