News
UN in Mexico celebrates the awarding of the Breach / Valdez Journalism and Human Rights Prize 2025
The organizations convening the seventh edition of the Breach / Valdez Journalism and Human Rights Prize: the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC); the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Mexico; the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which joins for the first time in this seventh edition; the European Union Delegation in Mexico (EU); the French Embassy in Mexico; the Swiss Embassy in Mexico; the Press and Democracy Programme at the Iberoamerican University and its Journalism Department (IBERO/PRENDE); Agence France-Presse (AFP); and Reporters sans Frontières (RSF), are pleased to announce the winners.
In the Human Rights category, the first-place winners are RocÃo Gallegos, Blanca Carmona, and Gabriela Minjares; second place goes to Beatriz Guillén Torres and photographer Mónica González. Special mentions are awarded to Elia Almanza, Daniel Rosas, VÃctor Figueroa, César MartÃnez, Mariana Betanzos, Laura Jiménez, photographers Hugo Salvador, Fernanda Rojas, and Gabriel Paño, and data visualization expert Alejandra Franco.
In the Children’s and Adolescent Rights category, Alberto Pradilla and photographer Paul RamÃrez won. José Carlos RodrÃguez Toral, Ricardo Hernández Ruiz, and photographer Meghan Dhaliwal received special mentions.
This seventh edition of the award received 103 eligible submissions: 82 in the Human Rights category and 21 in the Children’s and Adolescent Rights category.
Category: Human Rights
The independent jury, consisting of Mariclaire Acosta, DarÃo Fritz, Blanche Petrich, Simona Raquel Santiago, Kau Sirenio, Samir Tounsi, Sara Lovera, José Reveles, and Griselda Triana, awarded first place to the journalistic work , written by RocÃo Gallegos, Blanca Carmona, and Gabriela Minjares, a joint investigation by La Verdad, Lighthouse Reports, and El Paso Matters.
The jury described this multimedia and cross-border work as an exemplary piece of investigative journalism, highlighting its documentary rigour and deep commitment to defending human rights. Through meticulous gathering of testimonies, the analysis of surveillance videos, unpublished audios, and official documents, the journalistic team reconstructed the events that led to the tragic death of 40 migrant people in a locked cell during a fire in March 2023 in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
The impact of the report reaches the deepest part of the collective conscience, showing that a tragedy of such magnitude could have been avoided. The report highlights the humanitarian crisis of human mobility and honours the memory of the victims, emphasizing the crucial role of the regional media La Verdad in the search for justice.
As part of the prize, the investigative team will receive 8,000 euros from the European Union Delegation in Mexico. A work trip to France and Switzerland, sponsored by both countries, to meet with press representatives, international organizations, and institutions advocating for journalists’ and human rights. Additionally, they will receive a double scholarship from the Iberoamerican University in Santa Fe campus, which includes a special scholarship from the Press and Democracy Programme (PRENDE) for seminars and specialized courses, and the IBERO Scholarship from the Journalism Area of the Department of Communication, which offers follow-up, mentorship, use of facilities, and individual guidance for a proposed journalistic investigation project.
The jury awarded second place to the journalistic work , written by Beatriz Guillén with photographs by Mónica González, published in El PaÃs.
The jury praised the solidity of the work based on data, official documents, and testimonies, which rigorously and sensitively expose the multiple forms of violence faced by women in detention, many of whom are held in preventive custody. By telling their stories with humanity and dignity, the work reminds us that imprisonment does not mean the loss of fundamental rights. It also denounces the neglect that led women to take their own lives in the Federal Social Reintegration Centre (Cefereso) 16.
This work highlights the importance of shedding light on hidden realities, reaffirms the State’s responsibility to guarantee justice with a gender perspective, encourages reflection on structural violence, and underlines the power of journalism to give voice to those often forgotten.
The author will receive an 8,000 euros cash prize from the European Union Delegation in Mexico and a double scholarship (PRENDE and IBERO) for one person at the Iberoamericana University Santa Fe campus.
The jury awarded three special mentions to:
by Elia Almanza, Daniel Rosas, and VÃctor Figueroa, broadcast on Telesur.
written by César MartÃnez, published in Quinto Elemento Lab and ¿A dónde van los desaparecidos? (Where Do the Disappeared Go?).
written by Mariana Betanzos and Laura Jiménez, with photographs by Hugo Salvador, Fernanda Rojas, and Gabriel Paño, and data visualization by Alejandra Franco, published in El Universal.
The jury emphasized the high quality and rigour of these works, their relevance in bringing visibility to the invisible, dignifying victims, and their contribution to strengthening the role of journalism in preserving memory and supporting the pursuit of truth, justice, reparations, and non-repetition.
Category: Children’s and Adolescent Rights
The independent jury, composed of Cecilia Aguilar Castillo, Hérika MartÃnez, Mitzi Zárate, Alfredo Romo, César Espinoza, and Griselda Triana, selected as the winner the work , written by Alberto Pradilla with photographs by Paul RamÃrez, published in N+.
The work was recognized for its in-depth investigation into Mexican immigration policies affecting unaccompanied Central American children and adolescents. Through testimonies such as that of Wilmer, a 12-year-old Honduran boy who was deported after his asylum request was denied, the piece reflects the harsh journey of migrant children and adolescents. Pradilla reveals how Mexico has deported around 80,000 children and adolescents over the past decade, often without assessing the risks they face upon returning to their countries of origin.
The jury valued the report’s ability to expose the contradictions between legal reforms and institutional practices that continue to violate the rights of migrant children and adolescents. With a solid narrative based on data and interviews, Pradilla not only informs but also protects and advocates for the rights of its protagonists. His report encourages a necessary public debate and calls for more humane and just policies for unaccompanied migrant children.
The author is awarded an 8,000 euros prize from the European Union Delegation in Mexico, a work trip awarded by UNICEF, as well as a double scholarship at the Iberoamerican University Santa Fe campus (under the same conditions as the previous category).
In this category, the jury also awarded two special mentions to:
written by José Toral, published in Zona Docs.
written by Ricardo Hernández Ruiz with photographs by Meghan Dhaliwal, published in Gatopardo.
The organizing entities of the Breach / Valdez Prize thank all the journalists for their participation in this seventh edition. They also reiterate the importance of protecting and defending freedom of information, opinion, and expression not only as fundamental rights but as essential tools to ensure full respect for human rights and the rule of law.
The Breach / Valdez Journalism and Human Rights Prize is named in honour of journalist Miroslava Breach, murdered on March 23, 2017, in Chihuahua, and journalist Javier Valdez, murdered on May 15, 2017, in Culiacán, Sinaloa. The award recognizes the significant contribution of journalists in Mexico despite the adverse conditions they have faced in carrying out their work and aims to preserve the memory of journalists and communicators who have been murdered or disappeared in the country in the exercise of their profession.
