A governor from Mexico’s ruling party is accused of using the judicial system to shut down a small, local news outlet that had operated for nearly 50 years.
The newspaper Tribuna, based in the Mexican state of Campeche, closed its doors last week after a series of lawsuits filed by Gov. Layda Sansores, a member of the ruling MORENA party. The outlet had reprinted wire service stories about alleged corruption and questionable government contracts involving Sansores and her associates.
According to La Jornada, the lawsuits named Tribuna’s former director, Jorge Luis González Valdez, and executive editor Isidro Yerbes. The charges included libel, hate speech, gender-based violence, and political violence. In one ruling, González Valdez was barred from working as a journalist for two years.
Critics say Sansores is using the courts to silence critical media. In addition to civil and criminal court actions, Sansores also filed complaints in Mexico’s electoral court.
Tribuna was founded in 1975 by Sansores’ father, Carlos Sansores Pérez, and was the first print publication in the state. It stopped printing in 2024 due to mounting legal pressure and continued online until this month, when a judge ordered its final shutdown.
Judge Guadalupe Martínez Taboada ruled in favor of filing criminal charges against González Valdez for inciting violence and hate speech. The judge also ordered the website to be taken down.
The controversial stories that triggered the legal campaign were syndicated wire articles alleging that Sansores and her allies improperly benefited from state contracts. In one ruling, Civil Judge Maribel del Carmen Beltrán Valladares fined Tribuna 2 million pesos, claiming the outlet failed to independently verify the reports.
In additional lawsuits, Sansores alleged she was a victim of political and gender-based violence, accusing the journalists of targeting her because she is a woman.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at
