Mexico City, November 3, 2023 – In a shocking development last night, veteran Mexican journalist Rafael Loret de Mola reported being the victim of a robbery and death threats at his home in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Loret de Mola, father of prominent journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, posted a video on YouTube showing his ransacked home office with valuable items stolen. Most disturbingly, he displayed a knife stabbed into his desk, impaling a note with the initials “AMLO” (for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador).
Home Ransacked, Valuables Stolen
In the video, a shaken Loret de Mola surveys his home office, showing drawers emptied onto the floor papers, and books scattered everywhere. He says two laptops were stolen – one his and another belonging to an assistant – along with a mobile phone containing important information.
The journalist then proceeds upstairs to document his ransacked bedroom. Clothes are strewn everywhere, his mattress overturned. “They stole all my clothes,” Loret de Mola remarks. He suspects the intruders were aggressively searching for something specific.
Ominous Death Threat Note
But most alarmingly, Loret de Mola focuses on a knife stabbed into his desk holding a piece of paper scrawled with the president’s initials.
“See what they left me – a knife with the initials of Mr. Rotten Head below,” Loret de Mola says, referencing a disparaging nickname used by AMLO critics. “I’m sharing this because the situation seems serious to me. I believe they are threatening me with death.”
The ominous note has sparked fears that pro-government elements are targeting perceived critics and political opponents. Loret de Mola explicitly holds AMLO responsible for any harm that should come to him.
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Loret de Mola No Stranger to Controversy
While shocking, the incident follows years of tension between the Loret de Mola family and the president. The elder Loret de Mola has frequently criticized AMLO on his YouTube program “Desde las Tripas de la Bestia” (From the Bowels of the Beast).
Meanwhile, his son Carlos Loret de Mola, one of Mexico’s highest-profile journalists, is embroiled in a dispute with AMLO after reporting on the luxurious lifestyle of the president’s son. AMLO, in turn, accused Carlos Loret de Mola of earning an exorbitant salary and challenged him to reveal who sponsors his work.
Alarming Signs for Mexican Press Freedom
The robbery and macabre death threat against Rafael Loret de Mola set a frightening new precedent in the deteriorating relationship between the Mexican government and the press.
Civic organizations are sounding the alarm on press freedom as Mexico remains one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists. Over 150 media workers have been killed or disappeared since 2000, with 12 murdered just last year.
While the government denies any involvement in Rafael Loret de Mola’s ordeal, critics contend such an ominous incident would never occur without implicit consent from the highest levels. They worry the distressing attack on Loret de Mola’s home may embolden others to target journalists deemed critical of the administration.
The robbery remains under investigation by authorities in Tlaxcala. Loren de Mola defiantly maintains he will continue to speak out and urges fellow members of the press not to be intimidated. But only time will tell whether those behind the chilling threats against his life are brought to justice.