Culiacán (Mexico) (AFP)

Mexican justice on Thursday sentenced to more than 32 years in prison one of the perpetrators of the murder in May 2017 of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, AFP collaborator and specialist in drug cartels.

"This is an important conviction because it sets a precedent," responded Griselda Triana, the widow of the murdered journalist, interviewed by AFP.

"Everyone will now know that those who violate freedom of expression (by murdering journalists) will receive heavy penalties," added the one who said that justice will only be done when the sponsor has been convicted.

This is the second conviction in this case, of a leading executor, after the conviction of Heriberto Picos Barraza, alias "el Koala", in February 2020 to 14 years and 8 months in prison for having served as a driver for killers.

The judge in charge of the case handed down "a sentence of 32 years and three months in prison against Juan Francisco P., for his criminal responsibility as an important co-author in the murder of a journalist from the State of Sinaloa ", in northwestern Mexico, the general prosecutor's office said in a statement.

This is Juan Francisco Picos Berrueta, alias "el Quillo", convicted of this murder on June 9, 2021.

According to the prosecution, he is one of the two individuals who shot the journalist as well as "the one who organized the plan for the execution".

The other alleged shooter, Luis Ildefonso Sanchez, has since died.

The accused, who had been offered by the prosecution a 21-year prison sentence if he collaborated and appointed the person who ordered the assassination, never admitted the facts.

When "el Quillo" was found guilty on June 9, 2021, the widow of the murdered journalist told the press that the family was satisfied with the judgment but that justice still had to be done, due to a lack of judgment against the person who ordered the murder.

- Link with "El Chapo" -

The lawsuit revealed that the murderers had ties to drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman, alias "El Chapo", of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, who is serving a life sentence in the United States.

The one who was called the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until his extradition to the United States in 2017 is serving his sentence in a high-security Colorado prison.

According to the prosecution, the assassination was ordered by Damaso Lopez Serrano, the son of a former lieutenant of "El Chapo", furious at being criticized in an article by the journalist.

Javier Valdez, co-founder of the weekly Riodoce and contributor to the daily La Jornada and Agence France-Presse (AFP), was hailed for his investigations into drug trafficking.

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The conviction of "el Quillo" was pronounced a few hours after the assassination of Mexican journalist Gustavo Sanchez in the state of Oaxaca, in the south of the country.

Gustavo Sanchez is the second journalist killed this year.

The Breach-Valdez Prize, promoted by Unesco, the daily La Jornada, AFP and several European embassies, is awarded each year in Mexico in honor of Javier Valdez and Miroslava Breach, a journalist murdered in March 2017.

Miroslava Breach was shot eight times in the head after publishing an article in the daily La Jornada claiming that criminals from various organizations were seeking to run in local elections.

The two journalists were recognized for their work in northern Mexico.

Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, with around 100 murdered since 2000, including seven in 2020.

More than 90% of these crimes go unpunished, according to press freedom organizations.

© 2021 AFP