MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) A Mexican court has sentenced one of the people charged with being involved in the murder of acclaimed journalist Javier Valdez Cardenas, who was known for his coverage of drug-related crimes, to 14 years and eight months in prison, media reported on Friday.
The journalist and co-founder of the Mexican Riodoce weekly newspaper was shot outside his office in the northwestern city of Cualiacan in Sinaloa state in May 2017. In 2018, investigators detained Heriberto Picos Barraza, nicknamed El Koala, who was suspected of driving the car from which his accomplice shot the journalist.
El Heraldo de Mexico reported that the sentence was passed by a Federal judge in Cualiacan after eight-hour hearings. Barraza reportedly pleaded guilty.
The newspaper added that the court verdict was historic, as it was the first ruling passed after special judicial proceedings were launched to deal with crimes against the freedom of speech.
