Journalist says gunmen attacked restaurant after extortion refusal
Original reporting: ZETA Tijuana
What happened
José Ignacio Santiago Martínez said two men on a motorcycle fired at his Juchitán restaurant after he refused a 50,000-peso demand. He sought federal and state protection.
Reporting and context
Oaxaca journalist José Ignacio Santiago Martínez says gunmen fired at his seafood restaurant in Juchitán de Zaragoza after he refused a demand for 50,000 pesos in extortion payments, according to ZETA Tijuana. The director of Pluma Digital Noticias appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara Cruz for protection and intervention.
In a video posted on social media, Santiago Martínez said two men arrived on a motorcycle and shot at the facade. He linked the attack both to his reporting and to threats and extortion he had previously denounced. He said the payment had been demanded as a condition for allowing his restaurant to keep operating.
ZETA Tijuana reported that the journalist already has protective measures. After the shooting, public security personnel and staff from the Oaxaca state prosecutor's office went to the restaurant on the Juchitán–Espinal road near Canal 33, cordoned off the area and began investigative work.
In a second video, Santiago Martínez showed damage to the restaurant's glass, including bullet impacts. Through Pluma Digital Noticias, he asked residents to provide information that could help identify and locate the attackers. He said he would continue reporting despite the shooting and death threats.
The account, credited by ZETA to ZETA/SinEmbargo, presents the alleged extortion demand and the link to his journalism as Santiago Martínez's testimony. His appeal sought federal and state support to address violence in Juchitán and ensure his safety.
Original publication: ZETA Tijuana.